Advertising an Integrated Marketing Communication Perspective

Question: Explain about the Advertising for An integrated marketing communication perspective? Answer: Introduction: Social media has become the part of the daily life of the common people all over the world. It has changed the lifestyle of the common population as well as the environment of the business related communication. Use of the Social Media platform for the business communication is helping the business organization to develop a good relationship with their customers through the peer to peer communication. In this report, the increased importance of the peer to peer communication and WOM through the use of social media platform will be analyzed. In order to do that, the important aspects of the peer to peer communication, WOM and the applications of these on Social media platform will be discussed in this paper. Peer to Peer communication: Peer to peer (P2P) communication is a promotional technique in which the consumers are encouraged to conduct promotional activities to other consumers. In this process, the existing customers of a business organization promote the products and services to other customers by sharing their experiences about the products r services with them. People like to collect the information from other people who have already used the products or services. The business organizations are also concerned about this fact. Most of the business organizations are trying to deliver the effective level of customer services for increasing their brand value by the use of P2P communication. Use of social media has opened a broader platform for the P2P communication activities (Dahlen, Lange Smith, 2010). Word of Mouth: Word of Mouth (WOM) is an important strategy of promoting a product or service to the customers. It can be defined as an oral interpersonal communication in the area of marketing and management. According to Roper Fill (2012), WOM is an informal communication between the producer and consumer about the use of the products or services. It is one of the most powerful ways to convince the target customers towards the products or services of a specific business organization. Fill (2013), mentioned that the WOM has greater power than the other traditional promotional activities. The main facility of this method is the ability of having an interactive session. Direct talking in an informal way always has more strength for understanding any fact. Belz and Peattie (2012) has also mentioned the WOM as a powerful weapon for understanding the customers opinions and their attitudes. Social Media platform: According to Rossiter Bellman (2005), use of the Social Media was started with Open Diaries. This was an online diary where the users were connected with each other within a virtual community. At present, the use of Social Media has a broader area. The media that is published and shared by a number f people in the internet can be treated as the Social Media. Blogs, images, videos etc are the social media. Trott (2008) has mentioned the social media as a electronic communication medium. The social media platforms have enables the scope for social exchange of the information globally by using the social media platforms. At present the most popular social media platform is Facebook. P2P communication through Social Media: Peer to Peer communication has become the effective promotional tool of the business organizations through Social Media platform. In case of the P2P communication, the company takes a back seat and the customers play the vital role in the promotion of their business. Social media gives a platform where people can meet virtually and share their opinions through the platform. P2P fundraising has high power because it provides the followers the opportunity of raising efficient support for an organization, through the use of their own voices for getting connected with their friends and families. In order to do this effectively on social media platform, a business organization requires willing for resisting the urge to own its communications on the social media platform (Roper Fill, 2012). It instead requires giving up control fortrusting their supportersto speak on behalf of them. eWord of Mouth: Importance of the WOM is a famous and useful topic in the area of marketing. Interest in the practices of the WOM has been increased in these days as electronic word of mouth or eWOM. Internet is the source and outlet of the eWOM communication for the customers. The eWOM is able to give the advantages of normal WOM with the facility of communicating with a large number of people without facing the barrier of distance. According to Belch et al. , (2014), eWOM may have the similar effects like the WOM, but some specials skills needed for handling the eWOM. The C2C communication has been increased through the use of eWOM. Petersen, Kushwaha Kumar (2015) mentioned that the online product information through eWOM is affecting the customers and helping the business organizations to increase their brand image. eWOM behavior on Social Media: Social networking sites are playing positive role in spreading the eWOM communication. People are used to communicate with their friends in Social Media about the products or services they are using. In this way, the C2C communication is increasing in this platform. The business organizations are taking the initiative by developing pages in the social networking sites about their product and services. People are getting affected by this and they are providing their feedbacks in the pages (Dahlen, Lange Smith, 2010). These feedbacks are spreading to other users of the social network and become viral on the social networking site. Generally the advertising given by the business organizations are treated by the people as untrustworthy advertisements but the eWOM shared by the other users are treated as trustworthy comments. Influence of eWOM on Social Media: Petersen, Kushwaha Kumar (2015) mentioned that the people of the present world are spending more time by communicating with closed or non-closed people through social media rather than the face to face interaction. Dahlen, Lange Smith (2010) argued that eWOM through SNS is more active for affecting consumers purchase behaviors than the traditional advertising through these sites. Therefore, the business organization may have a greater advantage through the eWOM communication in the Social Media Platform. Because of this reason the business organizations are showing their interests in increasing the use of eWOM through the social networking sites. Social Media can be used for sharing information about oneself to others, including important updates of ones current actions, involvements, appreciated things and daily life (Belch et al., 2014). Users of some Social media platform can become friends with a certain brand, which is a way to express support for it, and that in turn might le ad to positive eWOM. This phenomenon of the Social Media platform is influencing the use of eWOM in Social Media. Conclusion: The study about the impact of the Social Media upon the peer to peer communication and WOM communication has been conducted in this paper. The peer to peer communication is very good for promoting the products or services of the business organization. The social media platform has opened a new window for increasing the promotional activities by using eWOM in Social Networking Sites. In these days, the life of Social Media has been more important than the practical life in terms of communicating with other people. The increased popularity of the virtual life of the common people is influencing the importance of peer to peer communication and the WOM communication. People used to trust the information shared by other users about a product or services which is increasing the importance of peer to peer communication in social networking sites. References: Belch, G. E., Belch, M. A., Kerr, G. F., Powell, I. (2014).Advertising: An integrated marketing communication perspective. McGraw-Hill Education. Belz, F. and Peattie, K. (2012). Sustainability Marketing A Global Perspective. Chichester, U.K. Wiley. Blackwell, R., DSouza, C., Taghian, M., Miniard, P., Engel, J. (2006). Consumer behaviour: an Asia Pacific approach. Dahlen, M., Lange, F., Smith, T. (2010).Marketing communications: a brand narrative approach. John Wiley Sons. Egan, J. (2007).Marketing communications. 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