Marketing Communication Tools Research Articles

A study on the role of WhatsApp as an emerging business communication tool among Startups and MSMEs in India

Marketing Communications has been the vital part of Start-up’s and MSMEs growth in the recent years contributing to a significant change in the way the businesses are communicating after the advent of internet. After the arrival of smart phones, the interactions among business enterprises have refined completely compare to traditional interactions happening since ages among businesses. This study focusses on one such prominent communication tool which has changed the entire landscape of Start-ups and MSMEs marketing communication is “WhatsApp”. The study intends to highlight the significant roles of this powerful communication media WhatsApp among Start-up’s and MSMEs of India in terms of exchanging texts, images, videos and other documents while conducting their business on day-to-day basis. Also, the study intends to know more about WhatsApp’s benefits for Start-up’s and MSMEs in India and its future as a most cost-effective tool of marketing communication among start-ups and MSMEs.

The Microsite

This paper deals with the analysis of microsites as a low-cost marketing communication tool used to effectively address prospective applicants for admissions to higher education institutions. The paper contains the analysis of the microsite www.ustav44.cz, which has been created to promote the Department of Marketing Communications at Tomas Bata University in Zlín. Specifically, it has been created to promote the degree course in Marketing Communications. The authors of the paper describe the individual stages of the microsite design as well as its implementation and launch, including a subsequent analysis of its functionality and overall effectiveness within a selected target group. Based on the survey results, a proposal outlining how to improve particular user elements of this microsite and how to improve the microsite as a whole has been developed. The final part of this paper contains general instructions and basic tips that may help readers create a microsite of a similar type.

Marketing Communication Tool on Consumer Buying Behaviour in Selected Supermarkets in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Consumer purchasing habits have remained a challenge for marketers to grasp, and studies have suggested that the construct can be best grasped through marketing communication stimulus that is planned and implemented in the organization. However, empirical research into consumer purchasing behavior in retail supermarkets has been limited and anecdotal, particularly in Kenya, where several stores have gone bankrupt and others are trying to stay afloat. In light of this, the purpose of this study was to look at how marketing communication tools affect consumer purchasing behavior in selected supermarkets within Nairobi City County, Kenya. The tools in marketing communication adopted included; sales promotion, personal selling, direct and digital marketing. Descriptive together with the explanatory research design were applied. Customers were the study's population, with a sample size of 370 customers established using the Yamane method. The respondents for the study were chosen using the convenience sample method. Questionnaire were used in obtaining the study’s primary data. The instruments’ validity and reliability were evaluated to identify the acceptability and adequacy of the research items. The collected information was analyzed utilizing descriptive and inferential analytical methods. The data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. At the 0.05 level of significance, the multiple regression approach was employed to examine the significant influence of the hypotheses formulated in this study. Research results have shown that in a sample of Nairobi City County supermarkets, consumer purchasing behavior has been significantly influenced by the integrated development of advertising communication technologies. Personal sales, direct marketing, and digital marketing, according to the findings, have had a substantial impact on consumer shopping behavior at selected supermarkets in Nairobi City County, Kenya. Advertising and sales promotions, on the other hand, were shown to have no effect on consumer behavior in a few supermarkets. Although the lack of a link between advertising and sales promotion and consumer buying behavior is indicated by the findings of insignificant effects, marketing firms may still need to focus their efforts on increasing advertisements and promotion in sales as instruments in attracting customers' desires on what is offered in the market. It is recommended that Kenyan supermarket managers use the findings to better understand people's perceptions of market offerings and information exchange on what defines public behavior.

Factors Influencing HEIs to Adopt Social Media as a Marketing Communication Tool

This research aims to identify the factors influencing Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) to adopt Social Media (SM) for marketing communication. The research was conducted through a qualitative study by interviewing SM managers of selected Pakistani HEIs. Data was analyzed using NVivo 11 to identify emerging themes. The findings revealed several internal and external factors encouraging HEIs to adopt SM marketing. Internal factors reflected the internal dynamics or beliefs within the HEIs that encouraged them to use SM for their marketing communication, whereas external factors were environmental changes, not in direct control of HEIs, but believed to contribute towards their decision to use SM. The internal factors included the belief of applicants, increased interest of senior management towards SM, perception of cost-effective promotional tool, induction of young staff, perception of SM as a modern communication tool and move towards paperless communication. The external factors included SM preference as a mode of communication, declining value of traditional marketing communication tools, E-Life inclination, presence of competitors & unofficial SM accounts of HEIs and their self-driven nature. This study draws focus towards the underlying intentions of HEIs for their SM presence and compares these motivations with other organizations. This has enabled filling in the gaps in the literature regarding the roots of SM marketing in the context of HEIs. From a practical perspective, the findings of this study will enable HEIs to compare their SM motives with other industries. A major difference found was the absence of motivation on the part of HEIs to use SM. This is in contradiction to other industries that put relationship building with customers as one of the primary motives to use SM.

МАРКЕТИНГОВЕ СТРАТЕГІЧНЕ ПЛАНУВАННЯ, ЦІНОУТВОРЕННЯ, МАРКЕТИНГ ПОДІЙ У СФЕРІ ЕНЕРГОЗБЕРЕЖЕННЯ НА ВИСОКОТЕХНОЛОГІЧНИХ ПІДПРИЄМСТВАХ

The creation of regional centers of standardization in the field of distribution and use of energy flows of an alternative type contributes to the consistency of the quality of energy supply and logistics services of high-tech enterprises (HTP) and housing and communal services (housing). The integrated combination of the latest forms of marketing communications and logistics service is based on the interaction and interpenetration of important types of marketing activities of industrial enterprises during the movement of resource flows in global and regional value chains focused on sustainable development. Logistics service contributes to a fuller adaptation of the vector of goods supply of enterprises to the demands of potential segments of the target market. Innovative and technological development encourages the constant improvement of means and methods of communication support of logistics services. The implementation of a set of business opportunities aimed at creating joint high-tech projects in the areas of technology transfer and commercialization of innovations is possible through the comprehensive integration of education, science and business. Theoretical and methodological components of marketing strategic planning, pricing, organization of marketing of energy saving events at high-tech enterprises were investigated. It is determined that the budgeting of marketing communications, taking into account the integrated application of unconventional marketing communications tools, pricing methods that focus on demand and competition, contributes to good training and clarification to social and economic agents, authorities, and the public. The feasibility of using innovative energy-saving technologies based on alternative energy sources is explained. It has been established that marketing energy-saving values of high-tech enterprises lie in the formation of marketing values for consumers, which creates competitive advantages in faster and more complete satisfaction of consumer needs. The concept of “marketing value” is developed, which reflects the impact of relational tools of cholistic marketing on communication support and logistical support for interaction with economic agents, stakeholders, consumers, which leads to the intensive formation of marketing values among noted interaction entities. Marketing communication motivational and behavioral components of high-tech enterprises are highlighted. The marketing activity of “BIZON-TEH 2006” enterprise was analyzed, which has many years of experience in the agricultural market of Ukraine, is included in the TOP-3 of the largest distribution of seeds and fertilizers.

Marketing communication tools and their influence on marketing innovation: Evidence from Slovakian SMEs

Abstract Due to lack of sources, SMEs face certain problems when applying innovative activities. Since marketing communication tools enable to perform innovative actions, SMEs’ usage of such channels might provide solutions for them to overcome the barriers of making innovation. Thus, this paper investigates whether the usage of marketing communication tools by SMEs enables them to be innovative in marketing or not, and the research question is “Does the usage of marketing communication tools by SMEs improve their innovativeness in marketing?” This paper focuses on traditional and technology-enabled marketing communication tools, such as direct marketing, personal selling, online marketing, and advertising in social media. The researchers employ a random sampling method and then create an online internet-mediated questionnaire to collect data from 812 SMEs in Slovakia. The researchers have also performed Ordinal Logistic Regression analyses to fulfill the research aim. The results show that the usage of marketing communication tools by SMEs improves their innovative posture in marketing. The education level of firm executives and cultural factors in a specific nation might be the reasons for the findings of this research. Thus, the trainings and financial support provided by policymakers and collaboration of other institutions are beneficial for the growth of SMEs. This research analyzes traditional and technology-enabled marketing tools, and areas of marketing innovation in a broad perspective, including innovations in products/services, prices, distribution, promotion, people, processes, and visualization. Therefore, it differs from other studies and fills the research gap by making a significant value addition in related literature.

Strategy of Tourist Events Museum De Javasche Bank Surabaya

Surabaya is one of the cities in Indonesia which has quite a lot of museum rows with various types of museums. One type of scientific museum is the De Javasche Bank Museum. The collection of historical objects and the historical value of the building is very interesting in fact unable to attract visitors to come and learn. De Javasche Bank Museum is also one of the museums in Surabaya whose existence is not widely known by the public. It is necessary for an integrated marketing communication strategy to solve this problem. One of the integrated marketing communication tools from Sales Promotion is Event Marketing. This research uses qualitative research methods with a descriptive analysis approach. Data collection techniques in this research are field studies and literature studies. Primary data in this study is data that is directly obtained from museum managers, visitors, and the community through observations and interviews, while secondary data comes from literature.

Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing in the Georgian Consumer Market

In today's digital world, traditional marketing is increasingly being integrated with high technology and Internet resources. The digitalization of global and local markets has put on the agenda an overview of practical marketing mechanisms and the search for new approaches. Traditional marketing communication tools and channels such as advertising, direct marketing, promotion, personal selling, catalogs, etc. They are gradually integrated with Internet marketing trends and are used more or less in a comprehensive manner.This article discusses the Social Media Marketing development stages, the key platforms, the tools used, and their impact on the consumer market. As with traditional marketing, the effectiveness of social media marketing is determined by the nature of consumer markets and their awareness of a particular marketing event. The article also discusses marketing trends used in the Georgian consumer market and customer reviews in the same market.

Online review ratings: an analysis of product attributes and competitive environment

ABSTRACT Online reviews generated by consumers have reached a huge diffusion among buyers and constitute an important marketing communications tool for companies that allow them to successfully promote a product. This study adopts a less developed approach in previous studies and tries to analyse what attributes of a product or service are relevant when it comes to getting a good online assessment of consumers as well as to analyse if the competitive environment of the company also affects the ratings. Based on a sample of 1,870 Spanish hotels and using regression analysis, our results show that vertical and horizontal differentiation, age, and price are characteristics of a product that positively impact the online rating given by consumers. However, pricing of additional features can reduce the effect of horizontal differentiation on online rating due to the different value to consumers of those features. Additionally, the competitive environment also has an impact on the online rating and paradoxically, areas with a higher concentration of competitors allow companies to obtain a better evaluation if the competitors are not co-located very close to the company. These findings can support company marketers to manage consumer online reviews and help marketers in promoting a product.

Potential of Marketing Communication as a Sustainability Tool in the Context of Castle Museums

Based on the OECD research from 2020, tourism is one of the biggest and fast-growing sectors of the world economy. Tourism plays a key role in job creation as well as in added value creation. In 2018, the revenue from tourism in Slovakia totaled EUR 2.7 billion, which is EUR 4.7% more than the year before, where the mentioned refers to 3% GDP and 27.6% of the services-related exports. The authors drew their attention to identifying some marketing communication tools’ impact on the castle museum attendance in Slovakia and analyzed the degree and dynamics of the communication structure implementation in the context of cultural heritage. In general, 5840 cultural tourists were interviewed during three restricted cycles: 2006–2009, 2011–2014, and 2016–2019; the interviewing was held through the questionnaires only during the summer seasons. The study herein shows that the quality perception of the carried out offline marketing communication activities and the visit intention itself have significant influence on the interest of customers in repeated visits to castle museums.

Size of Business Unit as a Factor Influencing Adoption of Digital Marketing: Empirical Analysis of SMEs Operating in the Central European Market

The issue of using marketing communication tools in the internet environment is quite extensive. Innovation of the usual procedures is usually influenced by market development. The presented study examines selected factors that may affect the acceptance of digital marketing tools in business practice in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim of the study is to answer the basic question of whether company size influences the willingness to adopt online marketing tools within the usual communication mix. Based on a thorough empirical analysis performed on a sample of companies operating in the Central European market, it can be stated that company size does not play a role in adopting online marketing tools. Most organizations, regardless of their size, still have reservations about investing in digital marketing. On the other hand, previous experience is a key determinant to perceive the benefits of using the internet for business purposes. Organizations actively using online marketing tools evaluate their contribution to their business very positively. It is a well-known fact that product testing significantly increases the degree of its acceptance. This knowledge is one of the key starting points in traditional marketing. Obviously, this assumption needs to be taken into account in both physical and digital environments. At the same time, it should be noted that the application of the basic online marketing tools in business practice is a prerequisite for all subsequent online activities.

An examination of personality traits as predictors of electronic word‐of‐mouth diffusion in social networking sites

AbstractNowadays, in the technological era, social networking sites (SNSs) have the capacity to influence, through electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM), consumers' attitudes towards brands and companies. Consequently, eWOM via SNSs has become an important marketing communication tool for facilitating consumer interaction, acquiring new customers, and enhancing customer loyalty. However, despite the extensive research conducted to identify and depict the antecedents of eWOM, the prediction of whether and to what extent brand‐related content will be shared on SNSs, based on consumers' personality traits, is still an area of marketing that needs further research. Grounded in the trait theory of personality, the current study's objective is to analyze the impact of SNS users' materialism, narcissism, self‐esteem, and extraversion on eWOM diffusion, both directly and indirectly, mediated by referral visit behavior and knowledge‐based validation. For this, an online survey was conducted among a sample of 301 Romanian Facebook users, data being analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Our findings reveal a high prevalence of eWOM among SNS users, more than one‐third of the investigated sample having a tendency to pass along information about products and brands in SNSs. The results show that eWOM diffusion in SNSs is positively predicted (directly and indirectly) by users' materialism, extraversion, and narcissism, while the total effect of self‐esteem on eWOM diffusion is insignificant. The research provides useful insights for online marketers, concerning psychographic segmentation and social media communication, as well as for SNS developers, with regard to improving the segmentation and targeting tools offered to online marketers.

Marketing Communication Strategy of Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan Malang using SOSTAC Model

This study explores how marketing communication strategies in thematic villages are described with the SOSTAC model. This research aims to analyze the marketing communication strategy that has been carried out by Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan Malang using the SOSTAC Model. To achieve this objective, this study uses descriptive research, which means that this research describes systematic, factual, accurate from the data obtained and then analyzed to obtain the results needen in the study. The results showed that in the KJT village the marketing communication strategy that had been carried out had gone well using marketing communication tools such as publicity, direct marketing, personal selling, word of mouth to attract visitors. The focus of KJT for marketing communication strategies is image, tourist attraction, advances in information technology. The marketing communication strategy that shows the interest of Kampoeng Heritage Kajoetangan is dutch era buildings that are still well cared for and preserved to become a characteristic of Malang city which is identical to a heritage city.

Social Media Communication and Customer Loyalty with the Mediating Role of Social Customer Relationship in Retail Chain Stores in Sri Lanka

The main aim of this study is to investigate the impact of social media communication on customer loyalty and social customer relationship and examine the mediating role of social customer relationship between social media communication and customer loyalty. An online survey was used to gather information from followers of retail chain store Facebook pages in Sri Lanka, total of 340 respondents were invited to collect the information. The proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the reliability and validity. The main finding of this study is that the social media communication influences consumer loyalty and social customer relationships positively, while social customer relationships partially mediate the relationship between social media communication and customer loyalty among customers of retail chain stores in Sri Lanka. Retail chains use many marketing communication tools to attract and retain their customers, they should dedicate their effort to implement social media communication as one of the marketing communication media strategy for improved customer loyalty. Keywords: Social media communication, social customer relationship, Customer loyalty, Marketing communication strategy DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-14-09 Publication date: July 31 st 2021

ФОРМУВАННЯ МАРКЕТИНГОВИХ КОМУНІКАЦІЙ КОМЕРЦІЙНИХ БАНКІВ ІЗ ВИКОРИСТАННЯМ СЕГМЕНТООРІЄНТОВАНОГО ПІДХОДУ

Анотація. В умовах існування гострої конкуренції на ринку банківських продуктів комерційні банки повинні розробляти заходи в напрямі залучення уваги клієнтів і формування їхньої лояльності до банківської установи, формування її бренду і підвищення його капіталу. На підставі аналізу вторинної маркетингової інформації встановлено, що вагому роль у цьому відіграють маркетингові комунікації банку, проте важливо забезпечити зростання їхньої ефективності. Цього можна досягнути, використовуючи сегментоорієнтовний підхід до їх формування. Мета статті — встановлення уподобань різних сегментів ринку банківських продуктів до окремих інструментів маркетингової політики комунікацій банківської установи і визначення тих ознак сегментації ринку банківських продуктів, що відображають відмінність таких уподобань. Результати зібраної та обробленої первинної маркетингової інформації, отриманої внаслідок опитування клієнтів та обробленої з використанням критерію , дозволили встановити залежність впливу інструментів маркетингових комунікацій комерційних банків на клієнтів залежно від їхнього віку та їхню фактичну відсутність залежно від статі клієнтів. При збиранні та обробленні інформації усіх респондентів залежно від їхнього віку було поділено на три групи: 18—35 років, 36—60 років і понад 60 років. З урахуванням результатів опитування була розроблена рекомендована структура складових маркетингових комунікацій для банківських установ залежно від належності клієнтів до певного сегмента ринку, визначено засоби розповсюдження інформаційних звернень, рекомендовані заходи для поширення та їхній основний зміст. Проведений аналіз дозволив установити, що деякі інструменти маркетингових комунікацій банківських установ впливають на клієнтів, що належать до різних сегментів ринку. Ідеться передусім про персональний продаж та надання клієнтам консультацій при його проведенні, реалізацію банком заходів у напрямі збереження довкілля, збільшення ставок за депозитними продуктами. Визначено, що інші інструменти маркетингових комунікацій банків мають вплив лише на певну цільову групу клієнтів. Зокрема, реклама на телебаченні та на радіо може бути важливою в інформаційному забезпеченні осіб понад 60 років, а інформація на сайтах банків — для молодших осіб. Відрізняються за ефективністю впливу на респондентів різного віку і заходи «паблік рілейшнз», зокрема для осіб старшого віку важливими є заходи фінансування медицини, молодого і середнього віку — допомога потребуючим. Ключові слова: маркетингова політика комунікацій, комерційний банк, сегментоорієнтований підхід, реклама, персональний продаж, паблік рілейшнз, заходи стимулювання збуту. Формул: 0; рис. 1; табл. 7; бібл.: 14.

Unfolding Utilization of Functional Blocks of Social Media in Building Brand Equity in Higher Education Institutes

The purpose of this research was to explore how HEIs are using Social Media (SM) as a marketing communication tool and to understand their branding focus through SM. It was investigated by understanding the utilization of functional blocks of SM by HEIs, which are believed to contribute towards elements of brand equity. Utilization of functional blocks of SM was studied through theoretical lens of honeycomb framework of SM. This study used qualitative methodology, based on inductive research approach. The data was collected via Netnography method, based on six months usage of SM accounts of seven selected HEIs of Pakistan, out of 225, which exhibited active SM presence. HEIs were found using nine different content types on SM. The content types that showed highest utilization of functional blocks, i.e. endorsements and promotional-messages, were amongst the least preferred content types of HEIs. However, their most preferred content types, i.e. event coverage & announcements, showed lowest engagement level, and were seen contributing towards lower stages of brand building i.e. brand image and awareness only, thus reflecting a myopic focus of HEIs in terms of their brand building through SM. Findings of this study will enable HEIs to revisit their content preference on SM based on the desired branding objectives. This research has extended theoretical knowledge regarding SM Marketing in context of HEIs. Further, it has extended comprehension of various functional blocks of SM, in organizational context, based on literature review. Keywords: Social Media Marketing, Brand Equity, Honeycomb Framework, Higher Education Institutes.

Теоретическое осмысление Social Networks как современного цифрового маркетингового инструмента гостиничного и туристского бизнеса

The article is devoted to the study of modern digital marketing tools of the tourism and hospitality industry, namely, social media technology – social networks. Currently, the promotion of goods or services through social networks has a global trend. First of all, this is due to the fact that social networks have long influenced business, allowing them to inform a potential audience about the features and benefits of a product or service. The main feature of this marketing tool, which attracts any entrepreneur, is the minimum cost. For the tourism and hospitality industry, where “impressions” are a key success factor, social networks are presented as an effective marketing communication tool that provides high-quality transfer of information, impressions, recommendations of industry opinion leaders, reflected in user content, social networks that are key for the consumer in making a decision about buying.

The study of the theoretical approaches to the event management in order to form the brand of a higher education institution

Aim. To study the features of the events held by the institution of higher education and their impact on the formation of a positive image of the institution. 
 Materials and methods. The following research methods were applied: theoretical (analysis and synthesis of scientific literature and normative sources, generalization, classification, analytical, comparative and logical), empirical (description, comparison). The scientific data and normative documents concerning events and the system of branding formation of a higher education institution were used. 
 Results. The study of scientific papers on the event management and event marketing has been conducted. The meaning of the concept of “event” has been defined. The goals and objectives of events held in the educational space have been formulated. The types of events have been studied. The main types, content and examples of events that are advisable to hold in a higher education institution are given: informational, scientific, festive, socio-cultural, image-making. Such criteria for classification of events as openness of events, the number of the audience involved, types of the tasks performed, goals of the event, the audience involved and directions of work of a higher education institution have been proposed. The principles of a “successful event” of a higher education institution have been defined. The stages of organizing events of a higher education institution have been proposed. The expediency of conducting a survey after the event has been determined in order to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the event, form the purpose of attending the event by different participants, improve the quality of events and determine the impact on the image of the institution.
 Conclusions. The stages of the event management in higher education institutions have been suggested. The meaning of events has been defined; their objectives, tasks and classification, have been determined. The principles of the event organization, factors that determine the effectiveness of events and the advantages of events as marketing communication tools have been formed.

The Influence of Marketing Communication Tools on Customers’ Satisfaction Towards Mobile Phone Service Provider Companies in Jordan

The current study aims to identify the influence of marketing communications tools to achieve customer's satisfaction towards mobile phone service provider companies in Jordan by activating the marketing communications tools to achieve customer's satisfaction and identify the extent of its effectiveness on the mobile phone companies. In this study, the researcher used the descriptive and analytical approach method to describe the phenomenon in question, which evaluates the role of marketing communications tools to achieve customer's satisfaction concerning the mobile phone service providers' companies in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. However, the study population represents all the companies of mobile phone service providers in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, which reached the end of 2019; (3) companies, namely, Zain Jordan Telecommunication Company, Orange Jordan Telecommunication Group, and Umniah Telecommunication Company. Taking into account the limited number of telecommunications companies in Jordan, notably, all telecommunications companies were taken by a comprehensive survey. Accordingly, the study sample represented two categories. The sampling and analysis unit included customers of mobile phone service providers’ companies in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Meanwhile, the researcher has distributed (600) questionnaire on the study sample individuals who are customers of mobile phone service providers’ companies in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The study results showed a significant impact of the marketing communication tools on Jordanian mobile phone service provider companies’ customer satisfaction, from customers’ point of view.

The strange bedfellows of packaging cues and religiosity

ABSTRACT Packaging is an important marketing communication tool to shape consumers’ product perceptions and choice decisions. Religion also has a role in influencing consumer behavior. This study melds research into marketing communication and religiosity to examine how the presence of religious symbols on product packaging may influence product evaluation and choice decisions. Following a pre-test that identifies symbols associated with Islam, Muslim respondents (n = 96) complete a discrete choice experiment of 2 product (food, non-food) x 2 price level (high, low) x 2 religious symbol (with symbol, without symbol). Across both products, the presence of a religious symbol positively cues product ratings and choice preference. Drawing on symbolic interactionist theory and social distinctiveness theory, the findings suggest that the presence of the religious symbols provides Muslim consumers with a mean to self-identity and to portray the identity to others. As Islam also governs Muslims’ behavior as consumers, marketers should harness the efficacy of religious symbols to develop effective marketing communication strategies, particularly packaging, to target these consumers.