TOPIC COVERED : New Age Marketing

We have newspaper, then we have radio and not so long ago we have television. These three have something in common, they make communication and flow of information to the general public easier and faster. In another word, they are media for mass communication.

Today, we can obtain information and relay messages to colleagues and friends at a mouse click. We are talking about communication in seconds. What make this possible? INTERNET, of course. What does Internet mean to marketers in Thailand?

In 1999, there are 800,000 internet users in Thailand and this number is expected to grow tremendously over the next few years. Therefore, there is a whole new consumer market out there and this market is going to take off very quickly and is becoming a very lucrative market. However, the e-commerce market in Thailand is not as developed as US or Europe. Thai still use Internet for information and not to trade. Nonetheless, once the government passes the e-commerce law, e-commerce is going to be the next big thing for Thai consumers.

Therefore, marketers watch out! If you are not on the bandwagon yet, it is time to seriously think about how IT technology is going to change the ways of life of Thai consumers. Especially when most of Thai internet users are white collar workers with at least Bachelor Degree and between the age of 20-39. These consumers are either the current or the future target group of most consumer products and services companies. They are a force to be reckon with.

Why Internet?

Internet provides:

· Quick access to consumers;

· Instantaneous information to consumers;

· Interaction with consumers;

· A platform for buyers and sellers to meet;

· 7 x 24 x 365 customer service;

· The world as the market place;

· An inexpensive media for sellers to advertise, and more.

The above mentioned are just a few key advantages of Inter, there are many more benefits from hooking up to the net.

How do Internet Portals and Websites

Market their Products?

Internet portals and websites use both on-line and off-line marketing to promote their sites. On-line marketing means advertising on the net and off-line marketing means traditional advertising i.e. newspaper, magazine, TV, and radio.

To create traffic to their websites, these dot com companies link their webpage to other famous search engines and portals like Yahoo.com, MSN.com and many other on the net. At the same time they place banner ads in these webpages to create awareness. For example, Amazon.com. It is impossible to miss the banner ad when you search the web.

To create website awareness, we can apply one of the following strategies:

· Banner ad based on impression rate;

· Banner ad based on click through rate;

· Viral Marketing – through word of mouth; or

· Traditional Marketing Media.

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