2. Traditional and Contemporary Notions of Marketing Communications

Much like everything else in the world today, marketing communications has also evolved. With all the digital options available to consumers, the traditional methods still remain effective. The current chapter strives to examine both traditional and contemporary marketing communications and how both can be used effectively in contemporary times. The chapter starts with an introduction about marketing communications, followed by a section on traditional marketing presenting theories of traditional marketing, traditional marketing mix and the advantages of traditional marketing communications. The chapter also evaluates the contemporary marketing methods in depth and argues that the growth of digital marketing communications has created new forms of hybridity that incorporate traditional and contemporary forms of marketing communications and expanded the scope of opportunities that could not be accessed via traditional platforms while integrating new technologies. Added together, this shows an emerging pattern of opportunities and challenges brought by the digital technologies for the marketers and practitioners and how to efficiently adapt in the rapidly changing environment. The cultural differences can also pose a challenge for the marketers in emerging economies, the chapter provides recommendations on how to deal with cultural perceptions. The chapter provides practical implications for both academics and emerging markets to use the marketing communication methods effectively.