A review of internet marketing research over the past 20 years and future research direction

Abstract

PurposeThe 20‐year review of marketing and selected business journals examines the internet marketing literature to determine how the literature has evolved in terms of quantity, content, and publication outlets. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the internet marketing literature. It offers a big picture view of the current state of the internet marketing literature and gives readers a sense of the quantity of internet marketing articles published, the scope of this research, and how this research has evolved in terms of content.Design/methodology/approachConsistent with Schibrowsky et al., a content analysis was performed on 1,957 internet‐related marketing articles identified by searching the business source premier database. The paper reviews the internet marketing literature that has been published in the time period 2005‐2012 in marketing journals.FindingsThe study revealed that 68.5 percent of the internet marketing research had been published in the last eight years. The findings suggest the number of internet marketing articles finding their way into the top marketing journals has increased, and that there is a wider array of journals publishing internet marketing articles. Areas of research that maintained high interest included consumer behavior, internet strategy, and internet communications; new areas included social media and networks. Three major research areas are likely to grow in the next few years: mobile internet, social media and networks, as well as internet analytics.Practical implicationsThe paper reviews the internet marketing literature that has been published in the time period 2005‐2012 in marketing journals.Originality/valueThe study provides both academics and practitioners with an updated review of the internet marketing literature along with a sense of how internet marketing research is evolving. This review provides marketing academics and practitioners a macro overview of the topics and placement of articles that compose the internet marketing literature. It is an extension of Schibrowsky et al.

Interactive, direct and digital marketing

“…In areas where developments are rapid, such as those covered by this article, at least some of the researches carried out by academics are likely to be out of date by the time they filter through into the world of practitioners through translation articles. Such an approach would help remedy some of the problems relating to the academic-practitioner divide signalled by and confirmed the review of internet marketing research carried out by Pomirleanu et al (2013).…”

Harnessing marketing automation for B2B content marketing

“…The present study employs a more focused approach, as it concentrates on the organizational processes that support content marketing and their relation to B2B sales. Indeed, the relationship between digital marketing and B2B sales has attracted very limited attention in the existing literature (Pomirleanu, Schibrowsky, Peltier, & Nill, 2013;Rodriguez, Dixon, & Peltier, 2014).…”

Email is evil!

“…Some scholars refer to the "unholy trinity" in advertising, which represents the case where none of the three pillars of the advertising communication process, i.e., advertisers, agencies, and the media, are willing to assume a primary responsibility for raising the ethical norms (Mostafa, 2011). Furthermore, many scholars see privacy as an integral part of humankind that forms, alongside newly imposed governmental regulations in some contexts, a dynamic challenge over time for digital marketers (e.g., Zorotheos and Kafeza, 2009 Pomirleanu et al, 2013;Im and Ha, 2015;Hartemo, 2016). In this regard, and given the rapidly escalating advances in technology, internet marketers are required to communicate more effectively with their target audiences using smarter digital marketing techniques and solutions to minimise the perceived privacy invasion.…”