Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Magister Technologiae in Information Technology in the Faculty of Informatics and Design at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2007 / The objective of this study was to investigate and report on user preference of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), versus Pay Per Click (PPC) results. This will assist online advertisers to identify their optimal Search Engine Marketing (SEM) strategy for their specific target market. Research shows that online advertisers perceive PPC as a more effective SEM strategy than SEO. However, empirical evidence exists that PPC may not be the best strategy for online advertisers, creating confusion for advertisers considering a SEM campaign. Furthermore, not all advertisers have the funds to implement a dual strategy and as a result advertisers need to choose between a SEO and PPC campaign. In order for online advertisers to choose the most relevant SEM strategy, it is of importance to understand user perceptions of these strategies. A quantitative research design was used to conduct the study, with the purpose to collect and analyse data. A questionnaire was designed and hosted on a busy website to ensure maximal exposure. The questionnaire focused on how search engine users perceive SEM and their click response towards SEO and PPC respectively. A qualitative research method was also used in the form of an interview. The interview was conducted with representatives of a leading South African search engine, to verify the results and gain experts’ opinions. The data was analysed and the results interpreted. Results indicated that the user perceived relevancy split is 45% for PPC results, and 55% for SEO results, regardless of demographic factors. Failing to invest in either one could cause a significant loss of website traffic. This indicates that advertisers should invest in both PPC and SEO. Advertisers can invest in a PPC campaign for immediate results, and then implement a SEO campaign over a period of time. The results can further be used to adjust a SEM strategy according to the target market group profile of an advertiser, which will ensure maximum effectiveness.

Estimation of SEO and implementing to the concrete internet project "Autopujcovna-online.cz".

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Computer and Information Science

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (DCom)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Marketing Management / DCom / Unrestricted

Please read the abstract (Synopsis) in the section, 00front of this document / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Marketing Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Given the importance of a business being able to create a positive brand image in the minds of customers and influencing customer purchasing behaviour, there is a lack of attention given to the research of the role that social media tools can play in the success of retailers. Numerous research studies have focussed on determining the advantages of and impact that social media tools can have on the success of businesses, however, the impact of social media tools on the creation of a positive brand image, and influencing customer purchasing behaviour is less evident. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of social media tools on the brand image of retailers and how it affects customer purchasing behaviour. A full literature review was conducted on the retail environment and its importance, as well as on social media as a marketing communication tool. Thereafter, independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter) were identified as possibly influencing the intervening variable (Brand image) and dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). Three independent variables were selected and used to construct a hypothetical model and research hypothesis. The purpose of these independent variables was to determine whether the use of social media tools could lead to a positive brand image and ultimately improve customer purchasing behaviour. An empirical investigation was undertaken to be able to establish the influence of social media tools on the brand image and customer purchasing behaviour of retail customers. The measuring instrument used for this study, a questionnaire, was constructed from secondary literature sources. The convenience sampling technique was used to identify respondents. The usable questionnaires that were gathered from respondents were examined through statistical analyses. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument. Descriptive statistics, as part of the data analyses, were calculated to summarise and allow interpretation of the sample data. Furthermore, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations were calculated to determine correlations among variables used in this study. Multiple regression analysis was the primary statistical procedure used for testing the significance of relationships hypothesised between the independent, intervening and dependent variables of this study. The empirical investigation was concluded by a the calculation of a t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), for the purpose of determining the influence of selected demographic variables on respondents’ perceptions with regard to the independent, intervening and dependent variables. In addition, post-hoc Tukey tests were conducted to determine significant differences among individual mean scores, and the degree of practical significance was determined by calculated Cohen’s d values. Based on the results of the empirical investigation, significant relationships were found among the independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter), the intervening variable (Brand image) and the dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). The empirical investigation revealed that the age of respondents has a significant impact on how their image of a brand and purchasing behaviour are influenced by retailers’ use of social media tools. This study has made a contribution to the shortage of literature on the impact of social media tools on retailers. The hypothetical model developed for this study assisted in understanding the impact that retailers’ use of social media tools have on the brand image of retailers and customers’ purchasing behaviour. As a result, this study provides recommendations and suggestions for retailers to ensure a positive brand image in the minds of customers, and to ultimately use social media tools to positively influence the purchasing behaviour of customers.

The aim of this thesis is to propose improvements to the web presentation of selected company according to the theory relating to internet marketing with a focus on marketing in search engines. The theoretical part deals with basic information about the marketing mix and the internet and then the communications mix online. Most of the theoretical part is devoted to basic aspects of search marketing, respectively optimizing websites for search engines. Practical part summarizes some of the theoretical knowledge, which was during the writing of the thesis directly realized in the creation of the new website of the selected company. The main contribution of this thesis is to improve the web presentation of the selected company in terms of internet marketing with the intention of search engines and other recommendations.

The digital world along with new communication devices and platforms is changing consumer patterns. The growing role of the digital environment in consumer behaviour provides companies with exploding volumes of data and new methods to interact with customers. Not only does this transformation revolutionise consumer markets, but it also induces major changes in industrial marketing practice. Although multichannel marketing is being increasingly used by organisations as a result of its revenue and cost benefits, its implementation is complicated by the diversity of channels in a digital environment. This descriptive study seeks to understand what are the major challenges faced by organisations in the implementation of multichannel marketing in a digital environment. It also try to identify whether these South African organisations have developed plans or solutions to address these challenges. Data was collected using a web survey, it targeted business leaders and specialist in a variation of industries across South Africa. This survey was done to assess the relevance of each challenge for the organisations and the implications of digitisation on a company’s marketing activities. The results reveal that “online targeting”, adjusting “organisational capabilities” and “business models” are the biggest improvement opportunities for companies. These findings show an immediate need towards are the integration of channels with real-time analytics and the ability to act on those insights. Management need to invest in integrated channels’ architecture through the deployment of systems required to deliver ideal customer experiences while empowering the organisation’s employees. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Digital advertising has seen dramatic growth over the last decade. Total digital ad spending in the US has increased 6 times between 2010 and 2020, from $26 billion to $152 billion(eMarketer). This impressive development has in turn sparked a huge stream of literature studying all the different aspects of advertising in the digital media. My dissertation contributes to this literature via two essays. In the first essay, I consider a very important topic of ad blocking, that in the recent years has become a significant threat to advertising supported content. With a specific focus on consumer and total welfare, I show the detrimental role of the adblockers’ current revenue model in decreasing content quality, consumer surplus and total welfare. In the second essay, I study demand learning in digital advertising markets, where firms learn over time how their advertising campaigns impact consumer demand by using their advertising campaign outcomes in earlier periods. By developing an analytic model, I demonstrate in several scenarios, such as monopoly and competition, that learning has an ambiguous effect on the key market parameters and, in particular, on the equilibrium advertising and quantities.

by Lai Wing-Lok & Wong King-Man. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-84). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / Chapter CHAPTER I --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter CHAPTER II --- BACKGROUND --- p.4 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- OPPORTUNITIES --- p.13 / Chapter CHAPTER IV --- Present Development - Internet Payment System --- p.25 / Chapter CHAPTER V --- FUTURE TREND --- p.32 / Chapter CHAPTER VI --- REAL LIFE EXAMPLES --- p.36 / Chapter CHAPTER VII --- CHALLENGES TO FACE --- p.56 / Chapter CHAPTER VIII --- LOCAL SURVEY --- p.64 / Chapter CHAPTER XI --- RECOMMENDATIONS --- p.73 / Chapter CHAPTER X --- CONCLUSIONS --- p.79 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.82 / APPENDIX I SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE --- p.i / APPENDIX II - LOCAL SURVEY ON APPLYING INTERNET ON BUSINESS IN HONG KONG - CONSOLIDATED RESPONSES --- p.v