Assessing the Role of e-Marketing in Contemporary Marketing Practice

Using a sample of 149 firms from the UK and New Zealand, we extend previous research on the nature of contemporary marketing practices by Brodie et al. (1997) to examine the practice of e-Marketing in relation to other aspects of marketing. Analysis reveals four combinations of marketing practice. While one third of firms emphasize either a Traditional Transactional or Traditional Relational approach to their markets, another third practice e-Marketing in combination with Transaction and Database Marketing, and a final third integrate all of Transaction, Database, Interaction, Network and e-Marketing. The findings show that for most firms, the level of e-Marketing practice reflects the extent to which information technology plays either a reinforcing, enhancing or transforming role in the organisation.