The rise and benefits of modern marketing

Usage of technology and the internet is constantly on the rise as the number of internet users peak at 4. 021 billion (“ Global Digital Report 2018”). Digitization is another factor to globalization, making it the most influential (Manyika et al. 4). In view of Wee Wen Liew and Michelle Loh’s article, ‘ E-marketing, communications and the international tourist’, it is mentioned that technology supplies widespread benefits, both tangible and intangible, for the modern-day users. The article targets at people who are aware and acknowledges the benefits technology provides. In modern marketing, the role of technology is beneficial (Jain and Yadav 49). The efficiency of traditional marketing is further enhanced by technological readiness. Following that, references below will highlight the impact of technology, e-marketing and how it has evolved from conventional marketing. E-Marketing VS MarketingAs a global medium, the internet is one of the most revolutionary marketing tools. E-marketing is proven to be the most cost-efficient and strategic. With the surge in appliances and enhanced internet strategy incorporation, “ E-marketing can reach a broader audience base more effectively at a lower cost. ” (Wee and Loh 39). Kotler argues that even the smallest art museum or gallery can maintain websites as they are readily-made affordable (326).

There are 3. 3 billion social media users and over 4. 1 billion active internet users (“ Digital Population Worldwide – Statista”). Facebook being the biggest social media platform with the most daily users (“ Global Digital Report 2018”). Facebook pages create value for business-to-customer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) marketers to promote their product or organization (Dunay & Krueger 9). With proper analysis, it is worth considering marketing products and promoting business via Facebook. One example of an organization promoting their expertise on Facebook is the Singapore Art Museum (SAM), a contemporary art museum, whereby information on events is promoted to interested users as they see a need to visit these events. 66 per cent of companies report the capability to reach the right audiences as the primary value of digital advertising campaigns more effectively (“ Forbes Insights Report”). Two audience group who uses technology for an enhanced museum experience are youths who are avid users of technology and the internet along with international tourists (Wee and Loh 39). Growing trends see the need to market using the right platforms to attract the target audience. The Impact of TechnologyIn the arts and cultural sector, Singapore’s economy is flourishing.

A vast change in vibrancy is seen in Singapore’s arts and cultural sector (“ Arts Development Plan”). The arts and cultural activities is estimated at about $470 million in 2000 as compared to $43 million in 1986 (“ Arts Development Plan”). The growth in the economy in the arts and cultural sector might suggest the increase in visitorship. Where a demand for the arts is present, so will the mediums that serves as an access to it. In the United Kingdom, cultural tourism and tourism marketing is seen as an economic generator (Runyard and French 93). The source of income museums provides therefore play a part in tourism. With modern-day technology, visitors’ experience is enhanced. Strauss et al. agrees that, “ Technology advancements have resulted in enhanced visitor control over Internet communications. ” (317). By inculcating the use of technology, museums are able to further improve on its marketing strategies. Experimenting with different methods help improve the visitor experience at home and on-site. This includes using cards tagged with RFID chips to instantly create a personal website based on the visitors’ interests to providing visitors with handheld devices such as PDAs to access information about a work of art (Witschey, et al. 10). The evolution of digital technology and the internet provides efficient access. Richani affirms that e-marketing will offer opportunities to overcome funding difficulties and improving the satisfaction for real and virtual visitors (4). Information technology has expanded conventional marketing which might therefore affect the number of museum visitorship in the arts and cultural sector. E-marketing tools used in Access, Outreach, Education and Research. MailChimp is the world’s largest marketing automation platform which sends billions of electronic direct mails (EDMs). EDMs about the arts comes third in the survey with a 26. 03 per cent open rate (“ E-mail Marketing Benchmarks – MailChimp”).

Open rates show the percentage of audience who opens the EDMs. High open rates mean the subject and content resonates with the audience. As for access, Salehi et all agrees that the international tourist is able to retrieve information on the website with ease (382). Before visiting the museum, the attendee will know the operating hours, hotlines of who to contact, what events and programmes are ongoing, what has ended and what to expect. In any cultural organization, websites and e-mail marketing are key components in the global marketplace (Wee and Loh 39). The museum’s website is the best used form for galleries and museums. (Wee and Loh 39) For outreach and visitorship, accessing the information online broadens the visitorship profile. The local and international visitor will have convenient access to the information. In any museum, audience development has always been a significant aim (Waltl 3). Therefore, museums will be able to curate according to the audience’s needs. Like the current use of PDAs in museums, users have better control on their experience based on interest thus, access is available for all. Instead of searching for information online, content will find the user through interests and activities and it will be sent to the user’s favoured channel. Tony Bingham, President of the Association of Talent Development highlights that, “ The Semantic Web provides tremendous potential for learning. ” (Bingham 4). Therefore, the content will shape around the user’s interest. Desmarteau notes that websites are not just information but learning mediums too. Exhibitions are more socially aware, museums are more diversified, the advances in conservation technology changes display techniques (Herreman). Information on conservations methods, art forms and curatorial expertise add value to education and research.

The museum must constantly provide knowledge to users as they have the, “ Role as hosts who invite visitors inside to wonder, encounter and learn. ’ (Schauble et al. 3). The online content the museum has will serve as a form of ‘ education and research’ for users. Growing Trends on E-marketing Usage On SAM’s website, prospective donors or sponsors can decide how to support the museum through sponsorship, donation or loan (Wee and Loh 36). To provide the ideal experience for interested users, websites for volunteerism and museum support should be on the same online platform (“ The Report of the Arts and Culture Strategic Review”). Volunteerism is another form of museum support (Wee and Loh 37). Under the Arts Volunteers Programme on National Arts Council’s (NAC) website, prospective volunteers play a part in Singapore’s cultural development by volunteering. Information on volunteering is easily accessible on the website. Volunteer involvement has the potential to enhance museums. It encourages cohesion between the museum and community and provides opportunities to foster new projects (“ Report in Office of the Arts and Libraries 176”).

The Arts and Culture Strategic Review (ACSR) advocates nurturing the next generation of arts and culture participants by supporting and facilitating programmes to best meet the interests of youths (“ The Report of the Arts and Culture Strategic Review”). It enables volunteers to register for projects that best suit their needs. To further support the arts, NAC provides a variety of schemes and grants. The ‘ Arts Fund’ NAC provides continues to assist artists and arts organizations that produce good quality performances and exhibitions for locals. NAC supplies the assistance required by the arts community as, “ 80 per cent of arts and heritage funding in Singapore, or $595. 7 million, was provided by the government through state agencies such as the NAC. ” (Ho). Information provided on websites marks a beneficial e-marketing tool as editorials made by international news agencies are then picked up by other websites such as the, ‘ a-list. sg’ hence attracting a larger pool of interested audience. Disadvantages of Keeping UpE-marketing should work hand-in-hand with traditional marketing. To support that, digital marketing should not supersede but rather complement and be cohesively fused with other marketing strategies (Kotler and Keller 21). Having to keep up with the growing trend is a disadvantage. In the following research, studies show different marketing strategies attract different audiences. To attract the target audience, the right marketing platform should be considered. The market segmentation is stated as one of the vital elements of modern marketing. Marketers will have a better understanding of their target audience hence marketing will be much more effective (Gunter and Furnham 1). One has to consider what attracts the audience without overflooding with too much information or marketing at the wrong platform.

Websites have to be maintained updated consistently. It must also, “ Embody or express their purpose, history, products and vision (Keller 147). A website must not only be attractive upon first viewing but be interesting enough to promote repeated visits. The international tourist’s website experience solely relies on the information, design and the navigation properties. While the international tourists have greater control over their museum experience, exercising caution is key as not everything they read may be authentic. Thus, over-reliance and miscommunication may arise. SummaryThe benefits of technology have shaped how e-marketing works today. As commented by the late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, “ We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain. ” By staying inter-connected, Herreman agrees that, “ Museums also began to change in response to new social trends and technical developments. ” The museum can benefit from combining both traditional and modern strategies. Since the implementation of such marketing strategies, museums have seen significant increase in the number of physical and virtual attendees (Wee and Loh 40).

Digital marketing is more versatile than conventional marketing thus making the firm more adaptable to its customers by “ increasing its ability to compete. ” (Ramsay 257). Ramsay insists that social media platforms can be fine-tuned to target audience thus facilitating the necessary follow-ups (259). To get the desirable outcome, one has to fuse both traditional marketing strategies e-marketing whereby it complements and further enhances the efficiency of marketing.