Consumer Engagement: The Role of Consumers in Marketing and Advertising

The chapter “From Advertising to Engagement” by Malthouse and Calder (2018) discusses significant changes in advertising, including the shift from traditional channels, such as broadcast, print, and outdoor, to digital media. According to the authors, the traditional environment did not promote consumer engagement in the marketing and advertising process. On the other hand, digital media and digital environments encourage consumer participation. Customers are no longer passive recipients of the content generated by marketers but active participants who evaluate advertising content. Therefore, consumers can create and share their messages in the digital environment.

The reading “Emotional Engagement in a New Marketing Communication Environment” by Chan-Olmsted and Wolter (2018) discusses the importance of engaging consumers in creating media content such as advertising. The authors argue that attention and emotion are two critical conditions that media content developers should consider when they engage consumers. Content creators should understand the emotional processes that enhance consumers’ engagement. Advertisers should learn how customers receive and react to marketing and brand messages to engage them in creating and communicating content effectively. Such knowledge is critical in building a successful customer-brand relationship, even during the challenging age of advertising avoidance in using the new media.

In the article “Consumer Engagement in the Digital Era: Its Nature, Drivers, and Outcomes,” Weitzl and Einwiller (2018) discuss the consumer-brand relationship paradigm in the context of digital media. The authors acknowledge the changes in the interactions between consumers and brands with the development of new media technologies. They further discuss the changing role of a consumer in the relationship from a passive recipient of information to a proactive participant in creating value from messages and media content. The concept of consumer engagement is vital in value creation because creators understand customers’ needs in the communication process. Clients are critical participants in sharing marketing information through emerging trends such as viral marketing.

The chapter “The Role of Social Capital in Shaping Consumer Engagement within Online Brand Communities” by Bowden, Conduit, Hollebeek, Luoma-aho, and Solem (2018) discusses the changes in the way consumers interact with a brand. According to the authors, the leading cause of such changes is the emergence of social media and online brand communities. Consumers actively participate in the creation of value and brand meaning. Consumer engagement is even more critical in digital media, where clients can create brand communities and keenly analyze value in the communication content. Therefore, marketers should recognize the input of consumers when crafting their brand message.

Marketing and advertising are essential aspects for businesses to communicate the message about their products and services to customers. The two concepts remain critical for marketers in the modern era, while engagement adds more value to the process. In the current digital environment, businesses cannot successfully market and advertise their products and services without actively engaging the customer. The emergence of social media and other digital communication tools has made the consumer a critical element in creating and communicating marketing information. Therefore, marketers should understand the concept of customer engagement and actively use it in creating brand value through marketing and advertising strategies. Hence, marketers should implement necessary changes to achieve consumer engagement.

 

References

Bowden, J. L., Conduit, J., Hollebeek, L. D., Luoma-aho, V., & Solem, B. A. A. (2018). The role of social capital in shaping consumer engagement within online brand communities. In K. A. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds.), The handbook of communication engagement (pp. 491-504). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Chan-Olmsted, S., & Wolter, L. C. (2018). Emotional engagement in a new marketing communication environment. In K. A. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds.), The handbook of communication engagement (pp. 421-437). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Malthouse, E. C., & Calder, B. J. (2018). From advertising to engagement. In K. A. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds.), The handbook of communication engagement (pp. 411-420). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Weitzl, W., & Einwiller, S. (2018). Consumer engagement in the digital era: Its nature, drivers, and outcomes. In K. A. Johnston & M. Taylor (Eds.), The handbook of communication engagement (pp. 453-473). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.