The traditional business ethos has been turned upside down by the advent of the Internet, and many of the subsequent chapters in this book will be exploring the dot.com phenomenon in greater detail. However, a business can't survive in the dot.com era without: 1. A realistic, profitable, SMART business plan. 2. A customer-focused marketing strategy. Whilst many dot.com companies have failed, many could have survived with greater marketing expertise and brand building.
From a marketing skills perspective, marketers need to see the Internet as a strategic business transformation and a new channel to market, both of which allow marketers to build new business and better one-to-one relationships with new and existing customers. Earlier we looked at job advertisements from twenty years ago. We will now consider those from 2001: Head of Direct Marketing .You must be skilled in strategic planning, using databases, negotiating contracts and working at a senior level. You should also have a record of providing creative solutions to a variety of marketing problems and working with IT specialists to achieve the most appr riate support for marketing needs. The Guardian, Media Supplement, • Web Communications Manager