For years, technology has been the impetus for progress in various processes, systems, and businesses; it shows no sign of ceasing further development. The application of technology-driven processes in promotionally-oriented environments has become more and more common in today’s business world. Computer-Mediated Marketing Strategies: Social Media and Online Brand Communities brings together marketing approaches and the application of current technology, such as social networking arenas, to show how this interaction creates a successful competitive advantage. Focusing on qualitative research, various technological tools, and diverse Internet environments, this book is a necessary reference source for academics, management practitioners, students, and professionals interested in the application of technology in promotionally-oriented processes.

"This book brings together marketing approaches and the application of current technology, such as social networking arenas, to show how this interaction creates a successful competitive advantage"--

Social media has redefined the way marketers communicate with their customers, giving consumers an advantage that they did not have previously. However, recent issues in online communication platforms have increased the challenges faced by marketers in developing and retaining their customers. Practitioners need to develop effective marketing communication programs that incorporate the meaningful forms of sociality into a customer-driven marketing program. Leveraging Computer-Mediated Marketing Environments discusses the nature of heightened interaction between marketers and consumers in the evolving technological environments, particularly on the central nature of online communities and other emerging technologies on dialogic engagement. Additionally, it aims to examine the relevant roles of online communities and emerging technologies in creating and retaining customers through effective dialogue management. Highlighting brand strategy, e-services, and web analytics, it is designed for marketers, brand managers, business managers, academicians, and students.

This book examines issues and implications of digital and social media marketing for emerging markets. These markets necessitate substantial adaptations of developed theories and approaches employed in the Western world. The book investigates problems specific to emerging markets, while identifying new theoretical constructs and practical applications of digital marketing. It addresses topics such as electronic word of mouth (eWOM), demographic differences in digital marketing, mobile marketing, search engine advertising, among others. A radical increase in both temporal and geographical reach is empowering consumers to exert influence on brands, products, and services. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and digital media are having a significant impact on the way people communicate and fulfil their socio-economic, emotional and material needs. These technologies are also being harnessed by businesses for various purposes including distribution and selling of goods, retailing of consumer services, customer relationship management, and influencing consumer behaviour by employing digital marketing practices. This book considers this, as it examines the practice and research related to digital and social media marketing.

Online shopping has become increasingly popular due to its availability and ease. As a result, it is important for companies that sell high-end products to maintain the same marketing success as companies selling more affordable brands in order keep up with the market. Digital Marketing Strategies for Fashion and Luxury Brands is an essential reference source for the latest scholarly research on the need for a variety of technologies and new techniques in which companies and brand managers can promote higher-end products. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics and perspectives such as brand communication, mobile commerce, and multichannel retailing, this publication is ideally designed for managers, academicians, and researchers seeking current material on effectively promoting more expensive merchandise using technology.

An updated and expanded Second Edition of the popular guide to social media for the business community Marketers must look to the Web for new ways of finding customers and communicating with them, rather than at them. From Facebook and YouTube to blogs and Twitter-ing, social media on the Internet is the most promising new way to reach customers. Marketing to the Social Web, Second Edition helps marketers and their companies understand how to engage customers, build customer communities, and maximize profits in a time of marketing confusion. Author and social media guru Larry Weber describes newly available tools and platforms, and shows you how to apply them to see immediate results and growth. Rather than broadcast messages to audiences, savvy marketers should encourage participation in social networks to which people want to belong, where dialogue with customers, and between customers, can flourish. in Networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, and even Flickr are the perfect forums for this dialog; this book shows you how to tap into this new media. In addition to the tools and tactics that made Marketing to the Social Web a critical hit among marketers, this second edition includes three entirely new chapters that cover recent changes in the field. These new chapters describe how Facebook will monetize its business and one day surpass Google; how companies can measure the influence and effectiveness of their social media campaigns; and how marketing to mobile social media will grow into an effective practice in the near future. Marketing must reach out into new forms, media, and models. Marketing to the Social Web, Second Edition presents an exceptional opportunity to use these new tools and models to reach new markets, even in today's fragmented media environment. Larry Weber has spent the last three decades building global communications companies, including Weber Shandwick Worldwide and the W2 Group. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange, the nation’s largest interactive advocate association.

This book presents and analyzes the concept of online brand communities, an emerging and exciting topic in marketing and eCommerce. First, it lays out the foundations like the evolution of the Web and the so-called Social Web, its utility for users and businesses, and the evolution of the marketing mind-set to adapt the Social Web. On this basis, the book then presents a detailed analysis of online brand communities, examining the concept of virtual community with a specific focus on virtual brand communities. In this context the book also explores recent trends related to branding and brand management. Next, it proposes a classification system for online brand communities, taking into account questions like the motivating factors for consumers to join, participate and stay in a community. The process of value creation in communities is examined from both business and consumer perspectives. The book draws to a close with a brief presentation of the process broadly accepted for the successful development of online brand communities.