Ict in Marketing: a Study of the Use of Internet and Mobile Phones in Five Selected Companies in Dublin, Ireland

Companies still fall short of their targets, despite advancements in ICT marketing. ICTs like CRM, ERP and Intranet are considered important for creating competitive advantage. Despite their rapid deployment rates, only a few studies mainly from the information technology (IT) and engineering literature have been devoted in uncovering the factors that influence the diffusion of new information technologies and their proper use within an organization. Similarly, empirical studies regarding the impact of ICT diffusion and their proper use in organizations seem limited. The Internet as a business tool can be attributed to its current size and prospected growth, as well as its attractive demographics. The Internet's potential to provide an efficient channel for advertising and marketing efforts is overwhelming, yet no one is really sure how to use it for these activities. Hence, this study is an attempt to fill this research void. The results and analysis show that the companies under study use ICT in their marketing but not maximized. The study revealed that most of the companies have a working website but that a more advanced website use is yet to be achieved.