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Table Of Content Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 1: Liquid World................................................................................................................. 8 1.1 Liquid Society........................................................................................................................................8 1.2 Citizenship.............................................................................................................................................9 1.3 Liquid Consumer.................................................................................................................................12 Chapter 2: The Market.................................................................................................................. 16 2.1 The End of Physical Stores..................................................................................................................17 2.2 The Rise of E-Commerce.....................................................................................................................24 2.3 Millennial and Gen Z Power................................................................................................................29 Chapter 3: Market for a Rough Crowd....................................................................................... 33 3.1 Competition ........................................................................................................................................40 3.2 New wave Marketing Techniques........................................................................................................41 3.3 Marketing to Control Human Behavior...............................................................................................44 Chapter 4: The New Masters: Social Media................................................................................ 45 4.1 Instagram: Mixing business with pleasure...........................................................................................48 4.2 The Major Market................................................................................................................................49 4.3 Checkout in a Click..............................................................................................................................52 Chapter 5: Where is the balance?................................................................................................. 53 5.1 It’s all about the Appearance................................................................................................................56 5.2 The lack of Privacy..............................................................................................................................57 5.3 Different Aspects of Mental Health.....................................................................................................57 3

Introduction The term social media is one used in the Internet world of today. It’s a term used to describe interactive computer oriented technologies which enable users to create and share contents information and other forms of expression through virtual means.1 The impact of social media cannot be overstated. It has contributed both positively and negatively, above all it has evolved the way individuals relate, interact and communicate with each other. It is safe to say the advancement in technology has helped in widespread social media. Individuals can now access social media platforms from the comfort of their homes using their smartphones and PCs through web-based technologies. It is important to note that social media is quite different from the traditional electronic media and paper-based media, especially in reach, quality, usability and interactivity.2 In my thesis, I would be discussing social media in view of the emerging liquid society whose members act change faster than it takes the way of acting to consolidate into habits and routines, the liquid individual who is daily seeing answers to loose of self-identity and is embattled with the question of What to do? How to act? Who to be? In chapter two, I would discuss the overview of the market place: both the pre-modern which is operating with physical buildings in the market place, and the rise of electronic commerce where millions of transactions occur just with the use of internet-based applications usually without the need for a physical store or building and how many big companies are slowly phasing out due to their inability to adapt to current trends. 4

In chapter three, I would discuss the stiff competition in the market place for businesses making use of social media platforms to reach their consumers and also, the various emerging marketing techniques seeking to predict and control the buying powers of consumers and their behaviors. In chapter four, an overview of the use of social media as a marketing tool in the competitive global market will be done. Also, an in-depth study will be done on how one of the most popular social media platforms- Instagram can be used for the purpose of both pleasure and generating revenues for businesses. Classification of the major market for businesses and how businesses now interact directly with their consumers using Instagram. In the final chapter insights into the negative emotional, mental and physical impact of our immenseness into the use of social media, our lack of balance and loss of identity. The health challenges this impact brings would also be discussed and lastly the issue of lack of privacy on the various social media platforms been used and some scandals that have occurred in recent times through the abuse of shared private information. 5

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Chapter 1: The liquid world is one which depicts characteristics of the Liquid Modernity or Late Modernization. Liquid modernity of developed global societies is seen by many as a form of continuation of modernity instead of being seen as the new era. Zygmunt Bauman introduced the idea of liquid modernity; he described it has a society in which the conditions undeity values and identity shifts from solid to liquid, individuals shift from using their freedom to settle through conformity to haunting uncertainty about the choice of goals. The Liquid life or Liquid individual is one that tends to live in the Liquid modern society and as such the two terms; Liquid Life and Liquid Modernity are intimately connected. 1.1 Liquid Society A common trait can be found with other types of liquid modernity is the fragility, temporariness, vulnerability, and inclination to constant change. The individual, while trying to keep up with this constant change loses self- identity, obsessively trying to reach a state of modernization, avoiding completion, and also staying undefined. The form of liquid modernity keeps changing as time evolves; flexibility has taken over the role of solidarity as the key to our everyday activity. These structures are replaced by a new one as soon as the old one is declared outdated, might be due to the lack of conformity and the popularity of temporary settlement. Liquid modernity is seen as a means of an unending state of improvement with no final state of perfection desired. In a conventional dominated society, individual actions do not have to be analyzed and thought about so much, because the traditions and customs already prescribe choices. However, the individual are to make decisions on how to behave in society; they do not have to worry about what has been done by previous 8

generations since opinions are open to an extent as the law and public allows. Since a society cannot be thoroughly modern if traditions greatly influence its institutions, then modernity is post-traditional. Societies which try to ‘modernize’ in the most obvious institutional sense but which do not throw off other traditions, such as gender inequalities, are likely to fail in their attempt to be successful modern societies. The characteristics of recent social life-like cultural self-consciousness, heightened superficiality, consumerism, scepticism towards theories which aim to explain everything have been labelled as signs of Postmodernity by Giddens; a major theorist of postmodernity. These characteristics are simply extreme instances of fully developed modernity using the contrast between the pre-modern (traditional) culture and modern (post-traditional) culture.1 1.2 Citizenship Citizenship is seen as a bundle of rights, political participation in the life of the community, the right to vote, and the right to receive certain protection from the community, as well as obligations. It is the status of an individual recognized under the custom or law as being a legal member of a sovereign state or belonging to a nation. The meaning varies from tradition to tradition and from culture to culture; it changes within each society. When it comes to modern citizenship, there are two underlying ruling ideas: 9

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• Liberal Concept; Here the citizen’s primary focus is in ensuring the economy of the society thrives, other secondary duties are for the citizens to pay their taxes, obey law and order, defend the society if need be. The citizens should have access to the resources needed for human dignity. • Civic Humanistic Concept; Here citizenship is an active concept where the subjects participate in government affairs. The political nature of citizens is emphasized as most individuals live as citizens under liberal concept of citizenship but wishing they lived more according to the civic humanistic concept of citizenship. 1 1.3 Liquid Consumer What to do? How to act? Who to be? These are focal questions for everyone living in circumstances of late modernity - and ones which, on some level or another, all of us answer, either discursively or through day-to-day social behavior. 2 The liquid consumer usually referred to as the liquid individual is one who lives in the liquid society and is directly or indirectly affected by the values and identity of the society. The liquid individual is constantly faced with a self-identity issue, having to make significant choices throughout their lifetime and answering everyday questions on several evolving aspects of their lives. In liquid modernity, self-identity must be continuous and constantly worked on. It has continuity - that is, it cannot easily be completely changed at will - but that continuity is only a product of the person’s reflexive beliefs about their own biography.1 12

For an individual to function in a liquid society, the individual is saddled with the responsibility of forming the patterns to which they can conform to unlike in solid modernity where patterns, codes and rules were already provided by the society, only for individuals to find and settle in their appropriate niche. Being individuals in a liquid society does not simply mean being good consumers, but also being competitive goods in the global market. The global market demands to the individual a constant controversial search for identity because today the identity has been turned from fact to a task.2 There have been several social changes which highlight the transition from the pre-modern to modernity; an example is the changes in intimate relationship. There have been higher records of divorce; people move from one relationship to another and more openness about sexuality. These changes have deviated from values societies held dear to how individuals view life. These individual views are majorly as a result of social influence and observations. The mass media influences individual perception on their relationship and generally other aspects of the liquid individual’s life. Another aspect affected by the self-identity chase, -- be it what the individual consumes, be it food, clothing, houses or fashion, -- liquid modernity opens up the self-project, but under conditions strongly influenced by the standardizing effect of commodity capitalism. 1 Mostly, the cooperate world takes advantage of this self-project with the help of mass media advertising, offering only a few ranges of commodities that do not necessarily help attain individuality. This makes the liquid individual be in a constant struggle against commoditized influences. 13

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Chapter 2: The Market The term market comes from the Latin word Mercatus - “market place”. 1 A market, or marketplace, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. 2 The term market covers many types of trading, as market squares, market halls and food halls, and their different varieties which mean marketplaces can be situated both outdoors and indoors. Markets have existed for as long as humans have engaged in trade. The earliest bazaars are believed to have originated in Persia, from where they spread to the rest of the Middle East and Europe. 3 There have been several evolutions as regards location and structures to which a marketplace is defined. One of the most recent and aggressive is the shifting of the marketplace to an online model (E-Commerce) from the traditional physical stores (or as many will call it ‘The Brick and Mortal’ retail stores). Brick and mortar refer to a traditional street-side business that deals with its customers face to face in an office or a store that the business own or rents. 4 It also refers to the physical presence of an organisation or business in a building or other structures. 5 The term is derived from the use of traditional building materials used in constructing these structures. It is mainly used to depict the pre-internet era. E-Commerce also known as electronic commerce or internet commerce, on the other hand, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. Ecommerce is often used to refer to the sale of physical products online, but it can also describe any kind of commercial transaction that is facilitated through the internet. 1 16

There have been a lot of indications pointing to the serious decline of the brick and mortar retails and possible extinction. With many businesses tending towards e-commerce or the use of a part of e-commerce to support their physical retails, it will be important to see what led to the emergence of E-commerce and reasons for the decline in physical retail stores. Also to see factors that make E-commerce different from the traditional retail store and accounts for its growing popularity. 2.1 The End of Physical Stores The retail apocalypse is the closing of a large number of North American brick-and-mortar retail stores, especially those of large chains. The term Retail apocalypse is a controversial term used by the media to describe the ways a shift in consumer spending patterns may be impacting the traditional brick-and-mortar retail store business model. 2 The term “retail apocalypse” began gaining widespread usage in 2017 following multiple announcements from many major retailers of plans to either discontinue or greatly scale back a retail presence. The Atlantic – an American multiplatform publisher, describes the phenomenon as “The Great Retail Apocalypse of 2017,” reporting nine major retail bankruptcies and several apparel companies having their stock hit new lows. Traditional retail is facing increasing competition from the digital disruption of e-commerce. Digitisation has transformed consumers’ shopping preferences and experiences with the added convenience of one-click solutions, drone deliveries and predictive shopping suggestions.3 An example of a major retailer affected by the surge in E-commerce activities is Sears. According to Business insider USA, in 2013, Sears had nearly 2,000 stores. Just early 2019 the company narrowly dodged liquidation 17

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when its chairman Eddie Lampert won a bankruptcy auction with a plan to keep the retailer alive. Lampert’s hedge fund, ESL Investments, said last week that its $5 billion bid would save up to 50,000 jobs and keep about 400 stores open,1 which indicates that about 1600 stores would be shut down once the Bankruptcy court approves the plan. Factors responsible The brick-and-mortar landscape has changed over the years due to some contributing factors, including the continued growth of e-commerce and an oversupply of shopping malls. Although most experts agree that the biggest factor affecting brick-and-mortar stores has been the surge in popularity of e-commerce companies, others point to a shift in consumer spending patterns after the Great Recession as well as advances in mobile technology. 2 As mall traffic continues to decline, many anchor stores that traditionally drew customers to the mall have struggled to remain profitable and have struggled to adjust to the rise of e-commerce and the fall of human traffic, walking through a mall is like walking through a graveyard. 3 A major factor responsible for the so-called apocalypse is the method of marketing relied on by the traditional stores. While e-commerce businesses adapt to modern marketing techniques, most traditional retails make use of traditional marketing techniques. Traditional Marketing Traditional marketing refers to the conventional methods of marketing used ever since the concept of advertisements or marketing came into existence. 4 It’s the most recognizable type of marketing, encompassing 20

the advertisements that we see and hear every day. Most traditional marketing strategies fall under one of four categories: print, broadcast, direct mail, and telephone. 1 • Print: Includes advertisements in newspapers, newsletters, magazines, brochures, and other printed material for distribution • Broadcast: Includes radio and television commercials, as well as specialised forms like onscreen movie theatre advertising • Direct mail: Includes fliers, postcards, brochures, letters, catalogues, and other material that is printed and mailed directly to consumers • Telemarketing: Includes requested calling and cold calling of consumers over the phone Traditional marketing has its numerous advantages that still work which includes – Broad reach, High intrusive value, possibility for highly effective market segmentation and Rich shopping experience, but there is no doubt that modern marketing has set a revolution ablaze. 2 Traditional marketing has some clear drawbacks which have led to the closing down of many physical retails which relied on it, and some of those are mentioned below: • High Cost – cost for developing TVC, magazine advertising, or direct-mail remain much higher in comparison with internet promotion. • Long Lead Time – turn-around time for updating an advertisement will require troublesome procedures and a lengthy time. 21

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• Short Exposure Time – due to the high cost of the media, most advertisements are only broadcasted for a short period. 1 • Low Flexibility – troublesome updating procedures and limitation on media control resulting in low flexibility for creativity Another factor cited in the closing of retail stores in the retail apocalypse is the shift in consumer habits towards online shopping. A report by Adobe Digital Insights showed holiday sales for ecommerce increased by 11% for 2016 compared with 2015. 2 Other analysts claim the reason isn’t as simple as e-commerce businesses taking market share or the younger population spending more on experiences than things. The root cause is that many of these long-standing physical retail are overloaded with debt—often from leveraged buyouts led by private equity firms. There are billions in borrowings on the balance sheets of troubled retailers, and sustaining that load is only going to become harder—even for healthy chains. Some economists and business experts while they acknowledge significant shifts in some retail segments and the potential for future turbulence, however, maintain that the recent high profile store closings are simply a market correction. 3 2.2 The Rise of E-Commerce E-commerce refers to the purchase and sale of goods and/or services via electronic channels such as the internet. E-commerce was first introduced in the 1960s via an electronic data interchange (EDI) on value-added networks (VANs). The medium grew with the increased availability of internet access and the advent of popular online sellers in the 1990s and early 2000s. The e-commerce trend is not just limited to the US but has spread across the world 24

including Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The Middle East is regarded as a prime economy for ecommerce due to its dynamic young population, high internet penetration levels, high smartphone penetration levels and increasing use of online shopping sites. 1 In the US, figures from 2016 show that online shopping accounted for 11.7% of all sales which represents almost 42% of all growth in 2016 and is a 15.6% increase on online sales in 2015. 2 In China, it had a rise of 19.8%. On its own, China accounts for 39.2% of all global e-commerce sales, and there is a lot of growth potential left in this market alone. Currently, China reports that 53.2% of the population are online, in which 63.8% of those people shop online, meaning there is the potential for significant levels of growth over the next few years. 3 E-commerce has evolved over the years. As technology improved, more devices could connect to the internet, mobile devices became more popular, and more people had access to communicate with each other through social media platforms. With the rise of such sites as Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, social media has become an important driver of e-commerce. As of 2014, Facebook drove 85 per cent of social media-originating sales on e-commerce platform Shopify – an ecommerce site. There are six basic types of e-commerce: • Business-to-Business (B2B): Refers to the electronic exchange of products, services or information between businesses rather than between businesses and consumers. 4 • Business-to-Consumer (B2C): Is the retail part of e-commerce on the internet. It is when businesses sell products, services or information directly to consumers. 25

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• Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C): Encompasses all electronic transactions of goods or services conducted between consumers. • Consumer-to-Business (C2B): In this type of e-commerce consumers make their products and services available online for companies to bid on and purchase. • Business-to-Administration (B2A): It encompasses all transactions conducted online between companies and public administration. It involves a large amount and a variety of services, particularly in areas such as fiscal, social security, employment and legal documents. • Consumer-to-Administration (C2A): refers to transactions conducted online between individual consumers and public administration or government bodies. Factors Responsible: The numerous advantages of e-commerce and several other factors account for the rise of ecommerce today, part of which are mentioned below: • Extensive use and acceptance of social media platforms: An average person spends an hour and 40 minutes browsing social networks every day. To increase sales and bring more revenue, retailers use social media to be present and build a relationship with their customers. Social networks can point shoppers towards a new product or some good deal. 1 28

• The use of Modern marketing techniques: Modern marketing is the act of promoting and selling products and services by leveraging online marketing tactics such as social media marketing, search engine marketing and email marketing, it is linked closely with social media. Its several advantages ranging from easy analytics, real- time result, low cost, quicker publicity and high flexibility has attributed to the increased use of ecommerce. • Operational Cost Savings: The cost of creating, processing, distributing, storing and retrieving paper-based information has decreased. 2 • 24/7 Access - Enables customers to shop or conduct other transactions 24hours a day, all year round from almost any location. • Price Comparisons - Customers can ‘shop’ around the world and conduct comparisons either directly by visiting different sites, or by visiting a single site where prices are aggregated from a number of providers and compared. 2.3 Millennial and Gen Z Power Over the last 20 years, technology has evolved from a command-line interface to drop-down menus to apps, making it simpler and easier to use. Consumers now have a higher level of comfort in using technology, and this has positively impacted online commerce. 1 The advent of the internet and the increasing sophistication of communication technology of the 21st century have made almost every aspect of our life easy and comfortable. With the improvement in technology and an increase in the use of mobile devices, it is now easier to access the 29

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internet from almost any location. Today many people have access to the Internet. For instance, 65% of all male and 53% all-female population of Sweden use the Internet daily. The Internet has become a reliable marketing tool in itself which can be compared separately to other marketing tools. Social media came a long way from only connecting people to playing a deciding role in every business. 2 Indications are a lot of people spend most of their ‘online-time’ on various social media platforms trying to connect or to get entertained. The population who mainly uses social media are in the age group of 18-34 years, which has made it an important medium for branding and loyalty. Social marketing programs provide an excellent platform for retailers to get customer feedback. 3 This has been noticed by businesses and has led to changes in the way they approach consumers. Before, a business’ presence would be signified by a physical storefront and advertisements in the paper. But in a digital age, business reputations live and die by their social media standing. 1 The miniaturisation of components and wireless technology has allowed consumers to shop and interact over the internet while they are on the move. In 2011, the sale of smartphones and tablets exceeded those of desktops and laptops for the first time. More consumers are expected to access the internet through their mobile devices than from their desktop computers in the coming years. The availability of fast, secure, cheap technology, easy access to social media platforms, affordable internet access, broad acceptance of the social media life, the evolution of marketing techniques, and the affinity of the young population to have an experience in the online and smart world have contributed to the rise of e-commerce. 32

Chapter 3 Market for a Rough Crowd Marketing is an indispensable part of any business which one cannot ignore. A wise and visionary entrepreneur will ensure setting a part of the budget for marketing efforts alone. Advancement in technology and widespread of e-commerce activities has called for the use of more efficient, user-friendly and cost effective marketing techniques. Modern marketing as the name suggests is the act of promoting and selling products and services by leveraging online marketing tactics such as social media marketing, search engine marketing and email marketing. Modern Marketing is an adaptive methodology that connects brands with real customers and drives business results by blending strategy, creative, technology, and analysis. It is also referred to as digital marketing or Online marketing by many. For decades, marketers have been trying to be more accountable and elevate marketing from a purely functional and tactical level1,2 to a strategic level3 . Yet marketing remains heavily criticized for its inability to present compelling evidence of the effectiveness of the huge sums it directs to promotion and brand building4 . ‘This perceived lack of accountability is linked to a reduction in marketing’s influence in strategic decision- making’ and a cause of resentment from other functions.5 The new modern marketing strategy has brought several advantages and opened up new opportunities for the market to thrive and provide what the crowd really wants. The digital tools that have been leading this modern market has been the social media platform that has been introduced to further 33

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people’s cause. Chaffey & Smith explain how markets can help their cause and further their business by fully utilizing the digital methods being offered today, and also increase their rate financially and quantifiably.1 Targeting the consumers’ needs online has numerous advantages to the marketers because they are able to track what a person needs, their wants and the reason why they want what they want. It is all about marketing the right way, reaching out to your target online in a unique way. This has gone a long way in propelling several brands to the top of the chart compared the traditional methods used in the old day. Although Smith and Chaffey as well as some other marketers is of the belief that the modern market will definitely wipe out the old approach to reaching out to customers, some other marketers are of the belief that the traditional approach still has its usefulness and place amongst the modern market. With the modern marketing approach, marketers are able to reach out to their audience online without the need for them appearing in person to place the order for their goods. That is one aspect where the traditional market has been lacking. Even though it looks like the traditional market should be permanently pushed aside, some research has been done which confirms that the traditional marketing strategy may still truly have its place amongst the modern market. A research conducted among Irish users according to 8020s reported suggested that a little above 50% of the users online are below 35 years old. The report also went further to state that business enterprises conduct about 61% of their business on the internet and just 22% of their customers utilize this platform. Relying only on digital marketing means not attending to the masses needs because just a few will have access to the online market which has proved not to be beneficial to brands competing with other brands. The modern market is meant to assist the marketers and improve on what they have, not ignore the majority of their customers which may affect their dealing. 1 Katz (2008) was of the opinion that the traditional marketing 36

strategy works better with the desired market due to the fact that they can get a physical copy of the transactions. While Smith had the opinion that the modern market allows the targeted approach to be more in-depth, although the credibility takes a hit because of the volume the consumers receive daily. 2 It has been indicated that there is no perfect approach slated in gold. Both are meant to complement each other because there will be those who still decide to stick with the traditional method. The key is to know the targeted market and how best it can be utilized to suit the customers.3 Marketing methods or strategies as there sometimes called is a very important aspect of modern marketing. “According to Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders, and Wong, marketing strategy is the marketing logic by which the business unit hopes to achieve its marketing objectives.”1 The traditional concept of marketing saw marketing as a means of selling goods and services that have been produced. Therefore, all efforts and activities put into customer persuasion and sale of those goods and services are called marketing. In this type of early marketing concepts, very little emphasis was put on customer satisfaction. “This led to the main focus being the product, all the effort of the marketing team concentrated on just selling the product, and the ultimate goal of this marketing means was just to maximize profit through maximization of sale.”2 Modern marketing concept considers the wants and needs of the consumers. This is the fundamental of Modern marketing and this allows it to focus on delivery of such goods and services that can satisfy those needs effectively. The implications of modern marketing concept are, this concept focuses on customers need and plan delivery methods appropriately, all marketing activities are coordinated into one marketing effort. This is called integrated marketing. And lastly, profit is gained through customer satisfaction.3 37

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Marketers are the facilitators of the concepts of marketing, their function involves knowing the consumers of certain products and services, analyzing the customer buying habits and style, then providing products that satisfy the customer needs. The marketers do all this while still ensuring that the brand or company makes profit. 3.1 Competition The future isn’t ahead of us. It has already happened, says marketing teacher Kotler. The future which we already see ourselves living in today has brought along so many opportunities as well as challenges that didn’t exist before. While on one hand globalization and liberalization have brought down geographical barriers, technological advancement has also made the world a smaller place than it used to be. This has basically opened up bigger than life business opportunities in the form of the entire world becoming one huge market place.1 However, one very critical consequence of all of these advancements in technology and expanse in the landscape of opportunity is that it also poses a threat to the existing market share with the entry of foreign giants in the domestic market and the initiation of small companies in the international market. This change in the marketing environment causes an increase in the intensity of competition that now exist between large corporations and small budding companies. In this new market condition, a small company could easily gain substantial percentage of the total market customers by having a better product and marketing presence. Gone are the days when customers had no choice but to buy a product because it was the bigger brand. 40

This change in the marketing environment necessitates a re-look at the entire marketing function and strategy. The four pillars of marketing strategy have, been product, price, promotion and place. However, they have acquired newer dimensions in changing times.2 3.2 New wave Marketing Techniques Data is the new gold in the marketing world, with the advent of mainframe computing and the substantial shift in focus on data science, marketers are slowly shifting their focus from core human emotions in favor of modern marketing’s quantified data, measurability, and return on investment. The rise of social media and the world wide web as a whole changed the Marketing space faster than anyone expected and it has not slowed down ever since. Marketing in this modern age is all about the metrics, it all relies on the power of the digital technology and the addictive marketing measurability it has enabled. Google analytics was one of the new analytical tools that came to change how Marketing success is measured, as said by chief innovation officer at Stein IAS-Marc Keating, “Google Analytics was just a data analyst’s or marketer’s dream. When you saw those dashboards for the first time, you could start to slice the data in so many different ways. It opened up the opportunity to finally start to track campaigns.”1 Marketer’s demand for technology products to help them get measurability “everywhere” was sparked by the measurable targeting efficiency of paid search, but marketing automation’s focus on measurability and demonstrable ROMI poured gasoline on their fire.2 41

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3.3 Marketing to Control Human Behavior With the rise in the availability of data in modern times. The focus of the marketing sector has shifted from just needing to gather data to actually sorting and picking out the relevant data. This need became so prominent that it led to the data science industry becoming the most sought out job in the world and this is all for good reasons. With the ease with which data can be gathered now, there is so much surplus data that sorting out that data in order to know which is relevant to marketers now consume a lot of resources and this further led to a change in the marketing technique in terms of data collecting and usage. Instead of gathering data for the general preference of a large population or group of people, marketing now is focused on personalizing the marketing that is done to every individual to be tailored to suit them directly. Having had a taste of the measurable efficiency of search’s intent-based targeting, marketers were demanding such hyper-targeting everywhere.3 At the same time, technology was evolving to automate real-time bidding for keywords in paid search advertising. 44

Chapter 4 The New Masters: Social Media The advancements in the internet in recent years have made new systems available to business: social media such as online communities being a good example. The general availability of the internet has given individuals the opportunity to use social media, from email to Twitter and Facebook, and to interact without the need for physical meetings. This has been facilitated by Web 2.0 applications. Web 2.0 is a new advancement, which has transferred the internet to a social environment by introducing social media, where individuals can interact and generate content online.1 Social network marketing has become a very important area for marketing for brands and people into business now-a -days. After the trend of social media which started in early 21st century and gained boom with Twitter and Facebook, Instagram came into picture in 2010 and provided a unique way for marketers to stay in touch with their customers using just pictures and their captions as a tool. Catching trend with its unique idea, Instagram quickly became a trend worldwide with a unique age target group and hence becomes a more favored place for marketers to stay connected with their customers and consumers. Facebook acquired Instagram later and converted it to a proper platform for companies to target and sell their products by reaching out to them directly, hence making it a significant platform for business communications.2 The major platform that will be focused on is Instagram because of how much it has affected the marketing world. Over the years, the habit of people visiting Instagram for just fun have changed with the new introduction and awareness on how it can help business move further ahead. Since its purchase by Facebook the platform has undergone some evolution and they have gone on to solve the puzzle that have riddled the shopping experience on the platform. New startups are able to fully utilize this platform and showcase their creative talents by creating 45

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online stores. Although Instagram don’t handle the users purchase, they are able to connect with the entrepreneurs manually to help with the purchase. This has gone a long way in putting several young entrepreneurs on the raider today. Instagram is one of the fast rising social media platform today and have several millions of users signing up every month with millions of photos daily, as well as likes and comments. This has made encouraged entrepreneurs employ have huge success with the platform when it comes to marketing because they are able to reach out to several of their customers online. 4.1 Instagram: Mixing business with pleasure Looking into the traditional and the non-traditional sense of social media marketing, this has been one of the easiest way to connect with people from other parts of the world without even leaving the comfort of your room or office. This is a great way to meet potential customers, clients, and even staffs with great profiles because the social media is now a domain for marketers.1 Many companies have come to accept this idea and have opened up several online stores on Instagram and other social media platforms to create easy access to their customers whenever there’s a complain to make or an enquiry is needed.2 This has helped several business strive in this digital age; without the need of going to an office or a location, they are able to keep up with millions of their customers on the internet while also providing them with wonderful experiences. The marketing strategy of Instagram has been found to be very effective because people 48

are able to effectively understand what an image means or stand for without the need of explanation which makes it an easier approach for the users. The company are able to save funds on designing and can just edit an image and reuse for other Instagram occasions (Herman, 2014).1 The market world has been a better place with the arrival of digital marketing because businesses are able to connect to several customers around the world, take their comments, and improve the experience everyone expects from them. The Instagram platform also has a section for private messages where VIP customers are able to chat directly with the company (Herman, 2014). This is a private message only for the organization in a bid to work on their needs and serve the community better. 4.2 The Major Market At first, Instagram was made only as an application for iPhone, and it was not until April 2012 that Android phones and in late 2013 that windows phones were able to use the app.2 iPhones, android and windows phones are still the only devices that can use Instagram as a whole, the Instagram team has made a statement that they are trying to make Instagram as good as possible for the existing applications before they consider developing it to function on other devices. 3 It is possible to view posts on the web through other applications, but uploading posts must be done on an iPhone, android or windows phone. Instagram has now become the major market for marketers and users alike that are in need of new experiences. The relationship between the both is one of the factors that have contributed to the success of this online platform. 49

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