International Trade

Getting in line on-line

June 2008
The Chartered Institute of Marketing

The buzz words of the internet age have now slipped into common usage, and there can be few businesses that have not dipped a digital toe into some form of online marketing.

The internet, particularly for organisations with international aspirations, can open up whole new markets, reaching an unprecedented number of potential customers at the click of a button. It offers an unrivalled opportunity to get up close and personal with each and every person who takes an interest in a company. It can put the small business on the same level playing field as its multi-national competitors. It can be cheap, (there is no need to spend a fortune on glossy brochures which need to be regularly re-printed), it can be quick, (company information such as price lists or contact details can be instantly updated) and a web site means that a business can be open 24 hours even if the office isn’t.

As an advertising vehicle, online campaigns are becoming more and more central to marketing strategy as homes switch off the TV in favour of the internet. Creatively, advertisers have moved on from irritating pop-ups and boring banners, and it is now widely accepted that online advertising that is relevant, imaginative and displayed at the right frequency is a tool that works. While online advertising did not appear on many marketers budget lines as recently as 2000, it now accounts for 10.6% of marketing spend in the UK, and The Chartered Institute of Marketing’s last Marketing Trends Survey found that it was the fastest growing area of marketing expenditure.

But while technologies come and go, the fundamental rules of marketing still apply. A company that fails to promote the right product to the right... continued on page two >

 

 

 1 2 3  Next page >>

 

Advertisement

Advertisement