The Role of new communication technologies in companies' sustainability

• Author: Dovleac L.
• Pages: 33-40

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series V: Economic Sciences • Vol. 8 (57) No. 1 - 2015

The role of new communication technologies in

companies’ sustainability

Lavinia DOVLEAC1

Abstract: As marketing communication becomes increasingly integrated with the digital

space, marketers start to understand that social media is a valuable tool to create digital

linkages with customers. This paper aim to show that social media is an appropriate tool for

companies to spread the information about sustainability issues. Consumers are taking more

factors into account when making purchasing decisions and using digital marketing and

social media help companies to increase engagement and strengthen the relationships with

customers.

Key-words: social media, sustainability, communication channel, strategy.

1. Introduction

Rapid growth of Web-based platforms that facilitate online social behaviour has

significantly modified the nature of human interactions and their perceptions over

the social and economic environment. The most important aspect of the digital

dimension is that allows individuals to share knowledge (Budden et al, 2011; Kumar

et al, 2010).

Although companies have always talked to their customers, now they are

pressured to a more digital presence because online communication tools allow

customers to respond to them (Mangold and Faulds, 2009; Borges Tiago and

Verissimo, 2014). Another reason is that consumers believe strangers within their

community more than they believe companies (Kotler et al, 2010, p.39). The

increase in popularity of applying social media in the business world has forced the

managers to change their way of business operating (Ngai et al, 2015).

Social media has the ability to change a business model in the following

areas: (1) from selling to connecting with customers, (2) from large campaigns to

small rapid actions, (3) from controlling the message to transparency, (4) from hard

to reach to available everywhere (von Scheel et al, 2015, p.379).

Social networks have a growing importance as communication channel being

adopted by companies in their marketing strategies. They are also used in terms of

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, lavinia.dovleac@unitbv.ro.