ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN SERBIA

Abstract

The era of one-way marketing communication is slowly coming to an end and traditional marketing techniques are being replaced by modern techniques which have two-way communication with incorporated target groups. This happens most frequently with explicit approval given by customers. Traditional-to-digital media shift was mainly driven by technological breakthroughs which have made communication possible “anywhere”. “Big screen” (television) has been replaced by “little screen” (mobile phone), while newspapers, radio, libraries, cinemas and tete-a-tete communication have been replaced by computers, Internet, and, eventually, the social media. Marketers’ primary task has always been to be in the same place as their consumers, which is why they have been forced to adjust their techniques to modern times and circumstances. A newly arisen marketing technique, which stands out particularly for its present and expected future importance, is Social Media marketing. Marketers around the world have recognized Social Media marketing as an important part of their marketing communication portfolio. Although marketing experts in small markets recognize the importance of new technologies and marketing techniques, they are facing severe problems in their implementation, most frequently, due to inferior technical capabilities, as well as different cultural and educational barriers. The aim of this paper is to highlight the global importance of the aforementioned technique, as well as to assess the position of Serbia in terms of its implementation at the present time, and where we can expect it to be tomorrow. Obtaining answers to these questions creates foundation and space for further future analyses, together with the rise in implementation of marketing techniques in social media in Serbia. Also, it provides more information about understanding and implementation, as well as about different perceptions of the importance of implementation and about various perspectives concerning marketing techniques in social media in Serbia. In order to accomplish those objectives, diverse research methods have been used – from observation and case study method to interviews and surveys.