9th Student Research Conference in Marketing (SRCM) - 2025

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://repository.kln.ac.lk/handle/123456789/29644

Browse

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

Direct Marketing Strategies and Effect on Increasing Readership from Newspaper Inquire on Reviving the Dying Industry Newspaper
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Harshana, H. C.; Patabendige, S. S. J.; Dhuveeshan, M.
This study aimed to inquire about the effect of direct marketing strategy on increasing readership in Reviving the Dying Industry Newspaper. In today Sri Lankan newspaper industry facing a very difficult situation because of the decreased readership pattern of the Trio of decades. New technologies and the rise of digital and social media changed the print media sector at the turn of the twenty-first century, bringing many challenges to print newspapers. in this study identified key empirical gaps such as how to revitalize the dying industry, the lack of long-lasting effects of directly concentrating on newspaper marketing campaigns as a strategy. in practically shows the reports newspaper industry worldwide step by step dying because of the total estimated weekday circulation of daily newspapers in the United States fell from 55.8 million in 2000 to 24.2 million in 2020, a steep decline. past surveys show major issues of the future of the newspaper industry, 78% of the readership population is 50 years and above. That key factor shows, that it is going to cause serious trouble for the newspaper industry as this generation passes away. This research is an understanding to find the possibilities of direct marketing as a means of reviving dying the newspaper industry in Sri Lanka, keeping in mind the empirical gap in the long-term effects of direct marketing and a practical gap in implementing cost-effective strategies in direct marketing. Hence, the objectives of this study are to determine which direct marketing approaches increase the readership and keep the readers engaged for the long term while taking into consideration the demographic differences and economic constraints in the industry. Direct marketing strategies were measured in four dimensions: direct selling strategies, direct mail strategies, telemarketing strategies, and SMS marketing strategies. This research study, to achieve its aim, adopted a positivist paradigm motivated by the deductive approach using developed models and theories of explanatory research design. A Google Form questionnaire survey was issued to 366 out of 404 respondents using a non-probability sampling technique to carry out the study. The respondents were those who purchased a locally published newspaper and read it within three months. They were over 15 years old and were in the Sri Lankan newspaper industry. The key findings of the study, under the simple linear regression, revealed that direct selling strategies, direct mail strategies, telemarketing strategies, and SMS marketing strategies have significantly moderate positive relationships in increasing newspaper readership in Dying Industry Newspaper. However, telemarketing strategies show a weak positive relationship with newspaper readership in Sri Lanka's newspaper industry. Based on the findings, it would be necessary for direct marketers to assist Sri Lankan newspaper companies in developing direct marketing strategies according to the demographic stages of their readers regarding the educational level, age, gender, status, and income levels, for increasing readership. The key findings include the practical constraints that limit generalized results concerning sample size and accessibility. Therefore, it should have been possible to identify variables and indicators in the absence of earlier studies on the effect of direct marketing on readership. Future studies might include research on Social and Digital Integration, Email Marketing, and other methodologies like field-level marketing strategies to examine their effectiveness. A longitudinal and mixed-method approach should validate these findings and further complement them with comprehensive insights into the revival of readership behaviors.
The Effectiveness of Short Message Services (SMS) Marketing on Customer Engagement in Mobile Apps in the Mobile Telecommunication Industry in Sri Lanka: The Mediating Effect of Attitude Towards SMS
(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Herath, W. M. T. D.; Patabendige, S. S. J.; Dhuveeshan, M.
With the rapid evolution of mobile technology, SMS marketing has become an integral tool in enhancing customer engagement, particularly within mobile apps. This study investigates the effectiveness of SMS marketing in the Sri Lankan mobile telecommunication industry, with a specific focus on how attitude towards SMS mediates its impact on customer engagement in mobile apps. By addressing a critical research gap, this study integrates SMS marketing strategies, consumer behavior, and technological adoption to evaluate their interconnected effects within the industry. The research adopts a positivist approach, utilizing a quantitative methodology to test hypotheses employing a structured survey with 26 questions targeting 418 respondents aged 18 and above. The analysis focuses on three primary variables: SMS marketing as the independent variable, customer engagement in mobile apps as the dependent variable, and attitude towards SMS as the mediating variable. The conceptual framework is based on the Stimuli-Organism-Response (SOR) model, examining the relationship between SMS marketing, attitude towards SMS, and customer engagement. Data analysis techniques include reliability and validity assessments, regression analysis, and mediation testing to validate the hypotheses. The research was conducted within the Sri Lankan mobile telecommunication industry, and data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 to ensure accurate statistical insights. Findings reveal a significant positive relationship between SMS marketing and customer engagement in mobile apps, with attitude towards SMS acting as a critical mediator. Specifically, SMS marketing's effectiveness is enhanced when customers perceive the messages as entertaining, informative, and credible. Conversely, irritation an intrusive SMS content negatively impacts engagement. The mediating role of attitude underscores the importance of emotional and cognitive responses in determining the success of SMS campaigns. The study also identifies key factors influencing attitudes towards SMS, including entertainment, informativeness, irritation, credibility and intrusiveness. The study acknowledges several limitations, including a relatively small sample size because of the time limitation. Future research could expand the scope to include cross-industry comparisons or longitudinal studies to examine the evolving dynamics of SMS marketing and app engagement. Additionally, exploring the role of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, in personalizing SMS content offers promising avenues for further investigation. Theoretical implications extend existing literature on mobile marketing by bridging the gap between SMS marketing and app engagement, highlighting the interplay of customer attitudes as a mediator. Practically, the findings provide actionable insights for telecommunication companies in Sri Lanka. To maximize engagement, marketers should focus on crafting personalized and contextually relevant SMS campaigns that resonate with customers' preferences and reduce perceived intrusiveness. Furthermore, integrating SMS marketing with app-based promotions and leveraging data analytics can enhance the alignment of marketing strategies with user behaviors.