Challenges When Communicating Customer Value of an Online Language Learning Tool: Case Online Marketing for Penetrating Spain

摘要

The existing online market is filled day after day with new companies that try to address even bigger customer base. The ease of addressing customers enabled by technology makes many of these companies try to apply the same strategies and procedures value despite of online products and markets being different from each other. To some extent, in the online language learning industry same applies, however, the usability and utility factor of online learning tools influences a lot in the success of these tools. Furthermore, cultural factors do also influence, enabling some challenges that other online products and solutions may not face.The objective of this report is to identify important challenges present when communicating customer value of an online language learning tool to a specific market, Spain, and to gain an understanding of the specific characteristics that online language learning tools show as to apply them by using online marketing for penetrating this market. To understand the implication and impact of these challenges, an extensive and exhaustive literature review has been conducted in order to provide a simple, clear and ordered structure to the different and widespread literature concerning interrelated topics and similar concepts. Furthermore, a case study research, conducted in collaboration with a Finnish online learning language tool provider, is presented and discussed in this thesis. The final outcome of this thesis shows how online language learning do share some similarities with online solutions specially when it comes to customer value and purchasing behavior; however they also present their own specific and important differences. Besides, this outcome also brings up the importance of the software in online language learning which in many occasions goes completely unattended. Furthermore, the thesis provides a simple but explanatory way of successfully addressing the initial stage of customer value communication while conducting online marketing for an online language learning tool to a specific market, the rise of awareness. Finally, this thesis also addresses some considerations and limitations faced during the case study research and some factors that should be looked into in future research.