TY - BOOK AU - Rajagopal, TI - Managing social media and consumerism: the grapevine effect in competitive markets SN - 113728191X AV - HF5415.1265 .R35 2013 U1 - 658.872 23 PY - 2013/// CY - Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire PB - Palgrave Macmillan KW - Internet marketing KW - Marketing KW - Social aspects KW - Consumer behavior KW - Online social networks N1 - Includes bibliographical references and index; Machine generated contents note: -- Part I; Evolution of social media --; 1; Shifts in Marketing Communication --; 2; Market Communication and Grapevines --; 3; Strategic Planning with Social Media --; Part II; Analysis of social media effects --; 4; Social Marketing --; 5; Digital communities --; 6; Social Media for Consumer Insight --; 7; Social Media Metrics --; 8; Technology and Media Effectiveness -- Part III; The synthesis --; 9; The Human Factors --; 10; Communication and Conflicts --; 11; Globalization and Consumer Behavior N2 - "The social media and spread of communication through various social networks form the communication grapevine. This is an emerging informal channel of business communication and a critical element in building the posture of a firm in a competitive marketplace. The grapevine effect is contributed to by the social media through word-of-mouth that stretches throughout the market irrespective of the various measures taken by firms to build their brand and competitive posture. This volume categorically reviews the theories of communication, best practices in social media and previous research, and analyzes the corporate involvement towards strategic and tactical stewardship in serving customer-centric business requirements. There are many types of grapevines that are developed in various niches which stem from emotion, sensitivity, personality, assumptions, experiences, and social conventions. Through an examination of this functional phenomenon of the grapevines and their effect, and by citing examples of various companies, Managing Social Media and Consumerism discusses the best ways to define a social media plan"-- Provided by publisher ER -