EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING.

I have already done this dissertation and it was done by you. Now i have to redo the dissertation because I was failed. with the feedback from my lecturer can u please help me do this . I will submit my college handbook for the dissertation and the feedback document.

Running head: EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
A STUDY TO ANALYZE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
OVER THE TRADITIONAL MARKETING MEASURES IN THE PARTICULAR
CONTEXT OF THE AIRLINES INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to “analyze the effectiveness of social media marketing over the
traditional marketing measures in the particular context of the Airlines industry of the United
Kingdom”. The researcher had divided the entire study into five chapters as per the conventions
of academic writing. In the introduction chapter, the researcher had highlighted the background
of the study, problem statement, aims of the research, its objectives, research questions and other
important facets of the study.
In the literature review chapter, the researcher had undertaken a review of the past literature
related to the concepts of social media marketing and traditional marketing practices used by the
enterprises. The concepts stated in this chapter have been used in the discussion section of the
study to substantiate the findings obtained from the secondary sources.
In the research methodology chapter, the researcher had elucidated the research methodological
framework which had been used for the completion of the research. For example, the researcher
had used positivism research philosophy, descriptive research design, deductive research
approach, secondary data collection process, qualitative data analysis method and others for the
completion of the study.
In the findings and discussion chapter, the researcher had undertaken a critical analysis of the
secondary data which was collected for the completion of the research. In addition to this, the
researcher had also undertaken a discussion of the findings obtained from the secondary data in
the light of the concepts articulated in the literature review section of the study.
In the conclusion and recommendations chapter, the researcher summaries the major findings of
the study while linking the findings with the different objectives formulated in the first chapter.

2EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
In addition to this, the researcher also proposes three recommendations on the basis of the
findings of the study. The three recommendations that had been proposed are creation of user-
based marketing or promotional advertisements, usage of social media marketing professionals
for the creation of effective marketing advertisements and offering information to the customers
regarding the services which would be launched in future in advance.

3EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would firstly like to thank my Professor for offering me the opportunity to complete my
dissertation on the topic “A study to analyze the effectiveness of social media marketing over the
traditional marketing measures in the particular context of the Airlines industry of the United
Kingdom”. Furthermore, I would also like to thank my Supervisor for helping me to complete
this dissertation within the stipulated deadline.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my family and friends without whose constant
support I would not have been able to complete this study.
Thank You,
------------------------------------------------------
(Name of the Researcher)

4EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................7
1.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................7
1.2 Background of the Study.......................................................................................................7
1.3 Airline Industry of UK...........................................................................................................8
1.4 Problem Statement.................................................................................................................8
1.5 Research Aim.........................................................................................................................9
1.6 Research Objectives...............................................................................................................9
1.7 Research Questions..............................................................................................................10
1.8 Rationale of the Study.........................................................................................................10
1.9 Structure of the Study..........................................................................................................11
1.10 Summary............................................................................................................................12
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................................13
2.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................13
2.2 Social media marketing.......................................................................................................14
2.3 Traditional marketing..........................................................................................................16
2.4 Analysis of social media marketing efficiency over traditional marketing procedures......18
2.5 Gaps in literature..................................................................................................................20
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................22
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................22

5EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
3.2 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................22
3.2.1 Justification for the selected Research Philosophy.......................................................23
3.3 Research Design..................................................................................................................23
3.3.1 Justification for the Selected Research Design.............................................................24
3.4 Research Approach..............................................................................................................24
3.4.1 Justification for the Selected Research Approach........................................................24
3.5 Data Collection Process.......................................................................................................25
3.5.1 Justification for the Selected Data Collection Process.................................................25
3.6 Data Analysis Method.........................................................................................................26
3.6.1 Justification for the selected Data Analysis Method....................................................26
3.7 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................26
3.8 Limitations of the Study......................................................................................................27
3.9 Summary..............................................................................................................................27
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion..............................................................................................28
4.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................28
4.2 Thematic Analysis...............................................................................................................28
4.3 Discussion of the Findings...................................................................................................34
4.4 Summary..............................................................................................................................37
Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS........................................................38
5.1 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................38

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5.2 Linking with Objectives......................................................................................................39
5.3 Recommendations................................................................................................................41
5.4 Future Scope........................................................................................................................42
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................43

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Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher had highlighted the research aim, objectives, questions and
other aspects which form the central lacuna of this study. Furthermore, the researcher also offers
an outline or a structure of the entire study which will be followed for the completion of the
study.
1.2 Background of the Study
Wang and Kim (2017) are of the viewpoint that marketing is one of the core business
functions of the different business enterprises on which the business prospects of the enterprises
greatly depends. As discussed by Duffett (2017), the tool of marketing offers the opportunity to
the business enterprises to convey adequate as well as relevant information to their target market
regarding the commodities or the services offered by them. This is important since the
profitability of an enterprise depends on its sale volume which in turn is dependent on the kind of
marketing campaigns or strategies used by the concerned enterprise. More importantly, Shareef
et al. (2019) have noted that the technological advancements, dynamicity of the modern business
world, the large target markets that the enterprises focus on and other factors have led to the
emergence of social media marketing and thereby made the traditional marketing strategies
completely obsolete. According to Hofacker and Belanche (2016), the usage of social media
marketing offers various benefits to the enterprises like cost-effectiveness, opportunity to reach
out to a large number of customers and others which in turn motivates the enterprises to prefer
them over the traditional marketing strategies. It is in the light of this particular transition that the

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researcher intends to analyse the effectiveness of the social media marketing over the traditional
marketing strategies in the particular context of the airline industry of UK.
1.3 Airline Industry of UK
The airline industry of UK is one of the oldest ones of the world and comprises of a large
number of companies which aspire to offer quality air transport services to the passengers
(Ibisworld.co.uk. 2019). Furthermore, it is seen that the airline industry of UK offers air
travelling options to the individuals to almost all the major locations of the world both ‘to and
fro’. As a matter of fact, the airline industry of UK is one of the busiest ones of the world and for
the year 2018 it offered employment to more than 79,484 individuals so as to accommodate the
large number of passengers that they get almost on a daily basis (Ibisworld.co.uk. 2019). Some
of the most important airlines companies of the UK are British Airways Plc, EasyJet Airline
Company Ltd and others and it is see that they offer both domestic and international flight
services to the customers or the passengers (Ibisworld.co.uk. 2019). An important aspect of the
airline industry of UK is the fact that presently the different airline companies related to it are
actively taking the help of the digital marketing strategies, particularly social media marketing
for the promotion of the services offered by them to the customers (Ibisworld.co.uk. 2019). The
usage of this marketing or promotional strategy by the airline companies of UK is not only in
alignment with the nature of the services offered by them to the customers but at the same time
helps them to promote their services to a large number of people and that too in a cost-effective
manner.
1.4 Problem Statement
Lamberton and Stephen (2016) are of the viewpoint that the viewpoint that the effective
usage of the construct of social media marketing offers various benefits to the enterprises and it

9EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
is because of this that the majority of the contemporary airline companies rather than using the
traditional marketing strategies are increasingly embracing social media marketing. However, the
major problem arises because of the fact that the airline companies often fail to develop effective
social media advertisements which would influence the buying behaviour of the customers
(Felix, Rauschnabel and Hinsch 2017). Furthermore, it is also seen that the airline companies
also fail to effectively handle their web pages on the different social media channels because of
the lack of technological aptitude of their employees (Todor 2016). Lastly, the switch from the
usage of the traditional marketing strategies to social media marketing is a drastic process and
likely to take a substantial amount of time as well as technological expertise which the
enterprises are not willing to invest (Jin, Chi and Gao 2018).
1.5 Research Aim
The aim of this study is to analyse the effectiveness of the social media marketing over
the traditional marketing measures in the particular context of the Airlines industry of the United
Kingdom.
1.6 Research Objectives
The objectives which have been formulate for the conduct of the study are listed below-
1) To understand the factors which make the companies prefer social media marketing
strategy over the traditional marketing strategies in the airline industry of UK
2) To identify the differences between social media marketing and traditional marketing in
the airline industry of UK

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3) To determine how the usage of social media marketing is more effective than traditional
marketing in gaining market exposure and enhanced brand image in the airline industry
of UK
4) To recommend ways through the companies can attain a higher level of success through
the usage of social marketing strategy in the airline industry of UK
1.7 Research Questions
The research questions that had been selected for the conduct of the study are listed
below-
1) What are the factors which make the companies prefer social media marketing strategy
over the traditional marketing strategies in the airline industry of UK?
2) What are the differences between social media marketing and traditional marketing in the
airline industry of UK?
3) How the usage of social media marketing is more effective than traditional marketing in
gaining market exposure and enhanced brand image in the airline industry of UK?
4) What are the ways through the companies can attain a higher level of success through the
usage of social marketing strategy in the airline industry of UK?
1.8 Rationale of the Study
The issue which the researcher had selected for analysis in this study is the effectiveness
of the social media marketing over the traditional marketing strategies in the particular context of
the airline industry of UK. In this regard, it needs to be said that because of the short-comings or
the limitations of the traditional marketing strategies and the benefits offered by social media

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marketing, the majority of the airline companies of UK are presently actively using the latter
(Dwivedi, Kapoor and Chen 2015). However, it had been seen that despite the benefits offered
by social media marketing, the airline companies have not been able to get the desired results
from the usage of the same because of lack of technological expertise and other factors (Tuten
and Solomon 2017). Thus, it can be said that in order to fully capitalise on the opportunities
presented by the tool of social media marketing the airline companies would have to remove the
barriers or the hindrances towards the successful implementation of the same. The hindrances
notwithstanding, the benefits offered by the social media marketing far out-weigh the adverse
effects of the hindrances and it is in the light of this aspect the researcher will try to analyse the
effectiveness of social media marketing over traditional marketing strategies.
1.9 Structure of the Study
Figure 1: Structure of the Dissertation
Source: (Created by the Author)
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Literature Review
Chapter 3 Research Methodology
Chapter 4 Findings and Discussion
Chapter 5 Conclusion and Recommendation

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The researcher for the structuring of the entire study takes the help of the conventions of
academic writing and thereby divides the entire study into five chapters. In the “Literature
Review” chapter, that is, the second chapter, the researcher undertakes a discussion of the topic
which had been selected for the stud through the specific lens of the past literature related to the
same. In the “Research Methodology” chapter, that is, the third chapter, the researcher highlights
the methodological framework which had been used for the completion of the study. In the
chapter “Findings and Discussion”, the researcher undertakes a discussion of the secondary data
which had been collected for the study in the light of the concepts articulated in the literature
section of the study. In the final chapter, that is, “Conclusion and Recommendation”, the
researcher summarises the findings of the entire study and also suggests some recommendations
on the basis of the findings of the study.
1.10 Summary
To sum up, in this chapter, the researcher had highlighted the different facets of the study
along with the specific research questions or the objectives which the study would be focusing
on. This chapter would be followed by the chapter “Literature Review”.

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Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Considering the fact that the budget in marketing is an important aspect considered by
business to make the most of it through share and exchange of information and messages, it also
has allowed for moving in the right direction and ensure making the right marketing decisions
for enhancing the brand image, identity and awareness among the customers. According to
Kotler, Kartajaya and Setiawan (2016), the businesses have managed to acquire relevant ideas
and concepts to determine the best suited marketing technique and at the same time, increase the
customer base and reach the targeted audiences much more conveniently, which might not be
possible with the traditional marketing techniques. Considering the importance of need for
marketing, there has been debate regarding the social media marketing vs traditional marketing
(Kotler, Kartajaya and Setiawan 2016). Opreana and Vinerean (2015), on the other hand, argue
that though a significant percentage of people is habituated with the use of internet and social
media platforms, the traditional marketing techniques used to be effective to deliver brand
messages and information to the clients, but with time, the advancement of technology and
widespread use of internet has facilitated the management of social media marketing (Opreana
and Vinerean 2015). Due to this, the traditional marketing methods and techniques seemed
outdated, due to which, it was difficult to leverage the marketing techniques properly and
enhance the targeted audience reach.
The literature review sheds light on how the social media marketing techniques fare well
above the traditional marketing techniques, which is necessary for reaching the target audiences
and at the same time, strengthen the customer base along with better distribution of knowledge

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and information about the brand to its customers (Naeem, Bilal and Naz, 2013). The literature
review section will highlight the importance of social media marketing as well as the marketing
techniques that have raised the standards in business and even overcame the existing issues
arising due to the outdated marketing techniques applied within the organisations.
2.2 Social media marketing
As stated by Tuten and Solomon (2017), the social media marketing is considered as an
effective marketing procedure in terms of online marketing managed with the purpose of
reaching a group of targeted audience, furthermore enhance brand image, identity and awareness
along with promoting the brand largely too (Tuten and Solomon 2017). Not only does the social
media marketing helped in enhancing the ability to penetrate new market segments, but also it
has resulted in enhancing the brand exposure, which is critical for any businesses within the
Airlines sector to acquire the clients and generate higher revenue in business.
According to Ashley and Tuten (2015), the social media marketing has been considered
as a form of digital marketing that has created convenience for the customers to gain access to
the wide range of products and services made available by the companies. Nowadays, with the
technological advancement and information technology implementation, most of people have
been using the internet and logged in to their social networks to keep interacting with people at a
faster rate from anywhere and anytime (Ashley and Tuten 2015). The businesses have found this
platform a great channel for delivering the right messages and information about the brand to its
customers and thus it has been effective for allowing the clients to gain access to the company
website from the links that have often been shown in the social networks where the individuals
have logged in. With the links of the website managed by companies popping up while surfing
on the social networks, the users have easily been diverted to the company website and thus

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attained easy accessibility to the services offered. Due to this, Felix, Rauschnabel and Hinsch
(2017) suggested that the social media marketing has played a pivotal role in the field of digital
marketing and has benefited the businesses to reach the targeted audiences in large numbers with
ease and effectiveness and also within quick time without much delay, which might have been
the case while adopting the traditional marketing methods and techniques (Felix, Rauschnabel
and Hinsch 2017).
Considering the statements made by Constantinides (2014), with the technological
growth, there have been emergence of new ideas, which has allowed for facilitating the inbound
marketing, furthermore created marketing related content for the social networking website to
reach the targeted audience and ensure creating awareness among people regarding the brand and
its services delivered. Not only does the social media marketing enhances brand awareness and
wider reach to the targeted audiences, but also considered the statement of Erevelles, Fukawa
and Swayne (2016), within a very short period of time, the marketers have managed to adopt the
social media marketing for the purpose of focusing on the goals and objectives including the
branding aspects, research and development activities, management of relationships with the
customers and for the promotions of sales along with strengthening the relationship between the
brand and its customers (Erevelles, Fukawa and Swayne 2016). The branded social media
marketing campaigns have also encouraged interaction between the consumers and the brand,
which further resulted in persuading or influencing the customers to remain involved with the
online content, furthermore gain understanding through acqusitions of emotions, feelings as well
as experiences while making purchases. On the contrary, Sajid (2016), argued that the presence
of social managed though marketing activities has been categorised with the help of continuity
and prioritisation on the business to consumer discussions, which has also contributed to the

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psychological health and wellbeing, furthermore encouraged better communication process to
meet the social needs of people with ease and efficiency (Sajid 2016). Due to the engagement of
social networks, the companies have not only benefited by greater outreach to the market
segments, but also has created influence among the buyers, which further resulted in making
them purchase the goods and services and generate higher revenue too.
2.3 Traditional marketing
According to Srinivasan, Rutz and Pauwels (2016), the traditional marketing methods
and techniques considered as conventional modes of marketing, which used to be a mode of
marketing that helped the businesses to reach the semi-targeted audience though without the
involvement of any digital or online marketing channels. The targeted audiences are reached
with the help of these traditional marketing procedures with the involvement of offline
promotions managed through advertisements on televisions, newspapers, magazines and banners
display (Srinivasan, Rutz and Pauwels 2016). As stated by Todor (2016), there are different
traditional marketing techniques that have involved displaying traditional advertisements and the
traditional marketing techniques include the print advertisements on magazines, newspapers, etc.
while the broadcasting actions are managed with the promotions done on televisions and on air
radios. The direct mail was sent as postcards and catalogues to the customers asking for
feedbacks regarding the services delivered, which also added to the marketing actions
undertaken at present by the companies (Todor 2016). The marketing techniques managed with
the use of telephones and by sending SMS to the clients regarding the newly launched services
have also contributed to the formation of positive mind sets among the clients, furthermore,
create extended reach to the clients present in different market segments. Based on Vinerean et
al. (2013), all these approaches to marketing include the display of ads on billboards, banners

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and as fliers, which enhanced the reach to the targeted audiences though all these were
considered as outdated and not much effective at present, when compared to the digital
marketing techniques that evolved over time (Vinerean et al. 2013).
Godey et al. (2016), on the other hand, argued the fact that the traditional marketing
techniques were centred on the four major principles of marketing including the product, price,
place and promotions done. These components were considered as essential for influencing the
business to lead the prospects and at the same time, acquire a good number of customers with the
utilisation of sales funnel, furthermore, manage better functionality, building of brand along sales
promotions and better distribution of services within the concerned sector (Godey et al. 2016).
The traditional marketing techniques also hindered the capability of business and created
challenges for the business to develop marketers who possess proper amount of skills and
knowledge to move with a creative vision. Few other issue also emerged such as the issue of
engaging customers together and challenges while reinventing the mass media model too
(Chang, Yu and Lu 2015). Due to this, the social media marketing has been prioritised on with
the technological advancements for reaching the targeted audience group much more
comprehensively and within quick time as well. Due to these kinds of weaknesses, the businesses
have mainly focused on the digital channels and marketing techniques to ensure overcoming the
issues that were experienced while executing the traditional marketing tactics, furthermore,
create higher standards in business for enhancing the level of customer satisfaction and gain
higher profit level too.
2.3.1 Marketing Mix

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Considering the fact that the traditional marketing activities considered the various
principles of marketing mix where the features and attributes of the product were understood at
first and then assessed what kind of service should be delivered for meeting the demands and
expectation of the targeted market. As stated by Huang and Sarigöllü (2014), the marketing
techniques also included consideration of price for determining various aspects such as the
supply, demands and profit margin while the promotions were done to increase brand visibility
and exposure. Lastly, the traditional marketing was dependent upon the availability of product in
front of the targeted audiences and also at the right time and place (Huang and Sarigöllü 2014).
Thus, the placement of products was considered as an integral aspect by the business as part of
the traditional marketing technique to make the products and services available at the right place
for better accessibility by the customers.
2.4 Analysis of social media marketing efficiency over traditional marketing procedures
Though the traditional marketing techniques are quite effective till now, still Stephen
(2016) suggested that with the technological aspects growing and developing, the social media
marketing has gained great place within the competitive business environment for creating
popularity of the products and services among the targeted audience group. This has also enabled
the business organisations to remain connected with the clients in a much better way,
furthermore incur lesser amount of costs while managing these marketing techniques when
compared to the traditional marketing methods and techniques (Stephen 2016). Zhu and Chen
(2015) stated that one of the major issues with the traditional marketing techniques has been the
lack of interaction with the clients, i.e., lesser connection and engagement with the customers
and also problems related to the lack of control over the timing. The traditional marketing
activities mostly relied upon the various promotional techniques, which could not be updated

19EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
once it had been implemented, due to which, there might be higher consumption of time and thus
it might result in a huge dent to the budget estimated to implement the marketing strategies and
techniques effectively (Zhu and Chen 2015). On the other hand, Dwivedi et al. (2015) argued the
fact that the social media marketing incurred much lesser costs associated with the marketing
techniques, when compared to the traditional marketing techniques executed. Due to this, there
could be lesser chances of gaining good rate of return on investments done for the traditional
marketing and promotional techniques. For the traditional marketing efforts put by business,
there are limited number of options for managing customisation of promotions and advertising
techniques and thus each and every targeted market segments have not been reached properly in
certain cases (Dwivedi et al. 2015).
With the digital marketing techniques, the social media platforms have been utilised by
the companies to reach out to the market segments consisting of right people and those who are
often engaged with the social networking websites. While for the traditional marketing
techniques, though people were attracted based on the offers and discounts provided for the
products and services, still delivering more customised options for the products and customised
pricing aspects could be a daunting task. For example, while displaying banners or through print
marketing, there might not be enough space for displaying the options of prices for the products
and services and this problem could be overcome easily with the display of products and its
related pricing options on the website and social media webpages. The traditional marketing
methods also experienced lack of measurement of the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns
while according to Balakrishnan, Dahnil and Yi (2014), the social media marketing campaigns
allowed for identification of the right direction in which the company should move and even
what could go wrong or be unsuccessful in the long run.

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According to various statistical reports, at present, a higher percentage of people have
managed to use the social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and
thus they have been habituated with the management of research online prior to the decision
making related to the purchase of a product or service (Srinivasan, Rutz and Pauwels 2016). The
mobile based platforms account for more than 70 percent of digital ad spending while most of
the Business to consumer or B2C businesses have considered the social media platforms as one
of the widespread marketing tactics for both local and global outreach. According to Londhe
(2014), regardless of whatever industry or business situation it might be, the digital marketing
trends have largely transformed the business functioning and moreover, with the engagement of
social media platforms, investments done in digital ads seemed much more beneficial and
effective than investing in the traditional marketing techniques, which looked to be outdated at
large nowadays (Londhe 2014).
2.5 Gaps in literature
For most of the sections present in the literature review section, the focus has been on the
consideration of only one marketing channel, due to which, lesser discussion had been
undertaken on the analysis of the social media marketing techniques over the traditional efforts
and approaches to marketing. Though, the effectiveness of using the social media platforms for
reaching the targeted audiences at a faster rate and within quick time has been demonstrated in
this section, still the influence that has been created on the traditional approaches to marketing
have been left unexplored, which created a major gap in the literature section. Considering the
use of secondary sources of data and information, there is needs to conduct exploratory research
study and maintain a proper design for the research (Opreana and Vinerean 2015). This should
enable understanding whether the research had been moving in the right direction or not,

21EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
furthermore establish a link between the two variables considered while conducting the research.
Additionally, the market mix components, on which, the traditional marketing tactics were
dependent upon had been approached in details, which might also left some major gaps that
could hinder the successful accomplishment of the research. In spite of the literature gaps, there
had been introduction of new areas for conducting the research in the future while at the same
time, facilitate generation of effective sources for hypothesis, furthermore, could ensure quality
based research and positive outcomes all throughout too.

22EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher had elucidated the research methodological framework
which has been used for the completion of the study. Quinlan et al. (2019) are of the viewpoint
that the framework of research methodology is the detailed plan or for that matter the systematic
approach which is being adopted by the researchers for the completion of the research.
Furthermore, as discussed by Smith (2015), the researchers for the completion of their study are
required to take into account different aspects of the research methodology like research
approach, research design, data collection process and others. This is important since the
effectiveness of the entire study or for that matter the ability of the researchers to answer the
research questions greatly depends on the methodological framework that had been selected by
them (Kumar 2019).
3.2 Research Philosophy
As discussed by Antwi and Hamza (2015), the concept of research philosophy can be
defined as the values, beliefs, guidelines and others that guide the researchers for the completion
of the study that they have undertaken. More importantly, it is seen that the construct of research
philosophy helps the researchers to undertake a critical analysis of the different theories,
frameworks, models and others for the purpose of answering the research questions (Bell,
Bryman and Harley 2018). McCusker and Gunaydin (2015) are of the viewpoint that three of the
most important types of research philosophies that the majority of the researchers commonly
take the help of are positivism, realism and interpretivism. For the effective usage of the
positivism research philosophy, the researchers are required to identify and thereby analyze the

23EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
major problems associated with the topic that they have selected for the purpose of conducting
research. In contrast to this, it is seen that the interpretivism research philosophy is commonly
used by the researchers who are performing researches related to the topics of management and
business (Walliman 2017). Lastly, the realism research philosophy can be seen as a combination
of both the interprevitism and positivism research philosophies (Fletcher 2017).
3.2.1 Justification for the selected Research Philosophy
The researcher for the effective conduct of this research work had selected the positivism
research philosophy. This selection is on the basis of the fact that the usage of this research
philosophy will help the researcher to analyze the topic selected for the research in a logical or a
critical manner. More importantly, the researcher had rejected the interpretivism or the realism
research philosophies since that would have substantially narrowed down the scope of the entire
study.
3.3 Research Design
Alvesson and Sköldberg (2017) are of the viewpoint that three of the most commonly
research designs used by the researchers for the conduct of their research works are explanatory
research design, descriptive research design and exploratory research design. As discussed by
Quinlan et al. (2019), the descriptive research design helps the researchers to link the findings
that they have derived from the analysis of the data gathered for the completion of the research
with the research objectives formulated in the first chapter of the study. This is important
because of the fact that it helps in the creation of the necessary linkage or the connection
between the different chapters of the study and also lends coherence to the same. Taylor, Bogdan
and DeVault (2015), on the other hand, have noted that the exploratory research design requires
the researchers to elucidate the background information or data regarding the problem statement

24EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
that they have selected for the conduct of the study. In contrast to these, the explanatory design is
the one wherein the researchers need to find out and thereby analyze the basic causes of the
problem that they are analyzing in the entire study.
3.3.1 Justification for the Selected Research Design
The researcher for the conduct of this researcher had selected the descriptive research
design. The usage of this research design will help the researcher to link the findings of the entire
study with the research objectives which were formulated in the first chapter of the study. This in
turn is likely to lend the necessary coherence to the study and thereby enhance the quality of the
entire work substantially.
3.4 Research Approach
According to Flick (2015), the construct of research approach can be seen as the
assumptions or processes which had been followed by the researcher for data collection and also
for the effective completion of the entire study itself. Bell, Bryman and Harley (2018) have
stated that two of the most commonly used research approaches by the majority of the
researchers are deductive research approach and the inductive research approach. In this regard,
it needs to be said that the effective usage of the deductive research approach requires the
researchers to take the help of the past literature, especially the theoretical models, concepts,
ideas and others articulated in them (Silverman 2016). In contrast to this, the researchers taking
the help of the inductive research approach need to formulate a new approach on the basis of the
topic that they have selected and also on the basis of the past literature as well (Kumar 2019).

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3.4.1 Justification for the Selected Research Approach
The researcher for the completion of this study had selected the deductive research
approach. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that the usage of this research approach
will help the researcher to take the help of the theoretical frameworks, concepts, models and
others stated in the past literature. This even becomes important from the fact that the researcher
had selected the secondary data collection and thematic analysis for the analysis of the secondary
data.
3.5 Data Collection Process
As opined by Smith (2015), the data collection process refers to the process which had
been used by the researchers for the collection of the relevant or for that matter the required for
the completion of the research. In this regard, it needs to be said that two of the most commonly
used data analysis processes used by the researchers are the secondary data collection process
and the primary data collection process (Antwi and Hamza 2015). The primary data collection
process is the one wherein the researchers take the help of the tools of surveys, questionnaires,
interviews and others for the collection of the information or the data needed for the completion
of the research (Silverman 2016). In contrast to this, the secondary data collection process is the
one wherein the researchers take the help of newspaper articles, credible webpages, peer-
reviewed articles and others for the collection of the necessary data or information required for
the completion of the study (Kumar 2019).
3.5.1 Justification for the Selected Data Collection Process
The researcher for the collection of the required data or the information needed for the
completion of the research had opted for the secondary data collection process. This data
collection process is in alignment with the topic that had been selected by the researcher for the

26EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
conduct of the study. This will enable the researcher to take the help of the different newspaper
articles, peer-reviewed articles, credible webpages and others for the collection of the required or
the relevant data needed for the completion of the research.
3.6 Data Analysis Method
Data analysis method refers to the method which had been selected by the researchers for
the analysis of the primary or the secondary data which had been collected for the conduct of the
study (Fletcher 2017). As discussed by McCusker and Gunaydin (2015), two of the most
important data analysis methods used by the researchers are quantitative data analysis method
and the qualitative data analysis method. In this regard, it needs to be said that the quantitative
data analysis is usually used by the researchers for the analysis of the primary data which they
have collected for the purpose of the research (Bell, Bryman and Harley 2018). On the other
hand, the qualitative data analysis method is usually used by the researchers for the analysis of
the secondary data that they have collected for the completion of the research (Walliman 2017).
3.6.1 Justification for the selected Data Analysis Method
The researcher for the completion of this research had opted for the usage of the
qualitative data analysis method. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that for the data
collection process, the researcher had opted for the secondary data collection method and thus
the usage of the qualitative data analysis method or more precisely the tool of thematic analysis
will help the researcher to analyze the secondary data in an effective manner.
3.7 Ethical Considerations
The researcher for the effective completion of this research will comply with the
academic standards of conducting research. For example, in order to avoid plagiarism the

27EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
researcher intends to give due credit to the authors or the scholars whose works have been used
for the completion of the study through the usage of adequate reference list and also in-text
citations.
3.8 Limitations of the Study
The major limitation of the study under discussion here can be said to be the fact that,
because of resource and time constraints, the researcher had opted for the secondary data
collection process. In this regard, it needs to be said that the secondary sources are not always
reliable and this in turn had substantially narrowed down the scope of the entire study itself.
Thus, had the researcher got more time and also adequate resources the quality as well as the
scope of the study could have been improved in a substantial manner through the usage of the
primary data collection process.
3.9 Summary
To sum up, in this chapter, the researcher had highlighted the detailed methodological
framework along with its different facets which will be used for the completion of the study.
This chapter will be followed by the chapter “Findings and Discussion”.

28EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion
4.1 Introduction
The researcher in this chapter of the study intends to undertake a critical analysis of the
secondary data which had been collected for the completion of the research. Furthermore, the
researcher will also undertake a discussion of the findings obtained from the secondary data in
the light of the concepts articulated in the literature review section of the study. More
importantly, the themes have been obtained from the secondary sources on the basis of the
research questions or the objectives which were formulated in the first chapter of the paper and
this in turn would help the researcher to answer them in an effective manner.
4.2 Thematic Analysis
Quinlan et al. (2019) are of the viewpoint that the process of thematic analysis requires
the researchers to formulate different themes on the basis of the research objectives or the
research questions that they are trying to address. In the particular context of this study, the
researcher had formulated five different themes keeping into perspective the marketing practices
which are being followed within the airline industry of UK and also the researcher objectives
which the study is trying to address.
Theme 1: Present Marketing practices of the airline companies of UK
As per Ibisworld.co.uk (2019), the airline industry of the UK is one of the busiest ones of
the world and it is seen that the number of individuals availing the services offered by the
concerned industry of UK had increased by more than 6.6% in the last two years itself. As a
matter of fact, it is seen that the different airline companies of UK served more than 250 million

29EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
terminal passengers in the year 2018 (Ibisworld.co.uk 2019). More importantly, the airline
industry of UK offers air transportation options to more than 370 international locations along
with the different domestic locations (Ibisworld.co.uk 2019). In the light of these facts, it can be
said that the construct of marketing forms an integral part of the different airline companies
which in turn enabled them to attain the above-mentioned milestones or success.
Perez-Vega et al. (2018) are of the viewpoint that the primary objective of the different
airline companies behind the usage of the construct of marketing is to convey effective
information to the customers regarding the services offered by them. As discussed by De Mooij
(2018), this is important since if the customers have no idea regarding the services offered by the
airline companies then it is likely that they would not opt for the services offered by them. This
in turn is likely to adversely affect the growth rate as well as the profitability of the companies
under discussion here. However, the major problem arises because of the fact that over the years
it had been seen that the different airline companies of UK had relied primarily on the traditional
marketing practices. For example, it had been seen that they had followed the practice of
advertising about the services offered by them over television, radio, newspaper and other kinds
of media sources (Bowen and Baloglu 2015). However, because of the limited viewership or the
membership of these media platforms the sales volume and the profitability of these companies
have narrowed down in a substantial manner (Lawton 2017). Thus, it is presently seen that the
majority of the airline companies are resorting to the usage of various kinds of digital marketing
strategies like social media marketing, content marketing and others so as to overcome the
limitations of the traditional marketing practices.
According to Chen, Lu and Tang (2019), an important trend seen within the airline
industry of UK is the fact that the majority of the companies related to the same are actively

30EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
taking the help of the construct of social media marketing. For example, it is seen that they are
posting user-based contents over the different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram
and others so as to influence the buying behavior of the customers (Amaro and Duarte 2017).
The advertisements or the contents posed by the airline companies over the social media
platforms because of the large number of users have wide audience and also the cost that these
companies incur for the same is very nominal in comparison to the amount spent by them for the
traditional marketing advertisements (Taneja 2017). More importantly, it is seen that the
customers have the opportunity to get their queries resolved over the social media pages of the
airline companies and can also check the reviews given by the customers who have opted for the
services offered by the companies in the past (Xiang, Magnini and Fesenmaier 2015). Thus, it
can be said that the process of social media marketing used by the airline companies have helped
the companies to enhance their sales volume and also profitability in an exponential manner.
Theme 2: Differences between the traditional marketing practices and the social media
marketing practices used by the airline companies of UK
As discussed by Hanke (2016), the differences in the traditional marketing practices and
the social media practices not only become apparent when the benefits offered by both of them
are taken into account but also in terms of the mechanisms which both of them requires the
companies to use. For example, as pointed out by Van Osch and Coursaris (2017), the tool of
traditional marketing requires the airline companies to develop advertisement contents which are
meant for broadcasting over television, newspapers, radios and other traditional media platforms
which have limited membership. More importantly, it is seen that ‘word of mouth’ is an
important part of the traditional marketing strategy however because of the large nature of the
business operations and also the large target market served by the airline industry of UK it is not

31EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
possible to rely solely on this measure (Xiang et al. 2015). In addition to these, it had been seen
that the different airline companies have to spend a substantial amount of capital for the
development or the formulation of various kinds of traditional marketing advertisements
intended to influence the buying behavior of the customers (Ramanathan, Subramanian and
Parrott 2017).
Zhang and Lin (2015) have articulated the viewpoint that the effective usage of the
strategy of social media marketing requires the airline companies to post advertisements
regarding the services offered by them over the different social media platforms. This is
important since it is seen that the airline companies do not have pay any additional amount of
payment to the social media platforms for placing their advertisements over the same. In addition
to this, the wide membership that the different social media platforms have ensures the fact that
the advertisements placed by the airline companies are being viewed by a large number of
individuals (Dijkmans, Kerkhof and Beukeboom 2015). Furthermore, the comments left by the
past customers regarding their experience with the companies also helps in influencing the
decision making process of the customers in a substantial manner (Amaro, Duarte and Henriques
2016). In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the social media marketing practices offers
distinctive benefits to the airline companies over the traditional marketing practices which in turn
influences the airline companies to use the same.
Theme 3: Limitations of the traditional marketing practices used by the airline companies
of UK
Díaz and Martín-Consuegra (2016) are of the viewpoint that the one of the major reasons
for the emergence of the different kinds of digital marketing strategies, particularly, the social

32EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
media marketing, is to overcome the limitations or the short-comings of the traditional marketing
strategies or practices. For example, one of the most important limitations of the traditional
marketing practices can be said to be its lack of timeliness. In this regard, it needs to be said that
the different advertisements placed by the airline companies take a substantial amount of time
before they are actually viewed by the audiences or the target market (Coursaris, van Osch and
Balogh 2016). Many a time it happens that the information regarding the discounted flight rate
reaches the customers way past the concerned offer have already been closed or stopped by the
airline company. Furthermore, another important limitation of the traditional marketing is the
fact that the airline companies need to pay a substantial amount of capital to the television
channels, radio stations, newspaper companies and others for broadcasting their advertisements
in addition to the capital that they need to pay for the development of the advertisements
(Lamberton and Stephen 2016). More importantly, because of the limited number of people who
read newspapers or watch television or listen to radios it is seen that the airline companies
through the usage of the traditional marketing practices are not being able to reach out to the
desired number or the kind of audiences or customers (Hsu and Lawrence 2016).
Theme 4: Effectiveness of social media marketing over the traditional marketing practices
used by the airline companies of UK
The effectiveness of the social media marketing practices over the traditional marketing
practices becomes apparent when the benefits offered by the social media practices to the
different airline companies are being taken into account. In this regard, it needs to be said that
one of the most important benefits offered by the social media marketing is the fact that it had
enabled the airline companies to overcome the limitations or the short-comings of the traditional
marketing practices (Ukpabi and Karjaluoto 2017). As discussed by Seo and Park (2018), the

33EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
social media marketing is relatively cheaper, less time consuming, offers the opportunity to the
airline companies to reach out to a larger number of customers or target audiences, help the
companies to create user-centric advertisements based on their recent activities over the social
media platforms and others. In addition to these, it had been seen that in the airline industry of
UK the enterprises like British Airways Plc, EasyJet Airline Company Ltd and others which take
the help of social media marketing have been able to attain a higher growth rate as well as
profitability in comparison to the airline companies which are still relying on the traditional
marketing practices (Sheth 2017). More importantly, effectiveness of the social media marketing
over the traditional marketing practices also becomes apparent from the fact that it had helped
the airline companies like British Airways and others to substantially improve their brand or
market image as well which in turn had enabled them to gain a higher market exposure not only
in the nation of UK but also in the overseas market as well (Hudson et al. 2015). However, the
above-analysis of the traditional marketing practices used by the airline companies clearly
indicates that these benefits are not being offered by them and it is precisely here that the
effectiveness of the social media marketing over the traditional practice lies.
Theme 5: Contribution of social media marketing in gaining market exposure and
improving brand image
Wattanacharoensil and Schuckert (2015) have articulated the viewpoint that an important
benefit offered by the usage of the social media marketing to the airline companies which is
often overlooked is the fact that it helps in the improvement of the brand or the market image of
the concerned companies in a substantial manner. As a matter of fact, it is seen that a strong
online presence of the companies substantially boosts their brand or market image. This can be
explained on the basis of the fact that the airline companies through the usage of the different

34EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
digital marketing strategies, particularly, the social media marketing, are being able to not only
promote the services offered by them but also cascade important information regarding their
brand history and the other facets of their business (Shaw 2016). For example, presently it is seen
that the customers before availing the services offered by a company generally like to conduct
their own personal research and tend to opt for the services of the companies which boasts of a
positive brand image (Hudson et al. 2015). This in turn had helped the airline companies to gain
the desired or the right kind of market exposure which in turn had enabled them to substantially
enhance the prospects of their business (Sheth 2017). On the basis of these aspects, it can be said
that the effective usage of social media marketing had helped the airline companies of UK to not
only improve their brand or market image but at the same time to gain the right kind of market
exposure as well.
4.3 Discussion of the Findings
The opinion of Tuten and Solomon (2017) stated in the literature review section of the
study indicated that marketing forms one of the core business functions of the enterprises and
helps them to cascade the required or the relevant information regarding the products or services
offered by them to the customers. Furthermore, in the findings section of the study Perez-Vega et
al. (2018) have also reverberated the same viewpoint by stating that the airline companies of UK
also use the tool of marketing for the attainment of the same purpose or objective. In the light of
this aspect, it can be said that the major objective of the airline companies behind the usage of
the different marketing practices, be it the traditional marketing practices or social media
marketing, is to inform their customers regarding the services offered by them. The act of
offering this information to the customers is important since if the customers do not have the
desired or the required information regarding the airline services offered by the companies then

35EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
they are likely to not opt for the same. Thus, it can be said that the airline companies need to
ensure the fact that the marketing practices that they are using in explicit manner conveys the
required information to the customers regarding the services offered by them.
Van Osch and Coursaris (2017) in the findings section of the study have stated that there
are various differences between the traditional marketing practices and social media marketing
and this becomes apparent not only in the media channels that are being used by the airline
companies but also in the advertisements which are being developed by them. For example, they
explicitly mention the fact that there are various factors like cost-effectiveness, timeliness, the
opportunity to reach out to a larger number of customers and others which propel the airline
companies to prefer social media marketing over the traditional marketing practices. This
viewpoint of Van Osch and Coursaris (2017) is also reverberated by Felix, Rauschnabel and
Hinsch (2017) in the literature review section of the study wherein they have stated that these are
precisely the reasons why the business enterprises opt for the usage of social media marketing
rather than the traditional marketing practices. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the
airline companies rather than merely depending on the traditional marketing practices which
substantially narrow down the scope of their business should use social media marketing that
offer the above-mentioned benefits or advantages to them.
Srinivasan, Rutz and Pauwels (2016) in the literature review section of the study have
stated that some of the most important limitations of the traditional marketing practices can be
attributed to the fact that they are costly in nature, limited in scope, time consuming and others.
The authors have furthermore stated that it is precisely because of these limitations or short-
coming that the business enterprises presently tend to use the different kinds of digital marketing
strategies, particularly social media marketing. Díaz and Martín-Consuegra (2016) have

36EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
supported this viewpoint of Srinivasan, Rutz and Pauwels (2016) in the findings section of the
study by stating the fact that the limitations of the traditional marketing practices or for that
matter the benefits offered by social media marketing propel the airline companies to prefer
social media marketing over traditional marketing practices. As a matter of fact, within the
airline industry of UK it had been seen that because of the limitations of the traditional marketing
practices, the majority of the airline companies of UK like British Airlines and others in the
recent times have switched over to social media marketing for the purpose of marketing or
promoting the airline services offered by them.
As per Seo and Park (2018), in the findings section of the study, have stated that the
effectiveness of social media marketing over the traditional marketing practices become apparent
from the fact that they are highly cost-effective in nature, they offer the opportunity to the airline
companies to reach out to a larger customer base or target market, timeliness and others. As a
matter of fact, in the particular context of the airline companies like British Airlines Plc, EasyJet
Airline Company Ltd and others they have contributed in a substantial manner towards the
improvement of their business prospects. This is something that the concerned airline companies
of UK were not being able to do through the usage of the traditional marketing practices over the
years. In this regard, it needs to be stated that the authors Godey et al. (2016) in the literature
review section of the study actually support this idea of Seo and Park (2018). For example,
Godey et al. (2016) concur with the idea that the effectiveness of the social media marketing
stems from the benefits or the advantages offered by them which the traditional marketing
practices do not offer to the enterprises.
Wattanacharoensil and Schuckert (2015), in the findings section of the study, have stated
the idea that two of the most important benefits offered by the usage of social media marketing

37EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
in the particular context of the airline industry which had been often overlooked can be attributed
to the improvement of brand image and increased market exposure. This becomes especially
important from the perspective of the airline companies since it had been seen that the modern
customers take into account the brand image of the companies before opting for the services
offered by them. In addition to this, it had been seen that the effective usage of social media
marketing had helped the airline companies to gain increased market exposure not only in the
airline industry of UK but also worldwide as well. In this regard, it needs to be said that Zhu and
Chen (2015) have supported this viewpoint of Wattanacharoensil and Schuckert (2015) by
stating that the effective usage of social media marketing helps the enterprises to improve their
brand or market image and also to gain a higher amount of market exposure. In the light of these
aspects, it can be said that the airline companies of UK rather than merely depending on the
traditional marketing practices need to embrace the construct of social media marketing not only
for the improvement of their brand image and also to enhance the level of market exposure or
penetration.
4.4 Summary
To sum up, in this chapter, the researcher undertook a critical analysis of the findings
from the secondary sources. More importantly, the findings obtained from the secondary sources
were also discussed in the light of the concepts articulated in the literature review section of the
study. This chapter is followed by the chapter “Conclusion and Recommendations”.

38EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Chapter 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion
Social media marketing had become the recent trend within the framework of the
contemporary business world and offers different benefits or advantages to the enterprises which
in turn propels the business enterprises to prefer them over the traditional marketing practices.
This becomes apparent even in the particular context of the airline industry of UK as the above
discussion makes it evident. As a matter of fact, the above discussion makes it apparent that the
various benefits offered by the usage of social media marketing like cost-effectiveness,
timeliness, the opportunity to reach out to a larger target market and others lends effectiveness to
social media marketing over the traditional marketing practices. For example, some of the most
important limitations of the traditional marketing practices are its cost ineffectiveness, lack of
timeliness, the narrow target market that it focuses on and others. Thus, it can be said that the
different airline companies of UK through the effective usage of social media marketing try to
overcome the short-coming or the limitations of the traditional marketing practices. In addition to
these, the effective usage of social media marketing offers the opportunity to airline companies
to not only improve their brand or market but at the same time to gain a higher market exposure
as well. These aspects of the process of social media marketing in the particular context of the
airline industry of UK become apparent from the above sections of the study.

39EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
5.2 Linking with Objectives
Objective 1: To understand the factors which make the companies prefer social media
marketing strategy over the traditional marketing strategies in the airline industry of UK
The literature review section of the study and also the findings obtained from the
secondary data clearly indicates the fact that the benefits or the advantages offered by the usage
of social media marketing are the most important factors which motivate the airline companies of
UK to take the help of the same. As a matter of fact, it is seen that the effective usage of the
social media marketing by the airline companies of UK offers them various benefits which are
not being offered by the usage of traditional marketing practices. Some of the most important
benefits in this regard are cost-effectiveness, timeliness, the opportunity to reach out to a larger
target market and others which are not being offered by the traditional marketing practices to the
airline companies. Thus, it is seen that the different airline companies of UK take the help of
different social media platforms for promoting or marketing the airline services offered by them
to the customers.
Objective 2: To identify the differences between social media marketing and traditional
marketing in the airline industry of UK
The above discussion clearly indicates that the major differences between the traditional
marketing practices and social media marketing stems not only from the benefits offered by the
two but also the mechanisms that the airline companies are required to use for the concerned
marketing strategies. For example, the usage of social media marketing requires the airline
companies to post advertisements regarding the airline services offered by them over the
different media channels to influence the decision making process of the customers. On the other

40EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
hand, the usage of the traditional marketing practices requires the airline companies to broadcast
the advertisements created by them over the traditional media channels like television, radio,
newspaper and others so as to influence the behavior of the customers. In addition to this, the
usage of social media marketing is generally cheaper, timely in nature, offers the opportunity to
the airline companies to reach out to a larger customer base and others. On the other hand, the
usage of traditional marketing practices is more expensive in nature, not timely in nature and
offers exposure to a lesser number of customers only. These in short are some of the major
differences between the traditional practices and social media practices used by the airline
companies.
Objective 3: To determine how the usage of social media marketing is more effective than
traditional marketing in gaining market exposure and enhanced brand image in the airline
industry of UK
The usage of social media marketing offers the much needed online exposure to the
different airline companies of UK. This is important since an effective online presence of the
airline companies adds in a substantial manner towards the brand or the market image of the
companies while offering them the opportunity to reach out to a larger number of customers.
More importantly, the usage of social media marketing by conveying the required information to
the customers regarding the airline services offered by the enterprises and also about the
company helps the companies to gain the trust of the customers which in turn adds to the brand
image of the concerned companies. This is essential since in the present times because of the
large number of options which are available to the customers they have become very conscious
regarding the brand or the market image of the airline companies. Thus, it can be said that the

41EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
effective usage of social media marketing not only helps the airline companies to improve their
brand image but also helps them to gain a higher market exposure as well.
Objective 4: To recommend ways through the companies can attain a higher level of
success through the usage of social marketing strategy in the airline industry of UK
The above study in a succinct manner indicates that there are various ways through which
the airline companies can attain a higher level of success via the usage of social media
marketing. For example, the airline companies can design user-centric advertisements which will
be based on the past search history of the customers over the social media platforms. This in turn
would help the companies to create the kind of advertisements which will help them to influence
the decision-making process of the customers in the best possible manner. Secondly, the airline
companies have the opportunity to post updates regarding the upcoming services which they
would be offering in future over the different social media platforms in advance so as to create
anticipation among the customers and thereby bank on the same. Thirdly, the airline companies
can take the help of the social media marketing experts to create the kind of online marketing
advertisements which will help them to enhance their sales volume and thereby profitability.
5.3 Recommendations
Some of the most important recommendations that the airline companies of UK can
follow in order to attain a higher level of success are listed below-
 Creation of User-centric advertisements: The airline companies have the opportunity
to create effective marketing or promotional advertisements through the usage of the past
search history or the preferences shown by the customers over the different social media

42EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
platforms. This will help the airline companies to influence the customers in the best
possible manner.
 Offering information regarding services which will be in launched in future: The
airline companies have the opportunity to divulge information regarding the airline
services that they would be launching in the future over their social media portals. This
will help the companies to create anticipation among the customers which they can bank
on at the time of the launch of the services.
 Social media marketing professionals: The airline companies can take the help of the
different social media professionals for the creation of effective marketing
advertisements. This will help the concerned companies to create the kind of
advertisements which will enable them to influence the buying behavior of the customers
in the best possible manner.
5.4 Future Scope
As already stated, the majority limitation of the study is the fact that because of time and
resource constraints the researcher had to take the help of the secondary data collection process.
Thus, in the future, the researcher had the opportunity to take the help of primary data to improve
the accuracy or the credibility of the study. In addition to this, the researcher also has the
opportunity to use some particular airline companies of UK to render effectiveness to the study
and thereby enhance its quality.

43EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
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