Page 33 - MYM 2015

modes are increasingly replacing of ine contact modes such as telephone, fax, and physical address.
Environmental Elements
The presence of various mediums and forms of interaction do not always guarantee the establishment of communication platforms between rms and customers. In fact, we believe the in uence of environmental elements in the DME impact the establishment of these platforms. In this section, we will discuss these elements in light of what we already know, what we would like to know that can present insights to marketers.
Data availability & analysis. The importance of data is tied to its ability to inform tactical and strategic marketing decisions. Therefore, to make the most out of the DME, rms must be equipped with the ability to gather, analyze, and interpret digital data.
Not all rm-customer interactions occur to elicit
a transaction-based response. Many interactions (one-way and two-way) involve information seeking and/or dissemination between rms and customers. Such interactions can be rm-initiated or customer- initiated (i.e., user generated content (UGC)) in nature. Firm-initiated content are a structured way to deliver messages, offer solutions, engage in conversations, and invite customer participation, among others. In the DME, it can range anywhere from using one media option (e.g., TV/radio commercials) to an integrated media plan involving multiple media options (e.g., TV/ radio commercials that end with directing viewers to the company website to get the full information, and subsequently inviting
follow-up conversations
on social networking
sites). While some of
these content may end
in a tangible activity
such as a purchase,
almost all such content
generate intangible
bene ts such as
gauging the pulse of the
market, understanding
user preferences, and
participating in user
discussions that is likely
to add to the customer-
level insights for the rm.
Customer-initiated content on the other hand, has more uidity in structure in that it re ects the consumers’ willingness, ability, and freedom to create and control their interaction experience with the rm that best
suits their interests. In short, it is unrestrictive in nature and more open to a free-ranging discussion on topics that are important to the customers. Nevertheless, this type of content too can be structured if rms want to. That is, rms can invite customers to generate content and share it with them or other customers. This is
also known as solicited UGC. Examples of solicited UGC include inviting customers to (a) create and
share content that spreads positive WOM, (b) reveal user experiences, and (c) communicate product- and service-level expectations, among others through traceable online and of ine platforms. When customers create and share content without any involvement of the rm, it is known as unsolicited UGC.
What we know: With the ever-expanding options of digital mediums, enormous amounts of data are being exchanged on a daily basis. The explosion of data from various digital sources has added
to this challenge for marketers (Larivière et al. 2013). For instance, search engine queries have been identi ed
to enhance a brand’s online presence by focusing attention on
the search keywords used (Skiera and Abou Nabout 2013). Similarly, click stream data has enabled marketers to understand user characteristics such as number of page views, visit frequency, characteristics of items viewed, and visit duration among others
(Moe and Fader 2004). With regards to the data generated, social media has gone past from being
just a media platform to a viable implementation medium of marketing campaigns such as incentivized referrals, product development, and WOM generation among others(Blazevic et al. 2013; Kumar et al. 2013; Schmitt et al. 2011).
What we would like to know: Despite the advances in data-oriented marketing, several challenges remain for future research, including:
• Generating more comprehensive computing and statistical capabilities to accommodate the
mind I33 your
We are in the midst of exciting times that holds much promises and challenges. The DME is fertile in terms of innovative approaches to stay connected.
marketing