From physical marketing to web marketing

Reviews the criticism of the 4P marketing mix framework as the basis of traditional and virtual marketing planning. Argues that the customary marketing management approach, based on the popular marketing mix 4Ps paradigm, is inadequate in the case of virtual marketing. Identifies two main limitations of the marketing mix when applied in online environments namely the role of the Ps in a virtual commercial setting and the lack of any strategic elements in the model. Identifies the critical factors of the Web marketing and argues that the basis for successful e-commerce is the full integration of virtual activities into the company's physical strategy, marketing plan and organisational processes. The 4S elements of the Web marketing mix framework offer the basis for developing and commercialising business to consumer online projects. The model was originally developed for educational purposes and has been tested and refined by means of three case studies

The 4s web-marketing mix model

This paper reviews the criticism on the 4Ps Marketing Mix framework, the most popular tool of traditional marketing management, and categorizes the main objections of using the model as the foundation of physical marketing. It argues that applying the traditional approach, based on the 4Ps paradigm, is also a poor choice in the case of virtual marketing and identifies two main limitations of the framework in online environments: the drastically diminished role of the Ps and the lack of any strategic elements in the model. Next to identifying the critical factors of the Web marketing, the paper argues that the basis for successful E-Commerce is the full integration of the virtual activities into the company’s physical strategy, marketing plan and organisational processes. The four S elements of the Web-Marketing Mix framework present a sound and functional conceptual basis for designing, developing and commercialising Business-to-Consumer online projects. The model was originally developed for educational purposes and has been tested and refined by means of field projects; two of them are presented as case studies in the paper.\ud \u

The Web 2.0 as Marketing Tool: Opportunities for SMEs

The new generation of Internet applications widely known as Social Media or Web 2.0 offers corporations a whole range of opportunities for improving their marketing efficiency and internal operations. Web 2.0 applications have already become part of the daily life of an increasing number of consumers who regard them as prime channels of communication, information exchange, sharing of expertise, dissemination of individual creativity and entertainment. Web logs, podcasts, online forums and social networks are rapidly becoming major sources of customer information and influence while the effectiveness of traditional mass media is rapidly decreasing. Using the social media as a marketing tool is an issue attracting increasing attention. The hitherto experience is that large public corporations are more likely to make use of such instruments as part of their marketing and internal operations (McKinsey, 2007).The paper defines the Web 2.0 phenomenon and based on the experience of large corporations examines how SMEs could engage the various Web 2.0 instruments in order to efficiently market their products, improve customer relations, increase customer retention and enhance internal operations

The importance of Internet as a strategic Management Tool: A study of Dutch SMEs

This paper proposes a methodology for the identification and evaluation of Internet-based strategies and examines the role of the Internet as element of the strategic planning of Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) from a variety of Dutch industrial sectors. The study has an explorative character and is based on empirical data; it reveals the degree of acceptance and integration of the Web into the strategic plans by assessing management attitudes in three categories of factors delineating the online strategy. The findings suggest that while managers appreciate the importance of the Internet as essential component of their business setting, Web-based commerce does not seem to have become an integral part of corporate strategy by this category of businesses; limited strategic commitment and cautious attitudes in adopting technology as an important strategic option are for all intents and purposes preventing SMBs from fully utilizing the potential of the virtual marketplace

Virtual marketing : new rules and challenges in the networked marketplace

The thesis emphasizes the fact that while deep-seated and time-honored business laws are always valid, survival and success in the virtual commercial environment requires some distance from the established, customary patterns of management thought and behavior. Proactive managerial attitude is essential considering the exceptional nature of the technologies, actors and environmental conditions defining online commerce

The Social Web As Marketplace: A Primer In Social Media Marketing

Information and Communication Technologies and the Internet are already integral elements of the marketing landscape; they are fundamentally transforming the market dynamics adding new dimensions to the marketing strategy. The rapid public adoption of a new generation of online applications known as Social Media (or Web 2.0) has resulted in a new breed of powerful, sophisticated, empowered customers increasingly challenging the corporate message and claiming control over the marketing process. The latest wave of customer empowerment has raised new doubts about the effectiveness of traditional marketing tools and mass media approaches. In reaction to the ominous loss of market control many businesses are rushing to integrate the Social Media into their marketing strategy, often without sufficient knowledge and experience. Understanding the essentials and effects of the Social Media Marketing can help corporate strategists to make sense of a marketplace where the customer is the dominant party. The article discusses the nature of the Social Media as the current stage of the Internet evolution, explains their effect on customer behavior, positions the Social Media Marketing as part of the marketing program and identifies the principal ways to use the Social Media applications as part of the marketing toolbox. Learning to use these applications properly opens to the 21st Century marketer the door to a collection of new marketing tools and new ways of listening to, informing, interacting, acquiring and retaining the new empowered consumer

Airline price discrimination: a practice of yield management or customer profiling?

Airline ticket prices frequently change, which is usually caused by yield management as price discrimination practice. Recently, buyers of online airline tickets tend to complain about price discrimination based on customer profiling, e.g. by means of cookie data. As cookie data and other directly or indirectly obtained customer information is easily available via the Internet, airlines may use this information to offer personalized ticket prices. In a month-long experiment, in which prices of airline tickets were tracked, we found that cookies were not used to determine prices. However, customer information from other direct sources seems to be important in dynamic pricing. Besides, it was discovered that most price changes occurred in the morning; these were usually minor price changes and were mostly seen at full-service carrier

Profiles of social networking sites users in the Netherlands

Online social networking has become a reality and integral part of the daily personal, social and business life. The extraordinary increase of the user numbers of Social Networking Sites (SNS) and the rampant creation of online communities presents businesses with many challenges and opportunities. From the commercial perspective, the SNS are an interesting and promising field: online social networks are important sources of market intelligence and also offer interesting options for co-operation, networking and marketing. For SMEs especially the Social Networking Sites represent a simple and low cost solution for listening the customer’s voice, reaching potential customers and creating extensive business networks. This paper presents the results of a national survey mapping the demographic, social and behavioral characteristics of the Dutch users of SNS. The study identifies four different user profiles and proposes a segmentation framework as basis for better understanding the nature and behavior of the participants in online communities. The findings present new insights to marketing strategists eager to use the communication potential of such communities; the findings are also interesting for businesses willing to explore the potential of online networking as a low cost yet very efficient alternative to physical, traditional networking