Mass Marketing Versus Personalized Marketing
Its important that the writer address all the points listed below and pay close attention to details when
responding to the questions. He need to read and understand the instructions listed hear below and use
the listed articles to complete the paper as require.
Marketing in the 21st Century
Once again, you will utilize articles listed in the Resources section to explore the different topics for your
Research Paper. Below, you will find a series of questions pertaining to each article. You do not have to
answer the questions directly, but they are included to guide you in discovering the type of information
that you need to complete the research paper.
With the widespread adoption of the Internet, consumers have found it easy and convenient to obtain
information and to share their concerns, ask questions, and obtain answers from third party sources. An
example of this is the consumer forums at edmunds.com, established for individuals interested in
purchasing a car. Also, online forums and blogs that incorporate customer feedback have developed,
leading to increased information for the consumer.
For this section, read “The Continuing Power of Mass Advertising” and “Word of Mouth on the Web: The
Impact of Web 2.0 on Consumer Purchase Decisions.” After reading each article, consider the following
questions:
� Is mass advertising dead in the era of personalized marketing?
� What should companies do to manage this proliferating word of mouth information generated on the
Web and incorporate it in their strategies?
� Is the balance of power shifting from companies to the customer?
� What are the commercial implications for companies’ promotional decisions?
MASS VS PERSONALIZED MARKETING 2
Mass Marketing Versus Personalized Marketing
The articles “The Continuing Power Of Mass Advertising” by Paul Nunes and Jeffrey
Merrihue (2007) and “Word Of Mouth” by Cater Reigner (2007) provide a comparative analysis
of personal and mass marketing through online and traditional channels. Although the researches
of the authors were independent, their focus gives a sufficient outlook of the current literature,
which evaluates the effectiveness of traditional and new marketing strategies that currently
dominate the markets.
One of the common questions asked in the consumer environment is the trend of mass
advertising. Is mass advertising dead in the era of personalized marketing? The reports of both
authors tend to move to one line of thought when assessing the prevalence of mass marketing
and the personalized one. Both authors acknowledge the movement and the prevalence of
personalized marketing. The use of technology has facilitated the use of personalized market to a
high degree in a very short period. Havlena, Cardarelli and Montigny (2007) note that the use of
social media, emails, and phone have allowed individuals to interact with consumers one-on-one.
A study carried by Nunes and Merrihue (2007) reveals that the Y generations are the most buyers
in the market and are the ones that are “digital” minded. It means that the focus of marketing
shifts to them. Keller (2007) posits that the Y generation argues that use of web-based marketing
is easy and fast as you can talk to the sellers unlike mass advertisement on TVs and newspapers.
On the other hand, Nunes and Merrihuel argue that it is still early for mass marketing to
die. The authors say that it will take considerable number of years for mass marketing to
disappear. In their research, they revealed that the new avenues have not interrupted the
traditional methods for getting the advertisements. The study revealed that common avenues of
MASS VS PERSONALIZED MARKETING 3
advertisement are still 97%; this includes television, radio, print, and billboards. Hence, the fact
that those traditional venues still dominate the market assures the continuity of mass marketing.
Additionally, Nunes and Merrihuel argue that a small percentage of markers are ready to
purchase tools for web-based marketing, which seems to be expensive and is among the
strategies that companies can use to shift from traditional to personalized marketing. They have
to create webpage for the products, programmed machines that responds to individual
requirements, and addition of staff to respond to each individual. Moore and Pareek (2009) add
that most of the consumers are not acquainted with some of the technologies, hence, they have to
be taught through campaigns.
Both authors agreed that web-based marketing has got high prevalence as a marketing
strategy. The major reason for the high prevalence is the interpersonal communication between
the consumers and the marketers. One-on-one communication assures customers on the need and
benefit of the products (Keller, 2007). It gives the marketer an opportunity to use his/ her skills
to convince the buyers on the importance and the advantages of the products. Ryan and Jones
(2009) describe interpersonal communication as a tool that assures customers of the products.
According to Keller (2007), products will not sell unless the customers have the information
about them. Therefore, customers only decide after getting the information through promotion
that intensifies when there is interpersonal communication. As such, it is the customers that have
the powers to lift a company after getting the knowledge about its products.
MASS VS PERSONALIZED MARKETING 4
References
Havlena, W., Cardarelli, R., & Montigny, M. (2007). Quantifying the isolated and synergistic
effects of exposure frequency for TV, print and Internet advertising. Journal of
Advertising Research, 47(3), 215–221.
Keller, E. (2007). Unleashing the power of word of mouth: Creating brand advocacy to drive
growth. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 448–452.
Moore, K., & Pareek, N. (2009). Marketing : The Basics. London: Routledge
Nunes, P., & Merrihue, J. (2007). The continuing power of mass advertising. MIT Sloan
Management Review, 48(2), 63–71
Riegner, C. (2007). Word of mouth on the Web: The impact of Web 2.0 on consumer purchase
decisions. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 436–447.
Ryan, D., & Jones, C. (2009). Understanding Digital Marketing : Marketing Strategies for
Engaging the Digital Generation. London: Kogan Page
