The advertising market is constantly changing, so marketing is also forced to change, to seek new trips to customers. In modern conditions of a constantly changing crisis, the old methods of advertising are replaced by modern and more effective ones. One of the contemporary direct and effective methods is an interactive marketing. This is a type of advertising which the end user directly participates in. At the same time, the Internet resources are involved. Through the games, contests, SMS-chat and SMS-mailings in online mode, the image of the brand is distributed. To better remember it, experts in the field of interactive marketing advise using senses such as charm, touch, and taste (often used in outdoor advertising in the form of games, stock, quizzes). The main goal is to interest and motivate, then the person himself will want to take advantage of the opportunities and advantages provided.
What is Interactive Marketing?
Interactive marketing is a new direction of work with end-users, assuming direct participation of the consumer in the advertising campaign. Interactive marketing includes the enormous possibilities of Internet resources such as games, contests, social networks and other related services. By itself, interactive marketing is a form of direct marketing. However, taking into account its wide distribution in the world at present, it is fair to single out interactive marketing in an independent form of marketing communications. An important role of interactive marketing is the dissemination in the online space of a convincing brand image for consumers.
The Internet and search tools today make information search easy. And this means that any information can spread in the blink of an eye in a viral way everywhere. Therefore, today it is interactive marketing that becomes the central nervous system of many marketing campaigns. And it is online tools that have unprecedented speed and efficiency in determining the place of the campaign and its reputation in the market. The Internet is the channel that conveys consumer expectations and their sensitivity to brands.
Example of Interactive Marketing
With the growing popularity of social networks and mobile phones, there are many opportunities for the introduction of interactive marketing. This new trend can be illustrated by the example of world famous companies.
Coca-Cola. The campaign entitled "Share Coca-Cola with ...", in which the famous logo on the bottle was replaced by different names, is very popular all over the world. In fact, this is a viral action aimed at launching a new trend in social networks. In Instagram, the hashtag of the #shareacoke campaign has already been used more than 340,000 times, with 96% of the reviews either positive or neutral. Place in a profile photo with a bottle of Cola means not just enjoy a drink. It's about capturing the moment, and the name that flaunts on the bottle gives the moment a special importance.
Yoplait. Every year Yoplait donates 10 cents from the sale of specially labeled yogurts to the Fund for Breast Cancer of Susan G. Komen. Interaction with customers always benefits the company. If to give buyers a sense of involvement in a big business, they will be much more willing to recommend a product to their friends and acquaintances.
Jack Daniels. The world brand of whiskey Jack Daniels, developing its campaign called "The Few & Far Between" counted on the fact that everyone likes to hear a good story. Its essence lies in the fact that any person can share incredible stories about adventures in taverns around the globe. And the brand of Jack Daniels was not used in all the stories. As in the case of Coca-Cola, this company is not focused on immediate success - but nevertheless, it took a place in the memory of customers.
The benefits of interactive marketing
The relatively low cost of interactive marketing means that it can be used by both large and small companies. Interactive marketing also provides greater flexibility, allowing the seller to constantly make adjustments to their activities. Thus, the main benefits of interactive marketing include:
Selective impact;
- Identification of users;
- Activation of consumers;
- Using the effects of viral marketing;
- Reducing the cost of distributing advertising information.
Types of Interactive Marketing
Types of interactive marketing depend on the devices, technologies, and tools used.
The most important is the Internet and devices that provide access to it (computers, tablet PC’s, smartphones, etc.) as a means of obtaining information, communication and self-realization tools.
Local networks. Internal computer networks of companies or urban areas, in fact, are self-sufficient information systems where users can communicate, play, exchange necessary information.
The next digital channel is mobile devices. Earlier brands delivered messages via SMS messages, now the installation of branded applications is popular.
Digital TV every year more and more confidently replaces the analog and gradually integrates with Internet applications. Already now it is possible using a TV set to go to a Facebook page, watch a video or find out the latest news.
Interactive screens, POS terminals. This is the kind of digital media that gradually replaces the standard outdoor advertising, because it allows companies to interact much more closely with the consumer and hook him with a message or, like POS terminals, help in making purchases.
Touchscreens, readers, and other devices. Special applications for them allow the user to get new knowledge, play, watch movies, go online and much more. For many people, a favorite tablet PC is part of a life from which information is consumed around the clock.
Digital gadgets are devices that can collect information and transfer it to other media. For example, smart watches, glasses, fitness bracelets and others.
Digital art is any kind of art where a computer is used to create or reproduce artwork. It can be a picture, sound, animation, video, game, website, algorithm, performance or installation. Many traditional forms of art integrate digital technologies, and as a result, the boundaries between traditional works of art and digital media become blurred.
Challenges of Interactive Marketing
The interactive marketing requires detailed study and constant monitoring since this form of marketing communications can have a significant negative impact on the image of the retailer. A website, for example, is an active, not a passive tool for interactive marketing, and a bad experience of using it leads to the spread of negative opinions about the brand, and it is also passed on to friends and acquaintances. If the consumer is satisfied with the goods of the company, then he can tell five friends about it. At the same time, an angry buyer will criticize a product for a much larger number of people.
In addition, interactive marketing has certain drawbacks:
- the limited access of some buyers to the Internet,
- the one-sidedness of demographic and psychological information about buyers, chaotic and information congestion of the network,
- the probability of penetration of thieves (hackers) Into a computer network in order to obtain secret information about the numbers of credit cards and bank accounts of customers,
- the risk of human rights violations in the process of creating data banks about buyers.
But all these are shortcomings of growth. In the future, many of these problems will be solved with the help of certain legislative acts and reliable means of protecting the network.