Internationally, the Internet medium is successfully selling everything.
from nuts and bolts to motorcars, property and traditional mail order.
products. A pertinent question that arises is: 'What forces led to either.
the accidental emergence of interactive.
marketing on the internet or the realisation of a need for the.
development of an alternative marketing medium that satisfied specific.
consumer or marketer needs?' Steyn (1996, p.13) introduces the concept of.
interactive marketing through the words:'Interactive marketing uses new.
technologies to overcome practical database and direct marketing problems.
whilst building more rewarding customer relationships'.
From the marketers' point of view, interactivity, is the convergence of.
three main advertising functions or activities: direct marketing, sales.
promotion and conventional above the line advertising. The developments.
allowed by interactive marketing throug h the Internet focus mainly on how.
profitable market segments were identified and how these segments were.
reached. Interactivity allows the opportunity to track individual.
customers one at a time and to build individual relationships with each.
This indic ates the vast benefits that Internet interactivity supply in.
terms of database formulation, management and utilisation. However, the.
main challenge that does and will continue to plague advertisers in the.
future will be persuading the viewer to try the se rvice. Interactivity.
has three core characteristics: .
The emphasis, simply due the nature of the medium, is more likely to be.
on sales promotion type tools to entice the viewers to visit an ad and.
then on constantly refreshing the content and creative treatment, to.
ensure that they revisit it (Steyn, 1996) . The issues of the nature of.
the Internet as an advertising medium and the creation and maintenance.
of an Internet web site are addressed fully in sections 7) and 6.3).
respectively. CD-ROM technology is unique in its ability to combine.