New technologies and crowd-sourcing have led to a mutual influence of consumer power and web-activism. This has been a growing phenomenon during recent years with phenomenal success for humanitarian, political and civic causes. Millions of signatures have been collected for petitions from all around the world within very short timeframes and events like COP21 showed how online activities help support activism on the streets. Is this ultimate global citizenship and another channel for empowered consumers to express their genuine interest in challenges worldwide? Or is it ‘slacktivism’ and far away from the core principle of activism?
Read moreNative Advertising – Betrayal or Benefit? The evolving relationship between journalism and advertising and the implications for marketers
Native advertising can be a variety of online marketing types which have in common that they aim to limit disruption in the consumers' online experience (Campbell and Marks, 2015). Proponents of native advertising argue that this content provides readers with useful additional information and content choices (Carlson, 2015). However, according to research consumers are not always able to differentiate between traditional news content and native advertising (Campbell & Marks, 2015). Hence, the placement of advertising where people expect to read news raises questions in terms of journalism ethics (Carlson, 2015).
Read moreWILL ONLINE NEWS BE THE END OF PRINTED NEWSPAPERS?
The newspapers are in trouble. Revenues are declining and the newsrooms are sacking people as new online solutions enter our lives. The former cash cow, printed advertising, is no longer an attractive option for marketers. But why? Our habits have changed together with a new media landscape that offers a range of opportunities, but also looming threats for both the newspapers and its readers.
Read more360 Degree Videos - An Online Marketing Revolution? A Critical Review and Outlook for Social Media Marketers
360 degree virtual reality videos seem to be the newest trend in online video marketing. 360 degree videos attract attention, drive interaction and views are growing rapidly. First figures predict better click-through and engagement rates than traditional videos. But has this new technology a revolutionary potential? This E-paper provides a critical review and outlook for social media marketers.
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The Jemaa El-Fnaa Square in Marrakech, Morocco. A metaphor for social media marketing
This article is about how companies better can understand the nature of social media marketing that an increasing number of brands are using (Fournier and Avery, 2011). What are the main issues that brands using social media marketing face and what are the academic recommendations? To highlight the issues related to social media marketing I use a public square metaphor.
Read moreSocial Network Marketing: Entering the Lion’s Den
When embarking on social network marketing, marketers are entering the lion’s den. With the rise of consumer empowerment through social media, social network marketing can be a risky business. As marketers, we ought to understand that social networks are the territory of the consumers. However, if social network marketing is done right, marketers may come out of the den as heroes who defeated the lion. This paper suggests two overarching “rules” of social network marketing that marketers must be aware of: (i) Social networks are for Socializing; and (ii) Content must provide a value that goes beyond products and services.
Read moreBlogs, Bloggers, Blogging: The role and the power of blogs
Blogs are social media phenomena, which evolved together with the Web 2.0. The current blogosphere is saturated. But do we really know what role blogging has and who are bloggers? Are blogs a powerful or influential tool in the digital era?
Read moreIs social media relevant for SMBs within B2B and can you measure ROI?
Small and Midsize Businesses (SMBs) within Business to Business (B2B) might hesitate about exploiting and leveraging social media since they may question the purpose, objectives and Return On Investment (ROI). This text will explore these topics.
Read moreThe Changing Faces of Job Search – Impact of the Internet and Social Media
The landscape of job search has been changing drastically over the last years and decades as the Internet and Social Media have taken an even bigger role in this process than ever before. In this text, the underlying effects and changes for every job hunter of today are discussed. The goal is to provide insights and views about the change that is currently taking place in the field of social media and the job market.
Read moreStorytelling – The Success of Talking Brands on Social Media
The rise of social media has changed the traditional way of doing marketing (Brawise & Meehan, 2010). Today brands need to interact with customers and tell them stories they believe in (Gunelius, 2013). The ability for companies to engage and collaborate with customers has grown since the beginning of Web 2.0 and the increased use of social media around the world (Brawise & Meehan, 2010). Through social media costumers are empowered to interact with both brands and other people (Christodoulides, 2009). The one-side communication model used in traditional marketing has become unsuitable for the Web 2.0 (Armelini & Villanueva, 2011; Christodoulides, 2009). Instead of being informed by companies, people want a dialogue between the brand and themselves. With other words people seek for a two-way communication with the ability to share thoughts and opinions (Christodoulides, 2009).
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