The role of contextual marketing strategies in relationship marketing approach and an application

Rapid changes that has occurred in information and communication technologies recently has led to a great amount of transformation within a number of areas, particularly economy-related ones, on micro and macro levels. The period in which businesses operate is now called "the customer age" where the customer is the fundamental element in the balance of power. Attitude of businesses towards their customers under these strict conditions of competition has become a determining factor for the success of those businesses. In such an environment where there is a trend from mass marketing to individual marketing and in the electronic commerce domain where relationship marketing approach in the centre of which stays "the individual and strong bounds with customers and developments in information technology breaks down the traditional market interaction; contextual marketing strategy becomes one of the prominent concepts. The aim of this study is to reveal, via an empirical research, whether the elements that build up the structure in contextual marketing as an application dimension of relationship marketing have any influence on relationship marketing and the customer repurchase intention. Within the scope of the study, a survey was conducted in Gaziantep Airport with 400 customers who use Miles & Smiles Card. Data gained through the surveys were subjected to statistical analysis in accordance with the objectives of the study. Results of the analyses showed that there is a relation between elements of contextual marketing strategy and elements of relationship marketing approach, that the elements of contextual marketing have positive impacts on the effects of relationship marketing elements, and that the elements of relationship marketing have positive impacts on the customer repurchase intention. Key Words: Relationship marketing, contextual marketing, information technologies