Can Viral Marketing Replace All Other Forms Of Advertising - Research Paper Example

Viral Marketing Viral marketing is one of the modern ways of marketing. This Method of marketing often involves the use of electronic media tools as a way of spreading news regarding various tools. Recent days have seen many people get into this method of advertising as it is easy and saves time and resources. However, various people have cited the negative effects of this method of advertising as compared to the traditional means of advertising. Looking at the two methods of advertising and analyzing them is important because it helps in understanding the best manner in which to market commodities. Without looking at the negative aspects that involve this form of advertising, it is vital to remain subtle when analyzing this method. Viral marketing is a credible way to replace all other forms of advertising and it is appropriate to review the various ways of doing this while still reviewing the benefits. One effective manner in which this method of advertising can replace other methods of advertising is through comfort when advertising. Many methods of advertising are hectic and require an individual to move from one position to another with the aim of attracting customers. However, viral advertising just requires an individual to use their gadgets such as phones or laptops to post the products they want to the internet. Posting these photographs in the internet is simple because it can be carried out from the comfort of a person’s home without any hectic activities being involved (Kerby 89). Another advantage of viral marketing that can assist people view its value as compared to the normal methods of advertising is its economical nature. Other methods of advertising normally involve the people or rather the advertisers engaging in the marketing of their products by posting them in media providers such as televisions, radios or even the print media. This services are very costly and they involve the product owners paying a lot of money for these products to receive quality marketing. Viral marketing as opposed to this method of advertising is very cheap as the only amount of money spent is that used to pay service providers for the internet. When compared with the print media method of advertising, this method is very economical. Understanding the audience of certain products of the advertising is another factor to understand when reviewing viral marketing as a means to replace other forms of advertising. Some commodities cannot be sold to everyone through viral marketing. Some people and especially those of an older generation do not have full time access to the internet and this makes viral marketing an option for them. These people opt to use or rather incorporate traditional media such as newspapers. It is thus imperative to acknowledge the fact that the use of viral marketing is not an appropriate means of advertising in this state for it cannot replace the traditional means of marketing for the elderly. In contemporary days, viral marketers have established institutions where they get to communicate with their target population. Communication is one of the vital aspects for any successful institution. However, of the contemporary times, there have been various cases of incompetence in the field and this has led to poor terms of business between individuals. This incompetence has gone further to affect the market strategies for the organization entirely. There are various specific examples that clearly illustrate poor terms of communication between business people. The institutions majorly depend on individuals that come to the company and post the commodities that they wish to sell on various websites. Many people are aware of these companies and they have different people of varying ages visiting them to sell their products. It has been noted by many entrepreneurs that these industries will grow in the near future and have many customers that visit them for the sole purpose of selling these commodities (Berger 63). Communication should receive the amount of credit it deserves in the effective running of appropriate viral marketing. When an individual bears an inconclusive or rather poor communication network, chances are that associated companies may have difficulty working with it. This is due to the high amount of doubt and fear bore in terms of investment. Both the ideas have their strong points and this is based from the vast research and knowledge that the experts behind them have. Focusing on the views offered by Milton, he stated that the sole responsibility of a business should be to maximize profits. The constructive aspect of this is that the business thus has the ability to offer full concentration to profit making agendas. With less association with the exterior environment, the company is assured of having maximum profits and thus leading to increased money drawn back to the company and the subsequent result is always having the business expand to a greater aspect (Allen 37). Another advantage that arises from viral marketing is that it has the capability to reach a larger populace. As compared to other advertising means like the use of magazines, viral marketing has the ability to reach many people from the fact that many people in the contemporary times have access to the internet through various devices such as laptops and smart phones. The elderly may receive the information from their children or family members that are up to date with technology information. Caring about customers is also very important in achieving the goal of success for appropriate viral marketing. This care is from the fact that having trade fairs offers the customers with a wide knowledge of the products that the individual offers. Various customers may not have the necessity of certain commodities in their line of thinking. However, through the trade fair, the community has the ability of identifying itself with the various commodities and services that the company offers and this is very influential in that it assists in increasing the market affinity for a particular product It is important to understand that another advantage of viral marketing that shows its superiority to other methods of advertising is its high efficiency. The reason is that it is simple to use and utilizes contemporary economics of scale. Moreover, it is possible for both the seller and the buyer to meet and negotiate terms of the deal. Many are the times that traditional methods of sale do not have the two parties meeting and carrying out appropriate negotiations. This is because they do not meet but rather just negotiate through the middle person who in this case is the company or rather the media owners (Meerman 65). Despite the various advantages of viral marketing pointed out, it is also imperative to show the downside of this method of marketing. The use of viral marketing is inefficient from the fact that it offers a platform for force advertising. Force advertising happens when the product owners offer wrong descriptive details regarding a particular commodity (Kirby 125). This has the consequent of having unsatisfied customers and this may lead to poor performance of the company. Another disadvantage that comes from viral marketing is the fact that it may make the advertising company lose focus on the target population. Viral marketing is carried out in a manner that the marketers do not mind whom they advertise the commodity too. They may carry out this method of marketing to a huge number of people and coincidence may have that the actual population that purchases the commodities is absent from the group. A thorough analysis of the two major methods of marketing assists an individual understands the various concepts surrounding modern marketing. Viral marketing is a concept that has become integral in the living of individuals. If an individual purchases a particular commodity and then gets bored with it, there is the ability to capture the commodity with an inbuilt camera in the phone. Capturing the commodity with the camera can assist the individual post it on various websites that have the specific job of marketing products. The use of viral marketing is an issue that has been debated by different people for a very long time. However, recognizing that this is one of the moist contemporary ways to market products is key. This method can be used to replace normal marketing due to its ability to reach large groups of people. Works Cited Allen, Kevin. Viral Marketing100 Success Secrets. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2010. Print. Berger, Jonah. Viral Marketing Values. New York: Mc Grawl Hill Publishers, 2011. Print. Kirby, Justin. Connected Marketing. New York: Cengage Learning, 2007. Print. Meerman, David. The New Rules of Marketing and Public Relations. London: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Read More