Content area
Full Text
Introduction
Marketing managers in the new millennium face a wide and diverse choice of media channels through which to send marketing communications to customers. These include most recently and significantly the internet channel's banner ads, e-mail and blogs, and also mobile phone communications, such as text-messaging (SMS) and cell phone TV. The internet and e-mail have become an everyday part of the workplace and home lives of millions of people around the globe. Text messaging via cell phones is also increasing ([2] Barwise and Strong, 2002). In North America, where 80 percent of people aged 18 and over own cell phones and about 70 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 17 have one, 34 percent of the older group and 54 percent of teenagers sent a text message to another phone in the past month ([18] Johnson, 2006).
With the rapid and widespread uptake of new electronic media channels, traditional communications channels like television, mail, telemarketing, and door-to-door sales calls are expected to decline, at least to some extent. Evidence of this is already apparent for network television in the USA, where average ratings are declining and television is experiencing a reduced share of advertising revenue ([26] La Monica, 2006). Postal mail is most directly under threat from e-mail, the fastest expanding new channel. Telemarketing, too, is facing severe competition as a marketing communication channel. In the western world there are fewer telephone marketing calls now that many US households have opted out by listing themselves on the "Do not call" register. Door-to-door personal selling has also been in decline in the western world for consumers, although face-to-face selling remains important for business customers. Therefore, a "state of flux" is an apt description of the overall scene for marketing communication channels.
How do marketing managers choose from the many traditional and new channel options for marketing communications messages? Which ways of receiving these messages do customers prefer? And, bottom line, which channels, or media, is most effective in eliciting a response? We lack answers to these important questions, which are becoming more pressing as the media channel scene changes. In particular, will the scenario eventuate that e-mail will become the dominant marketing communication channel? What about cellular phone communications? Hence, it is timely to examine...