Social media : a new recipe for companies marketing strategy in Lebanon

Abstract

Traditional media are a one-way conversation addressed by a company to consumers or to the public, whereas Social Media allow a real, balanced and unconstrained two-way conversation between the company and the world. This is why it is of no surprise that some believe that using social media in the marketing strategy can be somehow frightening. This is also why marketers, especially in Lebanon are still reluctant to use social media as part of their marketing mix. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how companies in Lebanon use social media as a marketing and branding tool in consumer marketing. The methodology behind this research entailed in-depth interviews with professionals in the field of social media and marketing. The character of study is exploratory, descriptive and qualitative. It looks also at two case studies to generate proofs that show the importance of social media use in the Lebanese companies. The findings show that the unexpected appearance of social media in the public realm and the realization of a powerful and coordinated online consumer-force have raised alarms in corporate offices all over the world. The increasing influence consumers are having on each other by sharing their views on brands and products online have pushed businesses worldwide and in Lebanon to rethink and reorganize their marketing as well as their communicating strategies in order to address this "threat" to traditional ways of doing business. Companies in Lebanon are considering the implementation of social media tools in their strategy to enhance their position in the market. This tool is now the trendiest tool used in the Lebanese market. Generally companies approve social media as an effective tool to exceed and support marketing communication. Social media still have huge growth potentials regarding the differentiation and specification of different platforms. Social media are currently an evolving phenomenon in business marketing.