Economics Today and Tomorrow

Introduction
Students have read about marketing and its importance in the promotion and sale of a product. In this lesson, students will examine the use of the Internet in direct marketing, and how it can be a useful and powerful tool for businesses worldwide.

Lesson Description
Students will use information from the Web Marketing Info Center Web site to learn about Internet marketing. They can browse the site to collect information from different topics, such as the "Advertising ABCs" and "Why Internet Advertising?" categories. Students will answer four questions and then use what they have learned to create a pamphlet promoting the use of direct marketing over the Internet.

Previous Knowledge Expected
e-commerce: conducting business transactions over computer networks, particularly the World Wide Web

Applied Content Standards (from the National Council on Economic Education) Standard 9: Competition among sellers lowers costs and prices, and encourages producers to produce more of what consumers are willing and able to buy. Competition among buyers increases prices and allocates goods and services to those people who are willing and able to pay the most for them.

1. Students will understand the forms of promotion available on the Internet.
2. Students will understand why Web marketing has become an important marketing tool for commerce.
3. Students will use this information to create a pamphlet promoting the use of the Internet for direct marketing purposes.

1. Students' answers should include banner advertisements, E-mail marketing, contests, coupons, free items (i.e. software), classified advertisements, market research, and direct sales.
2. Students' answers should include: it is available 24 hours at the customer's convenience, it is easy to update, it is inexpensive to access for the customer, it has full multi-media possibilities, it has an international and vast audience, and it is a tool that can be tracked.
3. Students' answers should include: it is available at the customer's convenience, it allows the retailer an opportunity to convey basic business information (store hours, sales, address, etc.), it allows a medium for the retailer to provide product information and build product identification, and it allows for direct sales to a worldwide audience.
4. Students' answers should state that there are free instructional articles on the Internet, ideas of Web site production on the Web, reviews of marketing books on the Web, and names of consulting firms that will help for a fee.
5. Students' pamphlets will vary.