Nowadays, almost all organizations operate their business through the use of technology. In fact, “Technology gives owner/operators ample opportunity at their convenience to investigate the competition and ensure that they possess the products consumers desire’ (Eric Taylor). Technology not only adds value to the business but it also makes the employer’s job easier and faster. Marketing is a type of business that has been affected by the use of technology. This paper is going to examine the history, the advantages and the disadvantages of technology on the business.
The beginning of marketing was in 1900s with the discovery of basic concepts and their exploration. In 1910, there was an interest in classification and definition of terms.then, in the 1920s there was integration and on the basis of principles; the development of specialization and variation of theory was shown in the 1930s.After that, in the 1940s there was revision in the light of new demands and a more scientific approach. then, in tha 1950s there was reconceptualisation in the light of managerialism, which leds to social development and quantitative approaches. From the early 60s to late 70s there new various were developments in theories such as differentiation on bases and socialization and the adaption of marketing to social change.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_marketing).
When we think about the advantage of using technology in marketing, three criteria come to mind; save time, strong promotions, and competitive advantages over rivals. Firstly, using technology in the business especially in the marketing saves us time. For example, by simply using the internet, we can spread the word faster. Moreover, using technology such as the computer will help the marketer to gather more information in less time. Secondly, using technology will help the business to develop strong promotions. For instance, the marketer starts to use Internet Advertising to spread the word and to gain more audiences. Finally, competitive advantages are the last advantage of using technology in the business. Being able to be updated and ahead in the game gives any business a competitive advantage over rivals. These are the aspects that the business and technology are related to each other in a positive way so; these are considered the reasons behind the success of companies that use technology in marketing.
The use of technology in marketing also can have its disadvantages; three things can be thought about. First and foremost, using technology in this developed world can make our business especially in marketing more complex. For example," The increasing oppression of technologically advanced societies over those which are not", especially countries and companies that have a lack of technologies.
(http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_disadvantages_of_technology_today).
Furthermore, using technology in the advanced sector will be useless when communicating with the less advanced. More important, the danger that lies behind computer viruses and bugs will make the victim an easy target for hackers and for losing important information. For instance, depending on technology doesn`t mean that there will be no consequences like breaking information and losing the effort of years in less than 5 minutes. Subsequently, heavy dependence on technology will lead to professionalism. For example professionalism can lead to stolen copyright and privacy.
In conclusion, the use of technology has spread to our daily lives and to our business in many specific ways. As we mentioned earlier the advantages of technology can hide its disadvantages such as saving time which is considered a very important property of technology. On the other hand, we must not forget about the danger behind viruses and bugs which can be seen as a very major problem. In my opinion, we should use technology in marketing different aspects but not over use in a way that can lead us to regret.
References:
E Taylor, E. (2009, January 26). Business Startups - Use of Technology in Business. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Business-Startups---Use-of-Technology-in-Business&id=1924004
History of marketing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_marketing
http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/what-is-marketing/history-of-marketing/
http://www.multimediamarketing.com/mkc/historyofmarketing/
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_disadvantages_of_technology_today
