E-Communications in Integrated Marketing Communication - Essay Example

Discuss the role and characteristics of e-communications in integrated marketing communication Marketing strategies applied within modern organizations have been differentiated compared to their older forms in order to respond to the customers’ demands taking always into account the characteristics of the particular marketplace. On the other hand, a common feature of modern marketing is the e-communications. The particular feature can have many different forms, the most common of which are: Online PR, Search Marketing, Online Partnerships, Internet Advertising, E-mail marketing and so on (see also, E-Communications tools, 2007). It should be noticed that the above forms are just indicative; in fact different forms of e-communications can appear within a particular market in accordance with the cultural characteristics and the general trends of the specific market. On the other hand, it should be noticed that the effectiveness of the type of e-communications chosen in each case depends on the structure of the market and the demands of the consumers as they have been identified through an appropriate marketing research. Under the above terms, e-communications can be considered as having a significant role on the development of marketing activities within a particular marketplace. In fact, e-communications should be considered as a tool for the improvement of marketing communication regarding a specific market. The evaluation of marketing communication strategies applied within a particular market belongs to marketers who have the responsibility to choose the appropriate e-communications tool taking into account that business activities worldwide should be promoted through specific marketing initiatives in order to be productive. In accordance with the above communication in marketing is an indispensable part of the marketing plan having a major importance for marketers around the world. In this context, e-communications become a valuable tool for the support of marketing initiatives worldwide (through the improvement of marketing communication as already explained above). Introduction The development of marketing plans has been a challenging task for marketers internationally. The above phenomenon should be explained primarily if taking into account the constant changes of consumer preferences and trends of the market worldwide. It is for this reason that the development of marketing communication has been considered to be a priority for marketers within the global market. More specifically, marketing communication has been proved to be the most effective method for improving the performance of marketing plans internationally; however there are no particular guidelines for the achievement of such a task. At a first level, e-communications’ techniques, like Online advertising can be used in order to improve a firm’s marketing strategy. However, despite the fact that many e-communications schemes are available to marketers (and entrepreneurs) it should be noticed that all these schemes are not appropriate for all organizational activities; a careful choice of the appropriate e-communications scheme should take place by the marketer when designing the marketing strategy of a particular corporation. Review Of Literature In order to understand the role of e-communications in the development of marketing communications it is necessary to refer primarily to the content of marketing as it has been described in the literature. In this context, the following definition of marketing has been given by AMA (American Marketing Association): ‘Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders’. From another point of view Kline (2005, 141) supported that marketing focuses on “the relationship between sellers and buyers, generally companies and consumers, in a process that can be both cooperative and competitive’. In accordance with the above marketing communications should be designed in accordance with the needs of the particular organization, the characteristics of the market involved and the trends of consumers within a particular period of time. Moreover, it is suggested by Dobie et al. (2003, 289) that ‘marketing communications are an important element of any marketing strategy as it is essential to inform potential and existing customers regarding product/service availability and application, and to persuade potential users to investigate, examine, and/or try the proffered product/ service’. Because of the importance of marketing communication – as it can be derived through the issues developed above – marketers around the world have tried to identify the marketing communication techniques that will be more appropriate within the modern market. In this context, Griffin et al. (1997,24) noticed that ‘in conducting marketing communication operations, firms have several options for sourcing the various communication activities as it is a make or buy decision: source from within or externally; other options include using specialized suppliers for creative, media planning/buying, direct response programs, public relations, and other services’. In fact, the development of marketing communication is a task delegated to the firm’s marketing department (or to an external marketing consultant as noticed before). In other words, marketing communication is a significant fact of the firm’s strategic planning. For this reason, it should be planned appropriately trying to avoid the opposition with current market trends. In any case, it should be noticed that the strategic communication plan applied within a particular organization should be closely monitored both for its effectiveness but also for its applicability on a particular social context. Moreover, Moore (1995, 143) noticed that ‘what is strategic in the communication is not that it is designed to be manipulative, but instead that it is designed to advance particular policies or organizational strategies by making them comprehensible and by enlisting the support and cooperation of those who must work together to produce the intended result’. The above characteristic of marketing communication can however vary across markets within the international community in accordance with the consumer preferences and the cultural characteristics of the market involved. Another issue that should be mentioned at this point is the fact that the customer often prefers small and medium enterprises for particular products or services. For this reason, it would be necessary for current marketing strategies to be differentiated in order to meet the specific customer demands. Indeed the study of Low (2000, 27) proved that “firms whose marketing communications programs tend to be integrated are also likely to be small, consumer-focused, service-oriented companies; they are also more common in manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, and mining industries”. It seems that ‘bigger’ firms face difficulties when developing their marketing strategy; it is maybe the extension of their customer base that justifies such a delay. In other words, in corporations targets set by marketers are more difficult to be achieved mostly because they involve to an extended area (marketplace) and for this reason appropriate techniques and marketing strategies are needed in order to serve the needs of the firm (improvement of its performance) in the long term. The use of Internet for the development of marketing activities in this last case can be proved to be particularly valuable. However, in order for Internet to respond to the consumers’ needs and serve the targets set by marketers regarding a particular organization, it is necessary for appropriate measures to be taken. The principles of e-commerce can protect firms that operate online from potential failures. Towards this direction, it is suggested by Garbi (2002, 1) that ‘e-commerce environment seems to complicate the measurement of firm performance and, at the same time, seems to offer new opportunities for developing new performance indicators’. From another point of view, Gordon et al. (2000, 35) proved that ‘consumers experiences with the web as well as their attitudes-toward-websites should be considered as important antecedents to the typical flow of advertising effects; webpage complexity appears to play a role as well but its strength depends on other factors’. In other words, marketing through the Internet should be considered as not differentiated much from traditional marketing techniques. Instead, the use of WWW in marketing can be proved particularly important especially when the targeted market is extended across different countries within the international community. The requirements of marketing through the Internet are considered to be limited if taking into account the support offered by online marketing to the improvement of organizational performance. In this context, it is stated by Chakraborty et al. (2003, 50) that ‘the importance of a companys website emanates from the fact that it is often the last link in the hierarchy leading to a sale; thus, the effectiveness of a companys advertising budget may be dependent on the ability of the companys website to convert a visitor into a customer’. In other words, one of the most important issues for the success of marketing through the Internet is the use of the appropriate tools and techniques throughout the relevant activity. These tools and techniques have specific format (the case of corporate website should be considered to represent just one of these tools available to entrepreneurs within the international market). Short Case Study example (Organisation/ Brand) The application of e-communications as a valuable tool towards the improvement of online marketing regarding the activities of a particular company has been proved in the case of HVAC Ductwork, one of the leading firms in UK in the area of ductwork manufacturing. The online marketing strategy of the above company has been designed by a firm (Ainsworth Maguire) that provides Public Relations services through the Web for firms that are interested to expand their activities within the international marketplace (also within their current market). The improvement of the firm’s online marketing campaign with the support of Ainsworth Maguire helped toward the significant improvement of corporate activities within the British market (the firm managed to undertake significant projects like ‘CTRL Thames Tunnel project and the Holmesdale Tunnel on the M25’, see Ainsworth Maguire, corporate website). Discussion As proved by the material presented above, e-communications can help marketing to achieve its targets especially regarding firms whose activities are expanded in many countries internationally, i.e. when the targeted area is extended and other methods of marketing could not be effective if applied. On the other hand, it should be noticed that despite the appropriate preparation is a mandatory part of the marketing activity through the Internet, in many cases there are no specific measures taken by firms that use online marketing techniques. It is perhaps for this reason that the research over the specific area led to the conclusion that when using online marketing strategies firms can face a series of potential failures: ‘a) Inadequate market assessment resulting in defining the market too narrowly or too broadly; b) Failure to practice segmentation as the market grows; c) Pricing that ignores competing technology and needs of the potential market; d) Failure to understand purchasing requirements of the potential market; e) And countless other mistakes’ (Hills, 1994, 44). The effective handling of the above problem is a challenging task for marketers within the international market. The fact that consumer behaviour is not stable but instead consumer preferences tend to change constantly causes additional difficulties to the success of potential online marketing strategies. In fact, Hall (2002, 24) supported that ‘consumers "change their minds" about a product, then they change their attitude, and then they act; in other words, the process begins with cognition, which translates to affect, which then translates to behaviour and in this way the purpose of advertising is primarily to drive trial by inserting the brand into the consumers head and keeping it there’. Because of the above characteristic of consumer behaviour, marketers around the world should have alternative solutions when promoting the presence of the firm in the WWW. More specifically, a possible failure of marketing strategies used online should be expected (especially during the first attempts to enter the online marketing). The application of online marketing strategies could help towards the identification of the weaknesses of corporate strategy regarding the particular issue and appropriate measures can be taken in the relevant entrepreneurial activity in the future. On the other hand, the application of e-communications in practice as described above in the case of HVAC Ductwork can lead to the assumption that e-communications can help towards the improvement of marketing communication internationally; however it is necessary that appropriate marketing tools would be used in order to support the relevant initiative. The provision of professional support in this case (marketers that have experience in the promotion of entrepreneurial activity through the WWW) could be proved as having significant importance for the success of online marketing. However, even if all appropriate measures are taken by firms within the international market, failures related with the online marketing activity cannot be avoided. In this case, e-communications strategies applied by the particular organization could be differentiated in order to meet the needs of the specific firm but also the consumer preferences within a specific market (in the case of online marketing activities the targeted marketplace covers all international community; however maybe particular consumer preference have been developed in the industrial area involved). Conclusion One of the most challenging efforts of firms within the international market is to achieve their targets related with the online marketing strategies. The use of specific tools and techniques can help firms to improve their communication with consumers through the web. It is for this reason that e-communication has been considered to be of significant importance for the success of any marketing initiative worldwide (especially when this activity is taking place in the WWW). The study of Cotter et al. (1996, 61) showed that most commonly the effectiveness of e-communications can be estimated ‘at any stage or level of this communication process or by using indirect indicators of purchase behaviour such as attitude toward the brand/ad, brand awareness, and/or brand comprehension’. Branding which is valuable marketing strategy towards the development of business performance within the international market can produce the required results (improvement of firm’s performance internationally) only if supported by the appropriate e-communications tools (like online advertising and so on). From this point of view e-communications can be considered to be valuable towards the achievement of an integrated marketing communication (and the success of marketing strategies used either through the Web or through the traditional channels of marketing, like advertising through the press and so on). Reference List/ Bibliography American Marketing Association, available at http://www.marketingpower.com/content4620.php Chakraborty, G., Lala, V., Warren, D. (2003). What Do Customers Consider Important in B2B Websites? Journal of Advertising Research, 43(1): 50-64 Cotter, M., Henley, J., Herrington, D., Lollar, J. (1996) Comparing Intensity and Effectiveness of Marketing Communications: Services versus Non-Services. Journal of Advertising Research, 36(6): 61-67 Dobie, K., Grant, J., Megehee, C. (2003). ‘Time versus Pause Manipulation in Communications Directed to the Young Adult Population: Does It Matter?’ Journal of Advertising Research, 43(3): 281-295 E-communications tools (2007), [Online], available at http://www.davechaffey.com/Internet-Marketing/C8-Communications/E-tools Garbi, E. (2002). Alternative Measures of Performance for E-Companies: A Comparison of Approaches. Journal of Business Strategies, 19(1): 1-13 Gordon, C., Kumar, A. (2000). Web Commercials and Advertising Hierarchy-of-Effects. Journal of Advertising Research: 35-44 Griffin, T., Mcarthur, D. (1997). A Marketing Management View of Integrated Marketing Communications. Journal of Advertising Research, 37(5): 19-26 Hall, B. (2002). ‘A New Model for Measuring Advertising Effectiveness’ Journal of Advertising Research, 42(2): 23-33 Hills, G. (1994). Marketing and Entrepreneurship: Research Ideas and Opportunities. Quorum Books. Westport, CT Low, G. (2000) Correlates of Integrated Marketing Communications. Journal of Advertising Research, 40(3): 27-32 Moore, M. (1995). Creating Public Value: Strategic Management in Government. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA Websites http://www.ainsmag.co.uk/ Read More