Guerilla Marketing Technics - Essay Example

Owing to the current trends in technology, human life has simply taken a dramatic turn. Businesses are on record for their prolific rampage that has taken the central dynamism of employing technology in the managing of the organizational structure with a primary objective to accumulating economic power. Mass production as embraced by the western civilization has led to the inception of various guerilla marketing technics that capitalize of the mass media to perpetrate lies by riding on the conscious of the ignorant consumer. Post-modern marketing campaigns have brought with it socially constructed brand meanings and also this has increased the number of cynical consumers who construct their own brand identities. The concept of Trust has widely emerged; however, this has inclined branding associations to becoming a central to competition. Modern contemporary marketing technology has been its focus upon the creation of differentiated brands. Introduction Brand image according to Hagel & Armstrong (1997) is seen as a means of aiding a consumer in the categorization of product offerings. It has also been argued that a number of elements of the brand have facilitated consumer's access to brand value as a route to categorization. De Cheratony & Dall' Olmo Riley (1998). Brand comprises meanings drawn from two distinct sources namely brand identity as coined and communicated by the brand engineer and concurrently brand meanings from the consumers point of view. In a nutshell branding could be viewed as the spectrum continuum of consumerisation that begins from the primitive selling focus of a commodity market, until it finally develops into the concept of brands as competition heightens With further intensification of competition, classic branding has emerged as brands have developed personalities. Post-modern marketing brings with it socially constructed brand meanings and increasingly cynical consumers who construct their own brand identities. A more developed level is suggested where brands can be seen as icons and self-segmentation in a saturated marketplace, accomplished entirely by usage. Although McKenna (2000) suggests that marketing and branding are losing their meaning in the "dot-com" world, there is considerable evidence that, ontologically speaking, brands exist whatever definition of the brand is developed or chosen, and regardless of whether it is in a physical or virtual environment. Consequently, Trust can be defined as "the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trust or, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other party". The rapid development of e-commerce in last decade has envisioned and expanded the trust research in the context of e-commerce. More specifically, researchers found trust very important, especially, in the relationships between consumers and e-vendors (Ratnasingham 1998; Merrilees & Frye 2003). Thus several concepts of consumer's trust in e-commerce have been introduced during the decade (Tan & Thoen 2000-2001; Lee & Turban 2001; McKnight et al. 2002; Gefen et al. 2003; Tan & Sutherland 2004; Kim et al. 2005). According to these formulations and earlier research, three major elements of e-trust can be identified. These are inter-personal, institutional, and dispositional trust. Next, all these three elements are discussed in detail. Interpersonal trust means individual's trust toward another specific party or the trustworthiness of the third party Tan & Sutherland (2004). More specifically, the concept of interpersonal trust in e-commerce stresses consumer's trust toward e-vendor The concept of consumer trust in e-commerce Trust is a widely studied phenomenon across disciplines. Traditionally, researchers in the fields of psychology, sociology, social psychology, economics, and marketing have been interested in trust as an important factor affecting human behavior and relationships between different agents (Blomqvist 1997). What is even more intriguing is the mere fact that the division of meaning between originator and consumer has a number of implications; not least the potential for 'drift' between organisationally determined meaning and user perceived meanings, De Chernatony and Dall'Olmo Riley (1997). Balmer and Soenen (1999), in an investigation of corporate identity programmes, express this gap as a taxonomy that classifies the focus of the brand activity into mixtures of actual, communicated, ideal and desired identity. Branding Concept and the historical background Branding is centuries old, and it originally focused on its trademark and differentiating capabilities Blackett (1998). Brickmakers in ancient Egypt put symbols on their bricks to identify their products Farquhar (1990). However, it was not until the twentieth century that brand associations rather than indicated ownership became central to competition. "A distinguishing characteristic of modern marketing has been its focus upon the creation of differentiated brandsthe idea has been to move beyond commodities to branded products to reduce the primacy of price upon the purchase decision, and accentuate the bases of differentiation" Aaker (1991). However, Goodyear (1996) and others De Chernatony (2001) showed that there is no such thing as a "brand" per se, rather a spectrum of interpretations, often coloured by the business and societal environment in which they exist. Branding avenues. Research shows that most CEOs have resolved to change their organization's identity at best by changing its visual identification. Different approaches have been ideal with the contemporary developments. A top-down approach that is at variance with the latest development is an approach that contrasts with the concept of brand reality, which is an expression of a "consistent brand promise that aligns the loyalty of every stakeholder" Macrae (1999). A more developed level is suggested where brands can be seen as icons and self-segmentation in a saturated marketplace is accomplished entirely by usage. Although McKenna (2000) suggests that marketing and branding are losing their meaning in the "dot-com" world, there is considerable evidence that, ontologically speaking, brands exist whatever definition of the brand is developed or chosen, and regardless of whether it is in a physical or virtual environment. De Chernatony and Dall'Olmo Riley (1997) quote consultants describing the brand as a variety of shorthand's, including a bundle of meanings, trust, or assurance of conformance to standards. The medium of brand communication, such as the Internet, the wider business environment, or the specific activities of competitors may accentuate these incongruencies. Successful brand "A successful brand is an identifiable product, service, person or place, augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant unique added values which match their needs most closely." De Chernatony & McDonald (1998). This raises a number of issues regarding the brand as a series of networked relationships. Fournier (1998) provides strong evidence that consumers develop strong relationships with brands, and bases this on a study of the literature on interpersonal relationships. Macrae (1999) builds on the idea of branding as a relationship building tool and advances the concept of brand reality. He defines this as "a commercial right to invest in leadership of relationships, which usually involve periods of time that go a little beyond the short-termist organisation which reports efficient performance in quarters" Macrae (1999). This is a more sustainable view of branding, which is in tune with trust as the essential foundation of relationships and reputation. Indeed, De Chernatony (1999) links the concepts of relationships and reputations to show that the less the incongruency between brand identity and brand reputation, the greater the power of the brand. One of the earliest attempts in trying to define the concept of a brand, Gardner and Levy (1955), acknowledged that brands not only have functional values but also emotional values. Brand selection. Brand selection is when the clusters of values represented by a brand match customers' rational and emotional needs, enabling them to reinforce and communicate aspects of their personality. This has however been downplayed upon by the American Marketing Association by overlooking the importance of functional and emotional values and defined a brand only in terms of its ability to differentiate AMA (1960). In more recent times, there has been evidence of a move away from this classical model of brand management. De Chernatony and Dall'Olmo Riley (1997) suggest that "the changing reliance on advertising as a consequence of new communication channels and direct marketing, the lack of sustainability of functional competitive advantages, and a greater involvement of consumers in the adding value aspect of brands" are examples of this shift. The increased power of technological applications such as the Internet could also be an underlying driver. Functional competitive advantages of product-oriented brands can in many cases be copied through advances in technology and IT systems. The increased communication power delivered by email and also enables easier copying of the functional competitive advantages of service-oriented brands, as well as providing new channels of communication to and between consumers. These communication channels are more complex than simply another new direct marketing technique, as was suggested by Keller (1998) Brand Control on the Internet The classical branding model in general acceptance until recently is based on strong control by the brand owner Jones (1999). Consumers are seen to be passive recipients of value Normann and Ramirez (1993) particularly for product based brands. However, in an electronic environment, consumers can more easily obtain credible information about brands from other numerous consumers and sources of information and thus owners lose some control over brand identity De Chernatony (2001). De Chernatony (2001) suggested that for a brand to succeed on the Internet a looser form of brand control is needed, with management encouraging the inevitable active participation of consumers. He argues that one of several ways of achieving this is by providing an unmoderated email discussion forum. In this way a brand becomes part of a community. To some extent this is making a virtue out of necessity. Power has shifted from vendors to customers; "Vendors who understand this transfer of power and choose to capitalise on it by organizing virtual communities will be richly rewarded with both peerless customer loyalty and impressive economic returns" Hagel and Armstrong (1997). The benefits to a company that has sufficiently flexible design and production processes are great; flaws can be picked up and failure patterns thus be identified sooner than might hitherto have been the case Inansiti and McCormick (1997). Design changes can then be made sooner, resulting in a better product, happier customers, and improved brand equity. There are many examples of this loose approach to brand management; De Chernatony (2001) and Macrae (2000). Each is characterized by the development of community. Discussion Forums Managers focus on providing the right environment for discussion giving up control, listening to participants Kraft (2000)and then deciding when to intervene with modified offerings De Chernatony (2001). Successful branding on the Internet will increasingly come from organizations that do not manage market conversations, following the traditional model, but rather join in Locke et al. (2000). Another school of thought is inclined to the idea that greater involvement of consumers can result in their being more forgiving of brand mistakes, believing that they may be partly responsible through attribution for the shortcomings Zeithaml and Bitner (1996). But there is the danger such as collaborations between businesses and their customers can be potentially damaging since user comments can be unhelpful in the short term Hagel (1998). The strength gained by a brand with looser managerial control is founded in a stronger connection with its communities De Chernatony (2001) Torrance (2000). By encouraging unmoderated discussions, not only do new brand identities emerge, but also the distinction between the brand owner and its consumers disappears, increasing consumer identification with the brand. Kraft (2000) comments that Amazon.com exerts too much control through vetting readers' book reviews and by impeding direct interaction between readers, although the overt activity is an attempt to develop community-based brand identity. A greater relaxation of brand control by Amazon and the consequent liberation of community conversation might result in debates taking place about manuscripts, enable community influenced decisions to be taken about publication decisions and community co-operation in writing new texts. Whether Amazon would be willing or able to make the significant jump from retailing books to producing and publishing them is a moot point, as the business skills required are quite different. Nevertheless, a debate can only take place if there are positive and negative views about a brand and loosely controlled brands need dissent to keep communities talking De Chernatony (2001). Just as in society as a whole, member participation is vital to the health of a community Hanson (2000). Liberalized branding and Community Integration. As a consequence, managers should consider how this increased involvement could be harnessed to co-produce more value and brand equity. Customers develop views about brands through electronic conversations with other customers and brand owners should listen and respond to these conversations. By then developing enhancements suggested or approved by the customers themselves, brands are responding to the marketplace in a way that protects them from a downward pressure on price. The business can integrate itself with its community getting close to its customers - by encouraging conversations through un moderated but observed chat forums associated with the brand's web site. Concrete Analogical Evidence. The relationship of congruency between the created and what is consumed occurs through the moderating effect of the environment, in the case of this discussion the Internet environment. A significant implication for brand management is the importance of reducing the environmental distortion, or as we conceive it in minimizing the refraction that acts as the Congruency Model an Analogy Consider a pond. A healthy, balanced bucolic environment, with fish, plants, insects, sunlight etc; apparently an Arcadia, or Garden of Eden. However, such ideal conditions are fragile and persist without outside influence, be that a Deity or simple human management. The network that is the Internet is similarly fragile; it is already, despite its relative youth, indescribably complex. For the sake of simplicity and by considering the case of the fish that populates the pond. A limited number of fish can exist in the pond without outside intervention; they forage for food by themselves and disease and food supply limit population growth. On this simple basis the pond is self-sufficient, but life in it is at a primitive level. For example, overpopulation and environmental change can have disastrous Brand originator - the "owner. Maintaining Consumer trust. Maintaining Consumer's trust in any given brand stratums requires respecting consumers privacy and quarantining that the consumer's inboxes won't be packed with superfluous emails once they hand over private information. Companies wishing to form a relationship with their customers should therefore employ a brand custodian. This is a person who, independently of the marketing or product development department, reviews all material to be sent out online, deleting junk messages and adjusting worthwhile ones to ensure that the brand isn't committing suicide by talking irrelevancies, superfluities or idiocies at the consumer. Building Trust It has been argued that, instead of only using pretesting to reduce risks, consumers can also use it in order to evaluate the trustworthiness of e-commerce. For instance, consumer can test e-vendor's service before any purchasing or transactions occur in order to convince him/herself about the trustworthiness of e-vendor. Moreso, consumer can use pretesting to evaluate the trustworthiness of Internet. Consumer's may also perceive risks concerning Internet as channel of purchasing products too high, and test Internet before any actual usage. The implicit behind employing pretest is aimed to build both interpersonal and institutional trust, because it can be used to evaluate the trustworthiness of e-vendor (interpersonal trust) and Internet or technology (institutional trust). Buying heuristics mean that consumers use different buying-rules in order to solve problems or make decisions Statt (1997). When dealing with buying heuristics as coping strategies, Mick & Fournier (1998) argue that consumers buy the latest model, less sophisticated model, an expensive model, widely known brand or reliable brand. There is also some evidence that consumer's use buying heuristics in a context of e-commerce. Ha (2004) found that the brand name of a web store is positively correlated with perceived levels of brand trust. Furthermore Van den Poel and Leunis (1999) state that well-known brand is an important risk-reliever for consumers. From the viewpoint of trust formation, consumers can evaluate the trustworthiness of e-commerce by buying only from e-vendors with, well-known brand. Conclusion. With a technological trend that unfolds beyond the expectation of society after every decade, continues to evolve. The issue of e-commerce and e-vending in decade from now would be a vanguard venture. Conclusion Consumers' respect an online brand, and trust in that brand will have scaled even higher. Maintaining consumers' trust in a brand will demand respecting consumer privacy and guaranteeing that the consumers' inboxes won't be packed with superfluous emails once they hand over private information. Companies wishing to form a relationship with their customers will have to employ a brand custodian. This is a person who will be independently in charge of marketing of product and development. He will have to review all material to be sent out online, deleting junk messages and adjusting worthwhile ones to ensure that the brand isn't committing suicide by talking irrelevancies, superfluities or idiocies at the consumer. References: Aaker, D.A. (1991), Managing Brand Equity, The Free Press, New York. Ahmed, Z. U., and Jevons, C. (2000). "Doing Business in Vietnam - Implications for International Investors", Journal of Transnational Management Development. Blomqvist, K. (1997). The Many Faces of Trust. Scandinavian Journal of Management. Cao, M., Zhang, Q. & Seydel, J. (2005). B2C e-Commerce Web Site Quality: an Empirical Examination. Industrial Management and Data Systems. Carver, C. S. & Scheier, M. F. (1990). Principles of Self-Regulation. Merrilees, B. & Frye, M-L. (2003). 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