Duty/Concept Area: Using the Internet as a Marketing Tool/MKT 8125.011 
Task/Competency: Compare Internet marketing with traditional marketing. 
Task Definition: Comparison should include potential positive and negative features of Internet marketing.

Positive perspective:

• more eco-friendly
• more expansive
• less expensive
• interactive, not passive
• global, not local
• permanent presence
• constantly updateable

Negative perspective/challenges:

• unequal accessibility by citizens
• potential problems with security
• potential inventory problems
• unable to touch, feel, smell, open, operate, try on merchandise

Process/Skill Questions:

• What are the cost-saving advantages of electronic commerce to customers and the business as compared to traditional marketing?
• How does customer service differ in Internet marketing compared to traditional marketing?
• How does Internet marketing increase a business’s potential customer base?
• Is Internet marketing in a state of growth or decline? How can we tell?
• How can the Internet become more accessible to a wider population?

Lesson After a thorough discussion comparing the positive and negative perspectives of Internet marketing and traditional marketing the following question is presented:

How does customer service differ in Internet marketing compared to traditional marketing?

After a discussion about the reasons why people go to a particular website and/or a brick and mortar store to include:

• Learning about products or services that the company offers, sales, promotions.
• Buying the products or services that the company offers.
• Obtaining information about warranties or service, exchanges/returns, and repair policies for products that they have purchased.
• Obtaining general information about the company or organization, seeking employment.
• Obtaining financial information for making an investment or credit-granting decision.
• Identifying the people who manage the company or organization.
• Obtaining contact information for a person or department in the organization.
• Convenience, comfort, relationships.
• Image, style, type of business/website.

Generate a discussion about the student’s personal experiences buying computer hardware and software.  (This should generate brick and mortar store selling experiences, and may include Internet purchases. The teacher may need to share own experiences to stimulate conversation.) 

After the good, bad, and the ugly experiences are described and discussed, direct the students to proceed to the following websites:

www.microsoft.com and www.gateway.com

1. As they visit each site they are to identify five ways each site overcomes the negative perspectives of Internet marketing compared to traditional marketing.

2. Then the students are to list five ways each site addresses or provides services (what features does the website offer) for each of the reasons people go to a particular website or business as discussed. 

Have student’s share their answers, compiling one group/class list to reinforce learning. Collect student’s lists for class grade.

Key:
List should contain the following and generate additional reasons, ways, and features.

Negative Issues of Internet marketing:

• Convenient
• Privacy and Security Policies
• Gateway overcomes inventory problems as they custom build
• Microsoft has saturated/dominated businesses in the industry with their products overcoming the inventory issue
• Simulations and try-outs overcome the inability to use the product/s
• The unequal accessibility by all is a mute point in this product/service mix, because people going to these sites are already using the technology.

Features offered to address why people go to a particular store or website:

• Both sites provide information about their products, services, promotions, sales and specials…
• Both sites provide for online transactions.
• Both sites provide policies addressing their services, exchange/return and repair policies, and warranty information.
• Both companies offer general and specific information about the company.
• Each site is attractive and easy to navigate user friendly.
• Very convenient to obtain information or make a purchase on a secure site.

With this activity the teacher should be able to incorporate discussion and knowledge of the other “Process/Skill Questions” listed above.

Helen Stahl
Lafayette High School
Williamsburg Virginia