e-Marketing is essentially part of marketing. But what is the difference between e-Marketing and Internet or web marketing? What are the
e-Marketing tools? And how do marketers plan for e-Marketing?
So the place to begin defining e-Marketing is to consider where it fits
within the subject of marketing. So let's start with a definition of
marketing. The American Marketing Association (AMA) definition (2004) is
as follows:
Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for
creating, communicating and delivering value to customers and for
managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization
and its stakeholders.
Therefore e-Marketing by its very nature is one aspect of an
organizational function and a set of processes for creating,
communicating and delivering value to customers and for managing
customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its
stakeholders. As such an aspect, e-Marketing has its own approaches and
tools that contribute to the achievement of marketing goals and
objectives.
Middle East Statistics
With a total population fast approaching half a billion people and rapid
growth in Internet connectivity amongst the businesses and professional
classes across the region, there is an fast emerging sophisticated
consumer market that can be targeted.
Growing Internet usage across the whole Middle East region provides huge
online marketing access points for businesses seeking to target users in
individual countries or as a region.
| Middle East Internet Usage and Population Statistics | ||||||
| country | Population 2008 | usage in Dec/2000 | internet usage last data | population penetration % |
user growth
2000-2008 |
% of table |
| Bahrain | 718,306 | 40,000 | 250,000 | 34.80% | 525.00% | 0.50% |
| Iran | 65,875,223 | 250,000 | 23,000,000 | 34.90% | 9100.00% | 50.20% |
| Iraq | 28,221,181 | 12,500 | 275,000 | 1.00% | 2100.00% | 0.60% |
| Israel | 7,112,359 | 1,270,000 | 5,263,146 | 74.00% | 314.40% | 11.50% |
| Jordan | 6,198,677 | 127,300 | 1,126,700 | 18.20% | 785.10% | 2.50% |
| Kuwait | 2,596,799 | 150,000 | 900,000 | 34.70% | 500.00% | 2.00% |
| Lebanon | 3,971,941 | 300,000 | 1,570,000 | 39.50% | 423.30% | 3.40% |
| Oman | 3,311,640 | 90,000 | 340,000 | 10.30% | 277.80% | 0.70% |
| Palestine (West Bk.) | 2,407,681 | 35,000 | 355,000 | 14.80% | 915.70% | 0.80% |
| Qatar | 824,789 | 30,000 | 351,000 | 42.60% | 1070.00% | 0.80% |
| Saudi Arabia | 28,146,657 | 200,000 | 11,380,000 | 39.70% | 3090.00% | 13.90% |
| Syria | 19,747,586 | 30,000 | 3,470,000 | 17.60% | 11466.70% | 7.60% |
| United Arab Emirates | 4,621,399 | 735,000 | 2,260,000 | 48.90% | 207.50% | 4.90% |
| Yemen | 23,013,376 | 15,000 | 320,000 | 1.40% | 2033.30% | 0.70% |
| TOTAL Middle East | 196,767,614 | 3,284,800 | 45,861,346 | 23.30% | 1296.20% | 100.00% |
information sources:
Google Inc.
Miniwatts Marketing Group.
International Telecommunications Union.
Saudi Communication and Information Technology Commission.