EVOLUTION OF THE VIRTUAL WORLD

Nanditha Hariharan 

I B.Com(MM)

                When did marketing first start? Marketing evolved on earth when Eve persuaded by the snake convinced Adam to eat the apple! Even today, the when I look at a marketing executive I simply see someone who can create magic. On one side of the world, marketers are convincing the people that ‘fairness’ is important and selling whitening products. While, on the other hand there are marketers selling products that will help you achieve a golden tan. I don’t see marketers as people who cater to your need; rather I see them as magicians who can magically create requirements in this world!

             When I talk about marketing with such zeal, I am sure it would create in all your minds a flamboyant picture of a smart person convincing someone to buy a product. However, today, the marketing scene has undergone tremendous changes. No more, do we seem to need an executive to convince a person to buy a product. A simple e-mail, a page on a social networking site, or a website seems to do the trick. Yet, there is a question that lingers in my mind. Is e-marketing a boon or a bane?

           When measuring the effectiveness of marketing campaign in terms of accessibility, e-marketing offers great value to the company. It is affordable and at the same time there are many resources that one can use online for free of cost or at a reasonable price. Also, on a public forum like social networking sites when your products are marketed, it is open to constructive feedback from the customers. While you get a lot of useful knowledge from the direct users of the product, your customers feel a sense of belonging and importance.

         On the flip side however, news about a bad product can go viral and kill your product. Bad publicity is something that is very common on the internet, and unsatisfied customers can criticize your product intensely. The company must spend quality time on e-marketing for you to reap benefits from it. It is also a complex process where technical knowledge to a certain extent at least is demanded.

           E-marketing unlike traditional marketing is more of a two edged sword. It is a very powerful tool, yet it is in our hands to utilize this tool to the maximum. Before jumping into e-marketing it is importance to define our target audience, the quality time and resources we can spend on marketing and what our needs are. Only based on these answers can we derive a conclusion as to whether e-marketing is suitable for a product of not!

           Even today, nothing beats touching my product, while bargaining with the seller and eyeing what the other person is buying in a crowded shop. . True to the fact that time is the greatest innovator, marketing has also gone through various innovations. Yet, with technology, if I am able to save time and shop at the comfort of my house, like any prudent customer I would welcome this change and anyway consider e-marketing to be a boon!