Online marketing programs especially via the social networking channels involve with majority of people who “don’t know” and “don’t care” about the benefits and detriments through their active participation with it. For the audience, their main concern is to engage with the products and services besides connecting with more and more people while for the marketers, they just want to sell their products and services as well as to gain continuous return on investment (ROI).
Coughlin, Anderson, Stern and El-Ansary (2001:447-448) stated that Electronic channels function in generating sales to consumers and in business-to-business selling as the market potential for electronic customer channel is dependable on the number of customer who involve with the online services. Therefore, if the marketers have decided to remain seated on the “don’t care” seat, it might be very difficult for them to get the attention from the consumers as their rise and expansion within the social networking channels is totally dependable on customers active participation with their online marketing promotional programs. In understanding the audience, online marketers must be able to develop a mutual understanding of how the audience define meaning of a particular product and service (Reynolds & Olson, 2001: 119).
Sheth and Mittal (2004: 430) stated “The internet has eased the time and place constraints that are imposed by traditional retailing … Internet is also increasing revenues for marketers by allowing them to personalize their products or services and marketing communications for customers”. Therefore, marketers should be striving to come out with more marketing initiatives in making the purchase process more attractive (437).
On the other hand, the audience must be aware that the internet especially the social networking channels has most profound impact on their purchasing behaviour as well as business transaction (Webb,2010: 43). Therefore, they also must be able to move away from their “don’t know” and “don’t care” seat when engaging with any online products and services as somehow or rather, it will affect their purchasing behaviour. Some of the impacts are as follows:
• Adding to the ‘evils’ in the society.
Kotler, Adam, Brown and Armstrong (2001:439-440) believe that “the marketing system has been accused of adding to several ‘evils’ in society at large … social commentators have charged that the marketing system urges too much interest in material possessions”.
It is more a cultural interpretation on how an audience judges another with regard to his or her possessions within the society that will result in differentiation to the level of social status as a whole. The marketing system exists to provide the information but the purchasing power is within an individual’s hand.
• Less face-to-face interaction.
Severin and Tankard (2001:384) mentioned that “the internet could take time away from face-to-face social contacts with human beings …”. This can be read to mean that when the audience spends most of their time by engaging with online advertising, they have separated themselves from personally engaging with their society. For example, previously they will go to the shop to purchase their products but by engaging with online marketing promotions, they will just have to wait for the product to be delivered to their front doors based on the purchasing contract. At the end of the day, this will lead to poor social relationships between them and their surrounding community. They should be neutral in engaging with both online and offline marketing especially in building and strengthening relationship within the social media context.
Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. Therefore, both marketers and consumers must try to avoid the “don’t know” and “don’t care” attitude in engaging with any online marketing promotions.
Coughlan, Anne T., Anderson, Erin, Stern, Louis W. & El-Ansary, Adel L. (2001). Marketing Channels. (6th edn). United States of America: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Kotler, P., Adam, S., Brown, L., & Armstrong, G. (2001). Principles of Marketing. Australia:
Pearson Education Australia Pty Ltd.
Reynolds, Thomas J. & Olson, Jerry C. (2001). Understanding Consumer Decision Making. United States of America: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Severin, W. J., & Tankard, J.W. (2001). Communication Theories. 5th edn. United States of
America: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.
Sheth, Jagdish N. & Mittal, Banwari. (2004). Customer Behavior: A Managerial Perspective. United States of America: Thomson South-Western.
Webb, Karen. (2010). Consumer Behaviour. (2nd edn). Australia: McGraw-Hill Asutralia Pty Limited.
If marketers aren't interested then why should the public be. Marketers have to use mediums that are already in use as communications mediums between consumers and find a way to advertize using the medium in a way that is impactful and pleasing to the consumer. Marketers often have to change customers from being indifferent to being interested, convince a customer that a product is something they want/need, or create their own product market to suit an imagined product!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe the Internet is going to make people more materialistic or to reduce social communications, the expectation that most purchases for anything from groceries to anything else, would be done on the net has not come true. Most people still prefer buying most things in person, even though some things are bought off the net.
A sword is just a tool, whether it is used for justice or evil is up to the wielder, the same thing goes for the Internet: it is just a tool.
Grish
Shebley say…
ReplyDeleteSorry Grish but I think you got me wrong there…marketers do interested in continuously selling and promoting their products and services unfortunately, there are some marketers who are no interested in identifying the “true” needs and wants of the consumers rather than making the consumers buying something that they don’t really need. If I may, I would like to quote your statement:
“Marketers often have to change customers from being indifferent to being interested, convince a customer that a product is something they want/need, or create their own product market to suit an imagined product!”
Well my friend, this is what I meant! Have you encountered a consumer who purchases the same similar item twice i.e shoe, bag etc. where the current shoe and/or bag are still good in shape and usable or even brand new? I don’t think it’s related to brand loyalty but it’s more towards audience purchasing attitude which is based on “must have it” rather than “need to have it”. A good example of this is in a movie entitle “Confessions of a Shopaholic” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxSWfwrtu7A)
This is what I meant by saying that the marketers “don’t know” and “don’t care” as long as they make money out of it in a strategic persuasive communication medium. Is it ethical? Internet will not make a person become more materialistic if they (the consumer) are using it intelligently. However, if they are using the internet for excessive shopping especially in purchasing something that they don’t need at that particular point of time, sooner or later it will make them more materialistic.
My final question…”do we live to eat” OR “eat to live”?