The Emergence Of Social Networks On The Web As New Marketing Tools

The rise in popularity of social networks on the Web has jostled traditional marketing models established for more than a century in Quebec and elsewhere in the world. The question of who controls the message is at the centre of concerns expressed by many experts in marketing. How to communicate effectively in a world where individuals are now actors involved in the exchange of information and views on goods and services offered by the firms? Users can now influence the adoption of consumer behaviour, whilst helping to build or destroy the efforts of commercializing products by marketing professionals. This research has a double aim:first, to discover the extent of the adoption of social networks as tools of communication, secondly, to anticipate the trends in interactive communications marketing on the Web in Quebec. To do this, I conducted a comprehensive review of recent literature on the subject. In addition, I conducted semi-structured interviews with four specialists of new media in Quebec. The questionnaire focused on questions based on social uses of social networking sites, what the interviewees thought of participative culture, social networks and marketing and Hybridization. Finally, in this research a conclusion can be drawn that the social Web implies a radical change in the culture of business leadership and mainstream media. Traditional marketing based on the business model advocating the frequency and scope of advertising in traditional media is in decline and will be gradually replaced by strategies of communications marketing facilitating participation and collaboration. Furthermore, Marketing strategies, developed during the industrial era (such as push strategy where vendor encourages the consumer to buy the product) must be reviewed and adapted to a new social reality where the recommendations of users supersede the corporate rationale.