Background of the Topic The World Wide Web may well be the most influential technological innovation in the past century. The increased connectivity and communication has made the world progressively smaller, especially for in the context of commerce and trade. With the emergence of these medium, commercial activities like marketing and advertising has been infused in the web. In recent studies on the topic, there has been a series of reports indicating positive implications of using internet marketing techniques on the general market. (Brackett and Carr 2001, 23; Briggs and Hollis 1997, 33) Recent articles have similarly noted several ways of advertising using the internet. Banner advertising, sponsorship advertising, interstitial advertising, and opt-in advertising are among the most widely used forms of web marketing. (Chandon, Chtourou, Fortin 2003, 217) With the same principles of traditional marketing theories, the use of these techniques in the web also relies heavily on the behaviour of the consumers. To some extent, the medium has basically improved the range on which companies could reach their target market. However, like any other form of advertising medium, the internet is also prone to advertising clutter. (Lippold, Sherron, and Stafford 2003, 173) Companies have taken advantage on the medium as it does improve their chances of doing well in their respective industries. (Leamer and Storper 2001, 641) It is for this reason that some companies are opting to indulge in alternative marketing methods, even in the web. (McAlister and Turow 2002, 505) One of the recent methods of making a buzz using the web is through blogs. This new way of creating and maintaining a buzz through blogs and blogspots has yet to be studied closely by advertising studies. For this reason, this study intends to look into the effectiveness of buzz marketing through blogs in the World Wide Web. Aim and Objectives of the Study Based on the background discussed above, this dissertation intends to analyse and examine the effects of buzz marketing techniques employed in the World Wide Web. Specifically, the study will be focusing on the use of blogs as a means of creating and maintaining a buzz through the internet. Furthermore, the study intends to answer the following research questions:
Rationale of the Study Studies pertaining to web marketing and internet advertising have been tackled by a considerable number of scholars and academics. This is quite the opposite with regards to the new concept of buzz marketing using alternative advertising methods has sparsely been given attention. Though attempts on studying "word-of-mouth marketing", "guerrilla marketing", and "viral marketing" has been made, their number are still considerably small. (Hogan, Lemon, and Libai 2004, 271; Werner, 2003, 239; Jarrett 2003, 335) This study wants to push this further by making an analysis on the effectiveness of buzz marketing when it is infused with technologies involving the internet. In doing so, added literature on buzz marketing will be made and in the same time a unique view on the use of blogs as marketing tools will be given notice. Methods and Procedures This dissertation will be using the descriptive form of research. This means that the data acquired on this paper will be first hand and will be based on the actual observations made by the researcher. (Creswell, 1994) In this regard, both qualitative and quantitative data will be taken to ensure that the analysis will be well covered. The primary research instrument will be the researcher-made questionnaire given to randomly selected respondents. The secondary data will come from articles and journals tackling advertising theories, web marketing, and buzz marketing techniques. |
Introduction Today's market is characterised by highly competitive organisations which are all vying for consumer's loyalty. Firms are faced with the challenge to maintain their own competitive edge to be able to survive and be successful. Strategies are carefully planned and executed to gain the ultimate goal of all: company growth. However, external factors are not the only elements which influence growth. There are also internal factors, components working within the organisation which shape the direction of the company. Along with the changing business world, customers change as well, becoming more demanding and knowledgeable than before. In turn, company management had shifted their focus on their clients or customers so as to stay successfully in business. This transition meant that organisations have to completely reformulate their conventional business aims and purposes from being process-focused to customer-centred. Hence, in order to bring out exceptional custome
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