It’s no secret that the way the Internet is used has changed a lot in recent years.
The rise of ‘Web 2.0’ as it is known – the infrastructure that has allowed the current social experience of social media and consumer creation – has created a situation where consumers expect a richer context (Berthon, 2012). Instead of simply expecting content to be fed to them, consumers wish to interact, to collaborate and to interject – and brands should be open to this (Berthon, 2012). Web 2.0 means participation and action – there is nothing passive here.
Read moreNowadays, 2.4 billion people around the world have access to the internet and therefore to a variety of social media platforms which enables consumers to connect and communicate with others, share, consume and create content about topics of their personal interest (Blazevic, et al., 2013). The purpose of this article is it to develop a theoretical framework of how the digital revolution, which is characterized by the development of the internet, has changed the roles between consumers and companies regarding to the information provision and procurement over the last years. The analysis will be done by reviewing existing literature and by comparing the communication behavior before the and after the advent of the internet has taken place. Furthermore, this article highlights the major opportunities and challenges that have emerged and provides suggestions of how marketers can adapt this changes to their existing marketing strategy in order reach the company goals by using company examples.
Read moreSocial Media – The New Source of Inspiration
Let’s consider two scenarios:
January 1990: “What do you think about summer holidays this year? Let’s go to the travel agency tomorrow and get some brochures for inspiration.”
January 2014: “What do you think about a trip to London next weekend? My friend just posted some great pictures of her shopping at Oxford Street. Also holidayguru posted a deal – Two people, London, only 100 pounds.”
Read moreWith the new media landscape we face a new era of consumer involvement that for the companies needs attention to. The new way of approach is the use of social media such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and other Web 2.0 platforms. As said this is where the consumers are, contributing, sharing and accessing constantly on the overall World Wide Web. This new thing is not only for shaping the consumers but also to empower them in the fields of internet marketing. For the marketers this means that if they can through social media influence the consumers’ perception and behavior then marketers can reap the commercial gains as long as companies are willing to adapt to the behavior of their consumers (Akar and Topcu, 2011).
Read moreSustainability can no longer be classified as a passing fad. In fact, its increasing importance results in the formation of new markets and target groups. Each year the “Best Global Green Brands” are announced- 50 companies with an outstanding performance regarding social and ecological principles (Interbrand, 2014). Through an efficient communicational approach, these companies are also perceived as true sustainability brands among consumers. However, the emergence of social media, has strongly affected communication strategies of sustainability brands (Fieseler et. al, 2010), which raises the following issues:
Read moreDuring the past 10 years, the importance of the Internet has won increased attention for both consumers and corporations worldwide, where the accelerating business environment allows corporations to reach consumers in total new ways through social platforms like: Facebook, Youtube & Twitter. Companies increasing focus on reaching the consumers through the World Wide Web, puts increasing pressure on the marketers to adapt to the changing circumstances of promoting and connecting with the consumers. With the overall objective to improve sales, revenues and meet the increasing expectations from the consumers. The purpose of this blog post is therefore for the reader to get a deeper understanding on how the internet has changed consumers in the past 10 years and how the marketers within corporations can use the shifting market trends to adapt in the best possible way in the years to come.
Read moreSocial media was created with the intention of connecting people through dialogue and engagement (Hanna et al. 2011). It is no secret that a great deal of communication takes place through these online social networks; a video is uploaded to YouTube approximately every twenty minutes or so and over 600 posts are tweeted every second (Aaker and Smith, 2010).
Read moreA major change in the last ten years is social media. It can be defined as “the communication systems that allow their social actors to communicate along multiple ties (Peters et al, 2013). In it, user generated content has grown in importance. This leads to two questions: What kind of consequences does it have for marketers and how can they best adapt?
Read moreCertainly, the rise of digital media changes the role of how consumers and marketers interact in the market nowadays. With social media platforms, consumers enable to associate and share information with their family, friends and interesting communities. They have transformed into active participations which engage in the creation of brand equity from product design to promotional messages (Berthon, Pitt, McCarthy, & Kates, 2007). On the other side, the marketer’s role is also influenced by the change of these consumer behaviours (singh,2005; Walmsley, 2010).
Read moreFacebook recognized the brand community trend and consequently followed up on it. In 2010, Facebook initiated the community pages where users could simply opt-in by LIKING the respective brand page. These community pages are “dedicated to a topic or experience that is owned collectively by the community connected to it”
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