The Internet Marketing and the SMEs. A Comparative Analysis of Dentistry Strategies for Online and Printed Advertising
The Internet Marketing and the SMEs. A Comparative Analysis of Dentistry Strategies for Online and Printed Advertising

Summary/Abstract: In the Internet era, it is not surprising that more sectors are turning to online technique in order to grow their efficiency. In the latest years, dental care providers have implemented Internet marketing tools to a greater extent. Our study aims at identifying the strategic differences between websites and printed advertisements in Romanian dental industry. Specifically, we try to assess providers‘ websites marketing orientation towards direct response websites or image consolidation. We choose dental care sector because the online techniques, used materials and procedures are rapidly evolving in this particular branch of health industry. In order to achieve our goal, the paper examines the state of the art in direct response vs. image orientation. A customized methodology was elaborated. The study is an exploratory research, using the qualitative approach: contents analysis. Moreover, we compared the obtained results to the traditional advertising direct response vs. image of the 879 advertisements published in Dental Target Magazine in the last five years. For websites analysis, the sample consists in 137 Romanian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from dental industry. A specific methodology was built to reach this objective. The results reflect an extensive prioritization of dental actors toward online presence through websites. However, the displayed tools for virtual communication reflect a basic stage of development in this field. The study reveals also a balanced orientation between direct marketing and brand orientation. The website‘s message is in the great majority of cases rational, using reasons, by displaying information rather than images.There are important disparities between online and traditional marketing communication strategy, dental practitioners being more concerned in building an image than the suppliers. In addition, we hope that the study on the dental industry companies can provide a benchmark for the companies in other industries that wish to implement a website.

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