Blog Marketing Strategies For Mature and Emerging Markets: Saibal K. Pal and V. Kapur

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International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 1, No.

4, October 2010
ISSN: 2010-0248

Blog Marketing Strategies for Mature and


Emerging Markets
Saibal K. Pal and V. Kapur

Abstract—The recent popularity of blogs as fascinating management. Corporate blogs [10]-[12] present a more
interactive media for online communication has attracted a human face to the organization and its business and provide
large chunk of Internet users to publish their views and share an opportunity for interaction with stakeholders, employees
knowledge with each other on various topics of interest. Apart and consumers. Blogs have been successfully used in mature
from their social impact, the power of online conversation via
markets [13] and present new opportunities and challenges
blogging has also been witnessed in different domains of
corporate functioning. Improving market awareness, for their adoption and efficient use by companies operating in
reputation management, brand building, search engine emerging markets [14]. In addition to their capability of
optimization, CSR reporting and crisis management are some humanizing an organization or a product, blogs also help to
of the activities being increasingly addressed using corporate boost search engine rankings. Blog linkages to web pages
blogs along with other traditional modes of communication. In and other blogs help to attract customers [15], [16] and often
this paper, we first study and analyze the response of mature
lead to direct sales of the company products and services.
markets towards blogs and identify their benefits and
limitations for the purpose of marketing. Next, we find out how Corporate blogs offer an excellent platform for connecting
blogs are being exploited by corporate organizations in India. with customers and for developing and building relationship
Finally, we devise strategies for adoption of blogs by companies with them. Blogs also help to understand the customer in a
as useful marketing media in emerging economy markets. better way by knowing their preferences about the products
and services offered by the company. As blogs are normally
Index Terms—Blog marketing, blogging strategies, corporate updated more informally and frequently compared to
communication, interactive media.
websites and other available media, they are very suitable for
informing customers regarding launch of new products,
I. INTRODUCTION product modifications, latest offers, promotions, etc.
Corporate blogs offer flexibility for addressing and
A blog [1], [2] is a web-based publication written in an focusing on specific groups associated with the organization
informal tone with tags and links to other related blogs and e.g. employees, stakeholders, service providers or select
websites. Postings are frequently updated and listed in customers. They may also be used as a one-one
reverse chronological order [3] with the latest entry communication tool [17]-[19] by receiving valuable feedback
appearing first at the top. This one-to-many communication from an individual who responds to a blog topic with his
mode encourages readers to participate, give suggestions and suggestion and acknowledging him with a simple reply.
post back their opinion [4]. Today, blogs are frequently One-one interactions with a consumer using a blog makes
created and updated [5] and messages posted back by users him feel important and automatically builds a positive
on topics including entertainment, music, sports, politics, relationship, which in turn improves his loyalty for the
health & lifestyle, business and technology. There has been company. Similar interaction with an individual helps to
tremendous growth of blogs [6], [7] in the last few years with improve customer experience, attracts more buyers and helps
more and more people expressing themselves using this to keep them longer and more attached with the products and
online media. Blogging platforms like TypePad, Blogger, services offered by the company. Corporate blogs are also
WordPress, Movable Type, Tumblr, Xanga and Livejournal very useful for interacting with high value customers who
are quite popular and one may easily create a blog and start place more emphasis on the experience with the company or
publishing within a few minutes. In order to attract visitors product.
and initiate discussions, it is desirable that blog contents are Blogs present unique opportunities for advertisers [20] to
interesting and innovative and are based on honest and frank move their messages to the audience in a fast and focused
opinion of the blogger. Apart from social issues, the list of manner. With instant access to information about a product,
popular blogging topics also includes different aspects of service or company the smart consumer checks out prices and
corporate functioning [8], [9] like marketing, sales, compares features/ performance with products available from
reputation & brand management, PR, CRM, HRM and crisis competitors. Blog advertising is gaining in popularity but
requires a different mindset and level of creativity for
Manuscript received August 25, 2010. marketers and advertisers to address the new breed of
Dr. Saibal K. Pal is a Senior Research Scientist at SAG, DRDO, Metcalfe ‘up-to-date’ consumers. Instead of an assertive top-down
House, Delhi – 110 054 INDIA (phone: +91-11-23818798; e-mail: message delivery, it is now felt by many experts that
[email protected], [email protected]).
Prof. V. Kapur is the Advisor (Special Projects) to the Vice Chancellor, advertisements should be used as a tool for conversation with
Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi – 110068 customers. In today’s fragmented world, advertisers need to
INDIA (phone:+91-11-29534274; e-mail: [email protected], develop skills for communicating with focused groups rather
[email protected]).
than a large group as applicable in the case of advertising
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International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 1, No. 4, October 2010
ISSN: 2010-0248

using traditional media. Honest advertising with less of consumers/ online audience. There are many companies
selling gimmicks and more of value in the messages enables a where employee bloggers attract attention by posting fresh
faster and stronger connection with the blog and interesting information that in turn improves the image
audience/participants. In the blogosphere, it is more and reputation of the company [28], [29]. In some other cases,
important to deliver the promises by the marketer. This helps blogs have been useful for swift handling of crisis situations
to fetch positive response from consumers resulting in [16] and providing instant clarifications before substantial
improved sales and automatic brand building. On the other damage is done. There have been instances where reputation
side, lack of transparency and honesty may irritate the of companies was maligned due to unavailability of online
blogging community resulting in instant tarnishing of the media for clarification and quick response.
brand as has been witnessed for many cases in the past [13].
V. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH CORPRATE BLOGS
Despite several promises, a number of problems are also
II. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY encountered by companies using blogs. A blog consumes
The paper aims to examine the following (a) To study the skills, knowledge & precious time of CEO or senior
significance of blogs as new media for marketing marketing executives, which may be difficult to spare on
communication (b) To understand the current scenario regular basis. In case blogging is outsourced, the posts may
regarding use of blogs for marketing in mature as well as in not be able to reflect the true message or spirit of the
emerging economy markets and (c) To devise blog marketing company. In many situations companies join the bandwagon
strategies for their effective use in emerging economies. but their culture may not support two-way open
communications leading to a failed exercise. Moreover, the
value of speed & time in the blogosphere may not be
III. HYPOTHESIS appreciated by many companies with old mindset, as action is
Blogs, in conjunction with other modes of corporate required within hours and minutes instead of weeks and days.
communication, could be efficiently used for brand building By nature, blogs are fresh and dynamic and have a
and carrying out other marketing campaigns in emerging negative impact if taken half-heartedly by the company
economies. (either when topics are not interesting or postings are not
updated regularly). Also, audience shies away if blog is
presented in a professional marketing tone. Often, blogs may
IV. SIGNIFICANCE OF BLOGS IN MARKETING be subjected to criticism and unknown audience may try to
COMMUNICATION shatter the corporate brand. Similarly, a disgruntled
employee may not respect blogging policies & publish
There are many reasons that justify inclusion of blogs in
confidential information causing intangible losses.
the marketing communication [21], [22] toolkit. Unlike
In many countries, a substantial percentage of customers
traditional media, blogs are always operational even beyond
may prefer to interact with the company using more
business hours. One can access a blog or post a message at
traditional modes of communication like telephones or
any convenient time. The set of postings are instantly
face-to-face discussions. A substantial population in different
available in reverse chronological order at one place and
parts of the world does not have easy access or is not
linkages to related resources are also provided that gives a
accustomed to handling online media. Funding of costs
more holistic view of the topic. Moreover, blogs provide a
associated with blogs is normally done by PR or marketing
channel for reaching a large number of geographically
departments. The company expects regular hard returns,
distributed audiences, which in turn increases awareness and
which may not be always possible. On the other hand there
boost sales. Also, blogs are cost-effective, easier to
could be a number of soft returns due to blogs that many
implement than most of the other modes of communication
senior executives fail to understand and notice.
and preferred due to their simplicity and informal nature.
Blogs help to humanize the organization, gain competitive
advantage and open up business opportunities [23], [24].
VI. BENEFITS OF THE STUDY
Well known examples are Microsoft, Sun Microsystems,
Nokia and a number of professional service providers. They Blogs are relatively new mode of communication in the
help to engage and create closer relationship with the corporate world. They present a basket of opportunities to be
customers, employees & other stakeholders [25], [26]. They exploited by companies for improving their brand value and
also help to get back useful feedback and gain knowledge gaining an edge over their competitors. Blogs in conjunction
from customers. Companies get a chance to view reviews with other traditional and online media could be effectively
about their own products as well as those from their used for addressing different corporate functionalities.
competitors thereby getting a chance to improve based on the However, blogging has its hidden risks too. Many
feedback [27] from opinion leaders, critics and customers. organizations are still not clear about the benefits and returns
Use of blogs facilitate search engine optimization [11] & that blogs could bring to their businesses. This study is
improve traffic to company websites which are normally conducted for addressing the following issues (a) To
packed with information. Blogs help in brand building for the establish the current status of blogs as new media in
company by employee bloggers & co-branding by marketing communication (b) To identify the actual benefits

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and inherent risks of blogging for marketing activities (c) To company as well as their customers. Some of the large
find out which sectors are benefited more by participation in companies have many blogs addressing different issues [7],
the blogosphere and (d) To develop blogging strategies for [33]. Indian companies [34] like Accenture (India), Cleartrip,
improving marketing efficiency in emerging economies like Frito-Lay, Gridstone, HCL, Hindustan Unilever, IBM (India),
India. Microsoft (India), Mahindra & Mahindra, Milagrow, Naukri,
Infosys, Rediff, TCS, Tata Interactive Systems, Wipro etc.
are using blogs for addressing different corporate
VII. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY functionalities. A few Indian companies have taken up
Secondary information has been collected from various blogging quite seriously and senior executives regularly post
sources including company websites, articles & journal new and relevant information. However, some of these
papers, news items and blog discussions. Websites and blogs companies (global as well) do not blog regularly with
specific to blogging [30], [31] were consulted for additional relevant topics/contents and hence are unable to create the
information. Independent and corporate bloggers were desired impact. It has also been found that blogs engaging
contacted by phone/mail/e-mail and a set of 10 open-ended customers or stakeholders in the true sense are not common.
questions was posed to them for obtaining information on Out of the selected large and mid-cap Indian companies
recent trends and other corporate blogging developments. only a few use blogs for marketing and promotion. Others use
Similarly, a set of 12 open-ended questions was designed for these for projecting their image & culture, knowledge sharing,
Chief Blogging Officers/ designated company bloggers. This social interaction, attracting potential employees etc. It is
helped to acquire a rich description of the information needed obvious that in a country like India blogs as marketing media
for our study. Survey participation was invited from 55 would be effective only for a fraction of the billion customers
companies from different parts of the world including Europe, in the next few years (though this fraction of customers is
US and Asia. The list included most of the Indian companies quite large and has high buying potential). However, with the
that have blogs and also a few others that deal with traditional increase in the number of Internet cafes in rural India as well
businesses and do not have blogs. 58 influential / as substantial online participation in urban cities, companies
independent bloggers from different countries (including 18 would be able to influence a larger audience using blogs.
from India) were contacted for their opinion regarding the Present findings are reported below.
present status of corporate blogging. A. Corporate Outlook
A close-ended questionnaire with 16 queries (given in the
The facts and observations below are based on interviews
Appendix) related to general corporate blogging practices,
conducted with corporate bloggers (who blog officially on
blog marketing and consumer expectation from blogs was
behalf of the company) and independent bloggers (who blog
also prepared. A Likert scale with five response options
on different corporate issues).
‘strongly disagree’, ‘tend to disagree’, ‘neither disagree nor
1) Current State of Corporate Blogging
agree’, ‘tend to agree’ and ‘strongly agree’ was used and
Corporate blogging is growing globally as a two-way
response values were coded as 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively.
low-cost interactive mode of online communication for
More than 100 respondents in the age group 18 – 50 were
companies to reach their intended audience [18] instantly and
directly contacted who either blog regularly or have a fairly
easily. Compared to the west, corporate blogging in the Asia
good idea about corporate blogging. Out of the total number
and Pacific region is not catching up as expected. Many
of respondents, 80 were selected after scanning their
companies are cautious about blogs and social media and are
responses. A few respondents had either not filled up many
reluctant to adopt these for corporate communication. Some
entries or chose to tick the neutral response i.e. “neither
of them are trying to adopt these blindly with their old
disagree nor agree” for most of the statements in the
mindsets without even deciding what they want to achieve
questionnaire. This showed their lack of confidence in the
using blogs. It seems that the benefits of blogging have been
subject or their unwillingness to respond on specific issues
over hyped and companies have started expecting too much
and hence was not considered in our analysis. Detailed
from these new online media even before their maturity. On
analysis based on the information collected from respondents
the other hand, many organizations are successfully using
has been carried out and empirical findings are presented in
blogs for addressing different corporate functions.
the succeeding sections.
2) Corporate Functionalities Addressed
Companies have exploited blogs mainly for internal
communication and thought leadership. Blogs have been
VIII. OBSERVATIONS & ANALYSIS
used more as a top-down tool for message propagation by the
A large number of corporate and independent blogs were CEO or senior managers. More recently, blogs are being used
studied for understanding different aspects regarding their for addressing end consumers, potential employees and
usage by the business community. It is observed that different stakeholders as well. Community building, PR, HR, branding,
companies are using blogs in their own unique way for marketing, customer service and reputation management are
carrying out internal communication, external some of the corporate functionalities being presently
communication or both. About 22% of the Fortune 500 addressed using blogs.
companies [6] are presently using business blogs [32]. 3) Blogs for Two-way Communication
Google, Microsoft, SAP, Cisco Systems, Boeing, Dell, HP, Only a few organizations have felt the need for two-way
General Motors are using blogs for the benefit of the communication using blogs. Most of the companies are not
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used to initiating a dialogue or discussion with stakeholders on blogs and lack of a reliable system for their evaluation on
or customers. Others are not willing to take the risk and fear blogs. Blog advertising in India is in its infancy. A number of
loss of control over communication, which may in turn affect bloggers have reported being offered advertising by
their reputation. Blog discussions have sometimes invited companies on their blogs. More action is expected as the
lawsuits and landed companies in legal trouble. However, number of bloggers and blog participant increase in this
those who have engaged their customers, employees or region.
stakeholders have also benefited from these interactions. 9) Future Usage of Blogs
4) Impact on Specific Sectors Blogs are fairly stable in mature and established markets
Most of the bloggers believe that every sector could and are used to address all the above-mentioned corporate
benefit by use of blogs. This fact is also reflected by the functionalities. Blogs would further be able to increase their
consumer response statistics compiled and placed in the impact with better penetration. They would help enterprises
Appendix. In general, blog communities have helped to to understand the need of customers and keep active
improve products and other professional services. Bloggers relationship with them. It is expected that they would play a
desire that Governments should also take up community prominent role in the integrated communication and
feedback to improve their services. Healthcare and education marketing mix.
are other sectors that could really benefit by using blogs and The penetration of broadband Internet in emerging
other social media. economies is much slower than expected. On the other hand
Consumers today refer multiple sources before purchasing. mobile communication is growing at a much faster rate. As a
Brand and product reviews are frequently available and result, popularity and growth of blogs in general and
updated by individual bloggers. It is also convenient to fetch specifically for business communication has been slower
useful information from blog posts and compare these with than projected before. However, usage of corporate blogging
the information provided by the company. Blogs could be and other social media is increasing with increase in customer
really useful for marketing of high involvement category participation. Organizations may primarily focus on building
products/services like electronic gadgets, luxury items, trusted relationships with new customers, partners and
automobiles, real estate, tours & travels etc. stakeholders and then move on to other specialized functions.
5) Impact on Specific Demographics 10) Suggestions regarding Blog Marketing
Many companies and expert bloggers believe that blogs Before starting a corporate blog, companies should be
and social networks are more suitable for the youth as a large clear about their goals and objectives that they want to
chunk of audience on the Internet comprises of the youth achieve by using this media. They should then plan strategies
community (in the age group 18 – 35 years). As youth seek for integrating blogs along with other online and traditional
transparency and authenticity, blogs are more suitable for modes of communication to reap the expected results. They
communicating with them. However, other demographics should try to be transparent and honest to the extent possible
including the senior market should not be discounted as more otherwise the purpose of blogging would be defeated. The
and more seniors are becoming active on the Internet. enhanced power of blogging comes from the freedom to
6) Blogs for Traditional Businesses participate in a two-way communication. Companies should
Bloggers feel that any business could benefit from also trust their employees and give them the liberty to speak
corporate blogging. Whatever be the business, use of blogs and voice their opinion on blogs. As a precaution it makes
could help in their internal communication, knowledge sense to monitor employee online behaviour at workplace.
sharing and branding initiatives. For two-way They may lay down blogging policies and give guidelines to
communication, it requires change of mindset of the their employees. It is important for companies to realize that
management by allowing others to participate in different lack of online presence may risk them of losing reputation
aspects of their business. The impact of blogging on a and market share and gradually push them out of place.
particular business also depends upon the target audience and Companies should also control their expectation regarding
the available technological infrastructure. Traditional the returns from corporate blogging. It should be clear that
business should adopt technology to stay competitive and inclusion of blogs and other social media in the corporate
address the changing needs of the modern tech savvy communication toolkit demands a different mindset and also
customer. a different way of conducting business. Corporate should
7) Blogs for Customer Feedback/ Product Customization frequently use blogs for messaging and community outreach.
Many companies (though not a large fraction) around the Most of the experts suggest that a blog should not be used as
world have started taking customer feedback seriously. A a pure marketing tool as it would drive customers away.
number of cases have been quoted in which companies are In India, companies should start encouraging two-way
using or have used blogs to customize / improve their communication and take customer feedback more seriously.
products for different markets. In India, a few products and Many companies in the mature markets have improved their
services have been successfully customized / modified based brand image, built their reputation online, increased their
on customer feedback. marketing ROI and used blogs for crisis management. Now
8) Blog Advertising it’s the turn of emerging markets to take the maximum
Blog advertising is fairly successful in developed markets advantage from blogs.
but still immature in most of the emerging markets. The main
B. Consumer Outlook
confusion is regarding the practical value of advertisements
Percentage response values corresponding to each
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statement were calculated for the selected respondents and Marketing contents communicated by traditional channels
are given in the Appendix along with the questionnaire. are being added to corporate blogs for more effective online
Other statistical parameters like the minimum and maximum coverage.
response value, average response score and standard It can be seen that larger companies are using blogs for
deviation were also computed from the data. The second, thought leadership, reputation and brand building, CSR
fourth and sixteenth statements posed in the questionnaire reporting, knowledge sharing and social interaction. Mid and
fetched the most consistent responses (lowest standard small sized companies are exploiting blogs more for sales
deviations of 0.62, 0.63 and 0.57 respectively). This shows promotions, PR, CRM and improving market awareness.
the confidence of respondents in blogs as a corporate Blogs are helping companies improve their brand image.
communication tool. People feel that blogs present a more Engaging online citizens have helped companies to improve
human face to the organization and help to increase their reputation. Product reviews on blogs help consumers to
awareness about a product/service and boost its sales. With take better purchase decisions. Previous postings & archives
the increasing number of Internet savvy citizens, blogging is along with honest audience feedback are all available
likely to be a useful tool in the hands of corporate India. together in a blog. Product information available on blogs is
Respondents also felt that blogs may be used to project a treated as more credible, authentic and uncensored compared
positive image about the company and also for brand to information posted by companies on their websites or in
building. A higher percentage of them believed that other traditional media. In addition, consumers are providing
traditional businesses could also benefit by including critical & useful feedback that is helping companies to
blogging into their corporate communication toolkit. constantly improve existing products/services. Innovative
Majority of them agreed that blogs are useful for attracting ideas from consumers are encouraging companies to come up
potential employees and may be used to encourage social with new products. However, a major percentage of
interactions and generate harmony among employees. companies are still not blogging and are also unable to judge
Employees should also be empowered to blog officially and the investment returns of blogging.
it’s their own responsibility to follow the company policies 12) Reaction of Corporate India on Blogging
and guidelines and understand the legal implications. Most of Technology inclined companies including IT, telecom,
the respondents strongly agreed (average response score = consumer electronics, media & entertainment, FMCG,
4.36) that multinationals and global brands could benefit by professional services etc. have been early adopters of
taking feedback from the audience using blogs and blogging and use it to address various corporate
accordingly modify their products for the local markets. functionalities. Leaving exceptions, traditional companies
50
have shown little interest in blogging. A few companies have
successfully used blogs to project themselves as domain
40 leaders, improve their reputation and brand image and build
positive relationship with customers. Most companies try to
30 influence their audience by advertising in traditional media or
using face-to-face PR strategy. They do not yet consider
20 blogs as significant media for corporate communication.
A large number of companies are not conversant with the
10 implications of using this new media. ROI of blogging is a
concern for the Indian corporate as well. Companies fear
0
1 2 3 4 5
losing control over communication by inviting people to post
their opinion about corporate matters. Most of the blogs are
Strongly Tend to Neither Disagree Tend to Strongly
Disagree Disagree Nor Agree Agree Agree
used for message broadcasting by the CEO or senior
executives and are not used for community interaction or
Figure 1. Response statistics for the statement “Blogs are useful media for
companies to interact with their customers”
engagement. Some companies are blogging but in a
There was high inconsistency in the response given against half-hearted tone. Postings are inconsistent, irregular,
items 6 and 15. There was no uniform opinion regarding the commercialized and mostly authored by a single person. This
fact that blogging can be risky for companies as unknown is turning away audiences and the entire purpose is being
audience may write negative comments. Respondents were defeated.
also not sure how blogs could be practically useful for 13) Significance of Blogging for Companies Operating in
handing crisis situations. Emerging Economies
Frequent message postings and interactions are required
C. Final Comments by companies to handle the dynamics of emerging markets.
11) Impact of Corporate Blogging on Mature Markets Many events & activities occur simultaneously affecting the
Marketers around the world have understood that communication & performance of companies. Moreover, the
influencing customers solely using mass media is not size of the currently emerging markets offer opportunities for
possible today. Customized, personal and interactive using blogs to address a large audience & take their feedback.
communication is the need of the day and blogs along with This process helps to gather relevant information regarding
linked corporate websites are quite suitable for this purpose. customer behavior and carry out marketing research. Blogs
Blogs are being used to address a broader market as well as help companies to gather information about new trends so
finer segmented communities having specific requirements.
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that they may take appropriate actions prior to their returns of blogging as an isolated media and also in the
competitors. integrated communication environment would be conducted
Blogging has the potential for addressing customers at as an extension of this research. We feel that it’s a matter of
different levels of the pyramid. For the bottom of the pyramid, time when blogs would deliver significant value to
customized blogs/mobile blogs using regional or primary organizations using them for marketing campaigns and brand
languages may be a good option. Blogging is an excellent building.
media for addressing the youth community that is greatly
influenced by global brands. MNCs or foreign companies ACKNOWLEDGMENT
wishing to enter and exploit the potential of emerging The authors would like to thank the Chief Blogging
markets may use blogs and websites along with traditional Officers / Company Bloggers of different organizations who
modes for positioning and customizing their brands in the participated in the questionnaire sessions. We are also
local markets. thankful to all the influential and independent bloggers who
gave valuable insight regarding the current developments in
corporate blogging in their respective countries. Thanks to
IX. CONCLUSIONS
the respondents who gave their feedback about different
Blogging, an unconventional approach for two-way online aspects of corporate blogging and their opinion and
communication and customer participation, is gradually expectations as consumers. We also acknowledge the
finding its way into the corporate arena. Many organizations anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions
have quickly included blogs in their corporate regarding improvement of the paper and their encouragement
communication toolbox and are successfully using it as a to work in a new area with little academic research and
cost-effective media with instant reach. Some organizations literature.
have started using blogs for marketing, sales, brand building,
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APPENDIX – Consumer Response Statistics (Response Values Coded as %)

Nor Agree
Disagree
Strongly

Disagree

Disagree

Strongly
Tend to

Tend to

Agree
Neither

Agree
S.No
Statement
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

1 Blogs are useful media for companies to interact with their 0 4 6 37 53


customers.

2 Corporate blogs present a more human face to the organization. 0 0 30 59 11

3 Blogs may be successfully used for marketing & brand building. 0 4 25 48 23

4 Blogs may help to increase awareness about a product and boost 0 0 10 54 36


its sales.

5 Blogs may be useful for handling crisis situations by companies. 1 21 46 28 4

6 Blogging can be risky for companies as unknown audience may 15 30 5 41 9


write negative comments.

7 Empowering employees to blog is a waste of time and resources. 24 52 20 4 0

8 Blogging is useful only for technology-oriented companies. 9 31 20 36 4

9 Corporate blogging can also be useful to companies with 0 13 21 55 11


traditional businesses.

10 Blogs may be used to project a positive image about the company. 0 14 9 41 36

11 Blogs reflect the company culture and hence may be useful for 0 4 25 52 19
attracting human resources.

12 Blogs encourage social interaction & help to generate harmony 4 5 27 50 14


among employees.

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International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 1, No. 4, October 2010
ISSN: 2010-0248

13 Corporate blogs may be used by companies to target the youth 4 25 12 33 26


more than the older generation.

14 Global brands may benefit by taking feedback & modifying their 0 8 0 41 51


product in the local markets.

15 Indian companies normally do not take customer feedback and 14 19 29 23 15


hence blogging is not of much use.

16 Looking at Internet usage statistics in India, blogging may be 0 0 4 52 44


useful for companies in future.

Total Respondents = 80

418

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