Big Data and the implication for International Marketing. The Amazon case study

Berthon et al., in their paper, propose five axioms marketers should keep in mind in order to make effective use of social media and constructively engage creative consumers. These axioms relate to how social media and creative consumers arise.

1. Social media is a function of a country’s technology, culture and government
First, the level of technological advancement (i.e. internet bandwidth and speed) affects the usage and the adoption of a specific social media. Second, the popularity of a social media depends also on the attitude of that country’s government about the particular social medium (a clear example the Chinese government has banned many social network platforms, among which Facebook and WhatsApp. Third, the choice and popularity of social media are also determined by cultural norms and values.
Technology could also be “old” and there are many alternatives available, but what really matters are the so-called network externalities: if a new technology is not adopted and customers continue to adopt the old one, the new technology is useless.

2. In the age of social media, local events almost inevitably become global, whether the firm wishes it to or not
This means that company executives must continually monitor local news concerning a firm’s product offerings and brands, and gauge the impact of seemingly local events on overall strategy. What seems like a minor irritation in a local market could blow up into
a major global catastrophe for the firm.

3. In the age of social media, general issues seldom remain general
That is, macro issues tend to be (re)interpreted locally. In this way, a global issue, such as a financial crisis, is viewed and processed in very different ways by different countries. By and large, this has always been the case. However, social media has sped up this process dramatically and added an increased element of unpredictability. Things happen now more quickly and with less certain outcomes.

4. The actions and creations of creative consumers tend to be a function of a country’s technology, culture and government
The “creative consumer” phenomenon refers to the fact that there are consumers worldwide who adapt, modify, or transform firms’ proprietary offerings. They represent an enthralling contradiction for firms. Creative consumers appropriate firm value and revenues with their blatant disregard for copyright and the notion of intellectual property. By tampering with proprietary products, they can often produce something truly dangerous. However, they can also be a gold mine of ideas and business prospects, as they identify opportunities that become sources of revenue and growth for the firm. Notwithstanding creative consumers have always existed, now they are connected among them and can disseminate their ideas thanks to Web 2.0 and social media. When it comes to creative consumers, international marketers need to realize that consumers in some countries will hack and modify offerings, while those in others will not or will change them in different ways.

5. Technology tends to be historical/path dependent
That is, technologies in different countries evolve along unique trajectories due to inertia rather than because they are the optimal solution. It depends on existing infrastructures, culture and governments: all factors that international marketing strategists should not ignore

From the axioms n. 1 and 3 we can say that social media facilitate the rapid dissemination of information, allowing the spread of interpretive frameworks that make sense of that information.