12th Standard Commerce — Recent Trends in Marketing Online Test

About Recent Trends in Marketing

Medium ~40 min study

Recent Trends in Marketing is the fifteenth chapter of the Tamil Nadu State Board Class 12 Commerce book and the last lesson of Unit 5, Elements of Marketing. It opens with Thirukkural 484 on acting at the right time and place, and explains how information technology, globalisation and social media have changed the way goods and services reach customers.

The lesson defines E-commerce and E-business, quotes Judy Strauss on E-marketing, and compares E-marketing with traditional marketing. It then walks through fifteen short sections on new methods of marketing, from green and social marketing to guerrilla, multilevel and content marketing.

This page gathers the five printed one mark questions, with every keyed answer checked against the lesson, plus twenty additional questions covering every section, each with a short explanation.

What you'll learn

• Distinguish E-commerce from E-business.
• Define E-marketing and list its objectives.
• State the advantages and disadvantages of E-marketing and compare it with traditional marketing.
• Explain E-tailing, green marketing, social marketing and rural marketing.
• Describe the characteristics of services and the idea of niche marketing.
• Explain viral, ambush, guerrilla, multilevel, referral and content marketing with examples.

Before you start

• The concept of market and marketer from Chapter 13.
• The marketing mix and channels of distribution from Chapter 14.
• Basic awareness of the internet, websites and social media.

Recent Trends in Marketing explained

What this lesson covers

E-commerce, E-business and E-marketing

E-commerce is buying and selling through the internet; E-business goes further to include supply chain management, electronic order processing and customer relationship management. E-marketing uses online tools for advertising, distribution and research. Its objectives are market share, lower distribution and promotion costs, brand awareness and a stronger database. It offers a 24/7 market and cheaper products, but has high costs, suits small firms poorly and raises security fears.

E-tailing and green, social and rural marketing

E-tailing, or online retailing, sells to the ultimate consumer through a shopping website. Green marketing promotes environmentally friendly products. Social marketing aims at social good, such as road safety and anti-tobacco campaigns. Rural marketing is a two-way process between villages and towns.

Service and niche marketing

Services are intangible, inseparable, variable, perishable and unstandardisable. Niche marketing serves one well defined segment, aiming to be a big fish in a small pond.

New promotional methods

Viral marketing spreads messages like a virus; ambush marketing links a brand to an event without sponsorship; guerrilla marketing relies on time, energy and imagination; multilevel marketing builds a downline of distributors; referral marketing works through existing customers; content marketing communicates without selling.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating E-business as narrower than E-commerce. E-business is the wider term and includes supply chain management and CRM.
• Calling E-marketing ideal for small firms. The book lists 'not suitable for small size business' as a disadvantage.
• Thinking a niche market means a small market. It means a specific audience with a specialised offering.
• Confusing ambush marketing with sponsorship. The ambush marketer pays no sponsoring expenses to the event.
• Assuming guerrilla marketing needs a big budget. It relies on time, energy and imagination and suits small companies.
• Linking social marketing with social class. Its aim is social good and the removal of social evils.

Test yourself on these with the practice test, then check the worked reasoning in the solved MCQs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between E-commerce and E-business?

E-commerce simply refers to the buying and selling of products and services online. E-business goes beyond buying and selling to cover a much wider range of business processes, such as supply chain management, electronic order processing and customer relationship management. In a broad sense the two terms are used interchangeably, just as commerce and business are.

What are the objectives of E-marketing?

The book lists four objectives: expansion of market share, reduction of distribution and promotional expenses, achieving higher brand awareness and strengthening the database. E-marketing uses digital technologies such as the internet, email and wireless media to reach target customers online.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of E-marketing?

It is an any time 24/7 market, direct contact with manufacturers makes products cheaper, and customers can buy whatever they need by browsing sites. On the other hand it involves high costs for websites and online advertising, does not suit small businesses, websites are rarely updated and many buyers fear misuse of their credit cards.

What is green marketing?

Green marketing means developing and promoting environmentally friendly products and services that satisfy customers on quality, performance, price and convenience without harming the environment. It is also called environmental or eco-friendly marketing, and grows from awareness of global warming, non-biodegradable waste and pollutants.

What is social marketing?

Social marketing applies marketing techniques to achieve behavioural goals that ensure social good, such as asking people not to smoke in public, to wear seat belts or to follow speed limits. Its campaigns oppose tobacco, drugs, pollution, dowry and plastic bags, and it helps to eradicate social evils.

What is niche marketing?

Niche marketing directs all marketing efforts towards one well defined segment whose needs are not served or are under served by competitors. It aims at being a big fish in a small pond. Cinema halls with recliner seats and sports channels such as STAR Sports and ESPN are the book's examples.

What is ambush marketing?

Ambush marketing connects a product to an event in the minds of customers without paying sponsoring expenses. If company X sponsors a football match and people wearing company Y's branded shirts are shown on camera, Y gains publicity at X's expense. Bigger companies use it to undermine official sponsors.