Traditional media vs. social media : a projected shift in expenditure

Abstract

This research studies the budget shift from traditional media to social media in advertising campaigns in Lebanon. The objective of this thesis is to highlight the impact of social media on its target audience and compare it to the traditional media’s effect while taking into consideration percentage of reach, cost and interaction. In addition, the literature review covered four studies created by different researchers, (1) the new recipe in marketing strategy, (2) “Happies” campaign on social media, (3) social media marketing: the evaluation study in the wellness industry, and (4) social media and its role in marketing. The uses and gratifications, and the diffusion of innovation theories were the most suitable theories for this study, and it helped us get the right answers to the research questions related at the end. The methodology behind this research entailed two in-depth interviews (qualitative) with Mrs. Jihane Habchy; Senior Account Manager at Accelerate Online agency, and with Mr. Edward Hatem; Senior Strategic Media Planner at MediaCom. On the other hand, a questionnaire consisting of closed and open ended questions was distributed to a sample of 116 participants belonging to the target audience of this study. Data was collected, discussed, analyzed and research questions were answered.