Influencer Marketing – Meaning, Evolution, and Strategies

Influencer marketing is a concept of hiring a social celebrity or individuals with a wider fan following to promote products and services which helps in winning consumer trust, especially when compared with traditional online ads. Influencer marketing is defined as the process of building relationships with individuals who have influence over a target audience of buyers. Influencer marketing is less intrusive and more flexible than traditional online ads, it can be small and quiet, big and booming or somewhere in between as the strategy to focus on the segment of customers. As per a survey conducted by the Association of National Advertisers in 2017, it was found that three quarters of US advertisers employ influencer marketing, with the discipline expected to grow further in 2018. The growth of the disciple is attributed to social media use and a progressive propaganda to uproot ad blocking, be authentic, drive engagement and reach segments Continue reading

Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Strategy

Outsourcing constitutes one of the fundamental sourcing strategies that organizations can adopt. Outsourcing entails an approach whereby certain business processes are undertaken by an external entity. Thus, outsourcing is based on a contractual relationship. The concept of outsourcing has gained remarkable significance over the past few decades. Traditionally, outsourcing was limited to peripheral organizational tasks. This trend is changing as evidenced by the high rate at which outsourcing is being integrated into diverse organizational activities. Organizations perceive outsourcing as an essential strategy in their commitment to value addition. Some of the industries that have adopted the concept of outsourcing include aviation, manufacturing, and medical services. Firms in the oil and gas industry are also adopting the concept of outsourcing. Organizations’ motivation towards this strategy has been spurred by the need to attain competitiveness concerning high return on assets and better and quality service delivery. Secondly, the pressure to outsource has Continue reading

How Artificial Intelligence Has Influenced Marketing

Artificial Intelligence (AI) influences marketing mechanisms and procedures by providing insight into consumer behavior and preferences. AI is a system’s capacity to analyze data correctly, learn from the analysis, and use it to achieve specific goals. This technology uses machine-learning algorithms to customize content and products to satisfy target markets and influences consumer choices by offering suggestions based on social perceptions. This technological tool can help organizations maximize their competitive advantage and market dominance. Nevertheless, the involvement of AI comes along with doubt and disbelief due to different biases. Therefore, organizations must isolate and neutralize biases to realize the benefits of AI in inducing consumer preference. History of Artificial Intelligence Experts have exerted themselves constantly to improve technology throughout the years. The inception of AI occurred in the 1940s when Isaac Asimov, an American Science Fiction writer, developed three laws of robotics through his short story ‘Runaround’. The first law Continue reading

Green Marketing Strategies and Best Practices

Today there is a network of organizations or business entities manufacturing, or even marketing green products in an attempt to indicate safe environment concern. Green marketing involves the trading of products that are considered to be safe for the ecosystem or the environment. Activities incorporated in this process do not cause harm to the environment. Such activities may involve modification of advertisement, changes in packaging, production process, and product modification. However, the definition results in contradiction due to meanings intersections. Holistically, the nature of green indicates that in addition to retailers and suppliers, new stakeholders should be included. Such stakeholders include organizations such as NGOs, educators, community members, or regulators. Issues of the environment should equalize the principal requirements of the client. Green marketing has gained its popularity with time since there is an increasing trend in environmental appeals and the attractiveness of green products. In green marketing, consumers are Continue reading

Concepts of Ethical Consumerism and Consumer Activism

Concept of Ethical Consumerism Over the last ten or twenty years, more and more people around the world, primarily in industrialized countries, have become better informed and more aware of the origins of the goods they purchase on a day-to-day basis, the buying policies and practices of the shops they visit and the policies and principles of the services they buy. In a growing number of cases, this increased awareness and knowledge is affecting consumer practices and may be the difference between someone buying a particular product or service or not. There are a number of reasons for this development, which is commonly referred to as “ethical consumerism”, or also “ethical consumption”, “ethical purchasing”, “moral purchasing”, “ethical sourcing”, “ethical shopping” or “green consumerism”. Fundamentally, ethical consumerism is consumers taking responsibility for their decisions in purchasing goods and services. Two key elements that have contributed to this development and that are Continue reading

Importance of Sound in Branding

The impact that sound creates on anyone is profound. Sound being one of the major five senses plays a vital role in everyone’s day to day activities. In a country like India, which has an extensive oral culture where even a form of medication has been passed on to the next generation orally; sound is something that matters to every single soul in one way or the other. Sound is prevalent in almost all traditional forms in India ranging from festivals to discourses. In a vast country like India, each state has its own culture and each culture has its own representation of sound in its own unique ways. Right from the birth, where a special song is sung to represent the birth of a new child till the death, where in some states there are different instruments played during funeral. There are different sounds that represent different emotional states Continue reading