Title: Transitions in marketing communications from traditional architectures to social network patterns

Authors: Kumarashvari Subramaniam; T.R. Gopalakrishnan Nair

Addresses: Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Persiaran Multimedia, 63100, Cbyerjaya, Selangor, Malaysia ' Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al Khobar, 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract: The traditional marketing communication paradigms which fuelled business prospects of the 20th century are undergoing a silent transition incorporating social network systems. The emerging aspect of social network has motivated this research. It has become evident that more individuals and enterprises are engaging in the social networking sites to get connected to their target audience. The paper also analyses the benefits and attractive features of the social networking sites. The empirical analysis carried out to study the social networking sites involved qualitative and quantitative analysis of the user involvement, the penetration rate, purchasing behaviour of users and their virtual shopping experience. The whole research indicates the existence of a virtual shopping experience gained by the consumer population and the influence of interactive marketing happened through social networking sites.

Keywords: marketing communications; social networking sites; SNS; customer purchase decisions; trust level; user involvement; penetration rate; purchasing behaviour; virtual shopping experience; online shopping; internet shopping.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2013.058585

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2013 Vol.8 No.2, pp.69 - 85

Published online: 12 Jul 2014 *

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