Chapter 14:
E-Marketing Communication: Earned Media
Review Questions
1. What are the five levels of user engagement? Provide an example of each.
The least engaged internet users only consume only online content. They read blogs, view videos and
photos, listen to podcasts, and read the reviews and opinions expressed by others occupying higher
levels of engagement on Web sites and forums.
At the next level, users connect with others by creating a profile on a social network, such as by
“friending” on Facebook, or joining Tripadvisor or other sites that require registration to read the
2. In addition to consumers and prospects, which two groups should companies seek to engage for
earned media?
Social Media Influencers — companies identify social media influencers in two ways. First, they can
observe and participate in conversations in social media locations where people discuss their
3. How are viral marketing and viral blogging used to generate word-of-mouse?
Viral Marketing — viral marketing is the online equivalent of word-of-mouth and sometimes referred
4. Explain how shoppers use or contribute content to the seven forms of online reviews and
ratings.
Customer ratings and reviews — this is feedback from real customers, integrated either into an e-
commerce product page, a social network page, a customer’s review site, or in customer news feeds
Expert ratings and reviews — the view from the independent voice of authority, whether professional
or prosumer—professional consumer, can be integrated into an e-commerce product page, a social
network page, a product review site, an online magazine, and/or in news feeds.
5. Why should marketers be aware of the role of trust when planning for earned media?
6. How do social recommendations and referrals differ from ratings and reviews?
Social recommendations and referrals — whereas ratings and reviews usually are visible to all, social
7. Why are many companies integrating e-mail and social media for marketing communication?
E-mail is not dead. Facebook and other social sites require valid e-mail addresses when users sign up.
That means marketers need to integrate e-mail and social media. Many studies show that the majority
8. What are location-based services, and how do users and marketers benefit from them?
Location-based services (LBS) is a business model for m-commerce (mobile-commerce). It is based
9. In what ways does collaborative content creation help companies?
10. Which reputations should a company monitor and seek to manage? Be specific.
11. As part of the decision about responding to a comment or complaint in online or offline media,
what three questions should a company ask?
How valuable is the poster to the company?
12. What is a social media dashboard, and why would a company use it?
A social media dashboard is software that pulls in company, brand, or any keyword mentions from
Discussion Questions
13. The Dell Starts Listening Story. Identify several ways that Dell could engage customers in a
positive way, using techniques in this chapter.
Reputation is a belief in the mind of the beholder. Quality, transparency, and trust principally
influence company and brand reputation. Unfortunately, this is where Dell failed. Before attempting
14. The Dell Starts Listening Story. What might Dell have done to manage its online reputation
better? Acting as Dell’s consultant, give the company advice that would keep it out of this kind
of trouble in the future.
As mentioned above, Dell needed to first resolve its outstanding manufacturing and customer service
problems. Once these issues were addressed, Dell should have been much more proactive in
15. What techniques from this chapter can you adapt to manage your personal brand and
reputation? List at least six tactics you might use, and why.
16. Based on the idea that “reputation is a belief in the mind of the beholder,” can a firm
realistically take the initiative to manage its reputation online?
17. Do you think that marketers are losing control of brand images due to the social media? Why
or why not?
18. Which level of engagement best describes your online behavior? How could your favorite brand
move you to a higher level using the principles in this chapter?
19. Once consumers engage in collaborative content creation on behalf of a brand, what are the
implications for recommendations and referrals, reputation, and purchasing?
20. If “viral marketing turns the sales funnel upside down,” as shown in Exhibit 14.3, what are the
potential consequences when viral marketing spreads a negative message about a company,
product, or brand?
21. Should companies put more emphasis on earned media instead of investing in paid media and
owned media? Explain your answer.