sustainability
Article
Application of Cluster Analysis in Marketing
Communications in Small and Medium-Sized
Enterprises: An Empirical Study in the
Slovak Republic
Lenka Ližbetinová 1,* , Peter Štarchoˇn 2, Silvia Lorincová 3 , Dagmar Weberová 2 and
Petr Pr ˚uša 4
1 Faculty of Corporate Strategy, The Institute of Technology and Business in Ceske Budejovice,
370 01 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
2 Faculty of Multimedia Communications, Tomas Bata University in Zlín, 760 01 Zlín, Czech Republic;
starchon@utb.cz (P.Š.); weberova@utb.cz (D.W.)
3 Faculty of Wood Sciences and Technology, Technical University in Zvolen, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia;
silvia.lorincova@tuzvo.sk
4 Jan Perner Transport Faculty, University of Pardubice, 532 10 Pardubice, Czech Republic; petr.prusa@upce.cz
* Correspondence: lizbetinova@mail.vstecb.cz; Tel.: +420-380-070-226
Received: 22 March 2019; Accepted: 15 April 2019; Published: 17 April 2019
Abstract: Creating an effective marketing strategy according to current trends is a key process needed
to achieve sustainable growth that can result in attracting a great number of existing as well as
potential customers. Moreover, an enterprise’s success is affected by the aforementioned process. The
aim of the paper is to determine the clusters of small and medium-sized enterprises operating in
the Slovak Republic and the use of marketing communication tools in the future. The research into
marketing communications and customer relationship management (CRM) building in companies
was carried out in Slovakia in the years 2017 and 2018. In total, 1,009 small and medium-sized
enterprises from Slovakia participated in the research. Following a K-means clustering algorithm,
three clusters were determined. Descriptive statistics, cluster analysis using K-means clustering, and
an analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to identify no statistically significant difference in terms
of the size of enterprises.
Keywords: SMEs; marketing communications; marketing communication tools; CRM; customer
database; cluster analysis
1. Introduction and Background
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered the key economic drivers in Europe [1].
Significant contribution to gross domestic product, increasing innovative activities, launching a new
product in a flexible way, creating jobs, retaining existing jobs and generating overall social growth can
be observed [2–10]. In Slovakia, SMEs have a key role in boosting productivity. More than a half of the
active labour force contributing to a large extent to the added value is hired by SMEs [11]. SMEs make
up 99.9% of the total number of enterprises in Slovakia; 96.9% of them are micro-enterprises (with
less than 10 employees), 2.5% are small enterprises and 0.5% are medium-sized enterprises. In the
knowledge economy, innovation ability as well as the sustainability of business processes are key factors
for enterprises thriving and withstanding the fierce market competition [12–15]. The business activities
of SMEs are affected by the growing trend of globalization putting the pressure on businesses in order
to develop effective strategies to succeed in a highly competitive environment [16–19]. In this context,
the business strategies of modern enterprises are aimed at achieving sustainable processes [20,21].
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302; doi:10.3390/su11082302 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 2 of 18
Since the customer relationship management is based on the fact that customer is the main source of
enterprise revenue, finding customers, attracting them, meeting their needs, wishes and interests are the
keys to sustainable growth and subsequent success [22–32]. Marketing communications are becoming
an important part of strategic business management in achieving sustainable development [33–36].
On one hand, it is used to inform employees about performances, to explain the properties, highlight
the benefits, quality, value, the use. On the other hand, it provides ability to listen, propose consumers’
motions and demands, and deal with them appropriately [37,38].
The traditional mix of marketing communications consisting of advertising, public relations, sales
promotion and personal sales is most often used for communication with the customer during the
pre-buy, purchase and after-purchase period [39–42]. Advertisements are the most commonly used
and most popular marketing communication tools delivering important messages to a large group
of consumers faster than any other form of marketing communications [43–45]. While launching a
product or promoting products with low consumer interest or almost no interest due to the lack of
information or low awareness, using public relations has proven to be useful [46,47]. The marketing
communication tool is used in particular because of its huge impact on public opinion. Much lower
costs in comparison to standard advertising can be considered a further reason [48]. The number of
customers can be increased as well as the particular service being supported by sales promotion. The
aim of impersonal communication is to encourage the customer to try to use a particular product or
service with temporary benefits or rewards [49]. When the advertising seems to be ineffective, personal
sales are used as a more demanding form of promotion by providing information, showing, building
long-term relationships, or by persuading certain members of the public [50,51].
New technology developments result in the use new, modern tools of marketing
communications [52–55]. Computers, the Internet, mobile phones, radio, television and various
types of game consoles are used as communication channels to promote products in the area of
digital marketing [56–58]. The growing importance of mobile marketing is caused by mobile phone
penetration. Any marketing activity can be carried out by customers by means of their personal mobile
devices [59,60]. Marketing activities are performed through wireless mobile technology using services
such as Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), Wireless Application
Protocol (WAP), and third-generation network capabilities [61,62]. Maximum publicity with minimal
costs can be achieved through guerrilla marketing highlighting the sensation (unique, original idea
proving courage, joke and innovative thinking) not bothering the target customers and, moreover, not
harming the public [63–65]. Ambient, i.e., non-standard, alternative media, particularly outdoor media
including public transport, benches, bus stops, litter bins, public lighting pillars, public space, shop or
restaurant interiors, are used to attract attention of customers [66,67]. Viral marketing when customers
provide information about the product, service or website has become very popular as well [67–69].
Event marketing is used in order to build relationships with suppliers, clients and own employees.
Organizers of events (concerts and festivals) try to come up with new ideas, beat competitors and attract
the customers [58,67]. Product placement, selling, sponsorship, exhibitions, corporate identity, packing,
and point-of-sale merchandising are examples of advanced marketing communications [48,70,71].
New opportunities to provide information in a quickly accessible form have been available
because of new technology development [72–74]. Consequently, consumers are more demanding,
knowledgeable and well informed [75]. They can choose a product taking into account their
requirements in terms of price, nutrition, function or value for money, etc. Emphasis is placed not
only on the properties, price, quality and delivery conditions, but also on range of sales and after-sales
services [76–79]. Increasing customer diversity results in a great variety of new communication tools
being implemented [80–84]. Creating an effective marketing strategy according to current trends is a
key process needed to achieve sustainable growth that can result in attracting a great number of existing
as well as potential customers. Moreover, enterprise success is affected by the aforementioned process
as well [85–92]. The introduction of the intelligent system known as Industry 4.0 requires enterprises
to adapt to new market demands. Fundamental changes in technological developments are reflected
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 3 of 18
in marketing promotion through a form of new communication and virtual channels. Sustainability
of SMEs implies a greater use of progressive forms of marketing communications and especially
e-marketing tools [93,94]. From this point of view, the attention of researchers in Slovakia is mainly
focused on the use, conditions and research on the effectiveness of these electronic forms of marketing
communication. Pollák and Dorˇcák [95] identified the basic prerequisites for the effective use of the
Facebook social networking site as a platform for marketing communications for SMEs in Slovakia.
Similarly, Hudák et al. [96] in their study tested the marketing elements of an email and provided
recommendations for creating an effective marketing email. Several authors mention the results of
research studies into specific elements of the Internet and mobile marketing communications [97–99].
In terms of research on applied marketing communications in Slovakia, the results are presented in
specific areas such as tourism [100,101], environmental protection [102,103], higher education [104,105],
the hotel industry, and others. In general, there is a lack of research focusing on SMEs in Slovakia.
The aim of the paper is to determine the clusters of SMEs operating in the Slovak Republic
according to use of the marketing communication tools (current use and plans for future). Uniqueness
of the research lies in enhancing the knowledge by looking not only at the current use of marketing
communication tools in the environment of small and medium-sized enterprises in Slovakia, but also
by viewing the future of the use of marketing communication tools. The classification into clusters
brings a new dimension because clusters are created according to the current and planned future use
of marketing communication tools. These clusters are then tested for differences in multiple attributes
such as enterprise size, majority ownership, territorial scope of marketing activities, the use of an
agency to implement marketing programs, the creation of customer database, and the use of a customer
relationship management (CRM) system.
2. Materials and Methods
The research was focused on marketing communications and CRM building in companies in
Slovakia. The research was carried out over the course of the years 2017 and 2018. Representatives
of selected companies, responsible for the decision-making process in marketing management and
marketing communications, participated in the research. When selecting the respondents, a proportional
stratified sampling method was used (regarding the size, location, sector, legal form, major business
owner). Business entities registered with the Infostat Company in the Slovak Republic in 2017 were
considered the sampling unit. The questionnaire was sent to 1600 selected SMEs by an e-mail or by
mail directly to the address of the headquarters or they were addressed personally. At the end of 2017,
257 questionnaires were accepted and 752 questionnaires from SMEs were collected at the beginning of
the year 2018. The total number of SMEs filling the questionnaires correctly was 1009 (see Table 1). The
sampling unit is presented in Table 1. The response rate was 63%.
Table 1. Description of sampling unit.
Type of Enterprise Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent
Small enterprise 869 86.10 86.10 86.10
Medium-sized enterprise 140 13.90 13.90 100.00
Total 1009 100.00 100.00
Source: Authors’ compilation.
The questionnaire consisted of 32 questions aimed at analysing the state-of-the-art of the use of
marketing communication mix elements in the enterprises. Furthermore, attitudes towards applying
new elements of marketing communications and new media as well as towards the current trends
were determined following the questionnaire. Its aim was to identify possible changes in the use of
particular elements of the marketing communication mix. Enquiries relating to the creation and use of
databases, the implementation of CRM systems, the awareness of the concept of integrated marketing
communications and its application in studied enterprises were those of great importance as well. For
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 4 of 18
the purpose of this paper, data associated with the use of selected marketing communication tools
such as television, radio, print media, point of sales, telephone, mobile, the Internet, cinema and other
progressive forms were gathered.
Data were processed using basic descriptive statistics (absolute and relative frequency, arithmetic
mean). Subsequently, the cluster analysis of the K-means cluster in SPSS statistics was used to identify
clusters. Determining empirical types, segments, and biological clusters is based on identifying
sub-clusters with similar vector variable profiles. The procedure follows the Euclidean distance
matrices between rows [106]. The aim of the analysis—to iterate and classify—was selected in order to
specify SME groups in the Slovak Republic according to the applied marketing communication tools
(variables). Since this method is not invariant to the order of cases, four different clustering solutions
(via randomly generated order of cases RU1, RU2, RU3 and RU4 using SPSS statistical program) have
been tested in order to obtain appropriate results. Following number of resulting clusters—3, 4, 5,
and 6 were also tested. Subsequently, the resulting alternative cluster results were evaluated in terms
of composition and preferences in using the marketing communication tools. the option with four
resulting clusters in the random arrangement of RU2 presented in Table 2 seems to be the best. A small
group of nine cases (Cluster 3), completely different from the total set, are included in the resulting
clusters. These cases of small groups are not included in the further analysis [106].
Table 2. Number of cases in each cluster.
Cluster Small Enterprise Medium-Sized Enterprise Row Sums
1 cluster 21.90%
Absolute frequency 187 34 221
Relative frequency 84.60% 15.40%
2 cluster 19.03%
Absolute frequency 156 36 192
Relative frequency 81.30% 18.80%
3 cluster 0.89%
Absolute frequency 9 0 9
Relative frequency 0.89% 0.00%
4 cluster 58.18%
Absolute frequency 517 70 578
Relative frequency 88.10% 11.90%
Total absolute frequency 869 140 1009
Total relative frequency 86.10% 13.90% 100.00%
Source: Authors’ compilation.
Differences in the profiles of created clusters are presented in Table 3. The distance between
Cluster 2 and Clusters 3 and 4 is the greatest one. The minimum difference is between Cluster 1 and
Cluster 4 (i.e., 2.02 times less than between 2 and 4).
Table 3. Distances between final clusters.
Cluster 1 2 3 4
1 6.037 7.281 4.467
2 - 10.172 9.063
3 - - 7.451
4 symmetric - Source:
Authors’ compilation.
Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the resulting clusters. The correlation between formed
clusters is tested using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The following hypothesis was determined:
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 5 of 18
H1: SMEs representing individual clusters (based on the use of marketing communication tools and their
intended use) in terms of selected attributes (enterprise size, majority ownership, territorial scope of marketing
activities, agency used in marketing programs, customer database creation, and CRM use) are equal.
3. Results and Discussion
The data gathered and processed for the needs of SPSS Statistics were subjected to a cluster
analysis of the K-means cluster. An alternative with the four resulting clusters with the random
sequence of the RU2 cases was selected by comparing the possible results of the created clusters.
Subsequently, these results were tested by ANOVA. The results are presented in Table 4. However, the
significance of the differences does not make sense theoretically and, therefore, testing the hypotheses
dealing with ANOVA averages is not possible especially due to the fact that clusters arise in such a
way that the vectors differ as much as possible and the significance of differences is supported this way.
Table 4. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) analysis.
Media Marketing Communications Form
Cluster Error F Sig.
Mean
Square
df
Mean
Square
df
Television
Classic advertising spots 81.284 3 0.382 1005 212.775 0.000
Advertising spots with a direct response 61.367 3 0.492 1005 124.701 0.000
TV program sponsorship 66.569 3 0.248 1005 268.957 0.000
Interviews with company representatives 46.066 3 0.358 1005 128.587 0.000
Interviews 40.469 3 0.641 1005 63.130 0.000
Organizing competitions 96.056 3 0.398 1005 241.057 0.000
Providing prizes to competitions 127.349 3 0.406 1005 313.769 0.000
Product placement 72.096 3 0.376 1005 191.822 0.000
Teleshopping 39.917 3 0.124 1005 321.483 0.000
Teletext 46.413 3 0.131 1005 353.641 0.000
Radio
Classic advertising spots 116.499 3 0.421 1005 276.409 0.000
Advertising spots with a direct response 102.672 3 0.307 1005 334.763 0.000
Program sponsorship 87.123 3 0.268 1005 325.633 0.000
Interviews with company representatives 51.767 3 0.358 1005 144.610 0.000
Interviews 95.709 3 0.474 1005 202.050 0.000
Organizing competitions 75.106 3 0.329 1005 228.165 0.000
Providing prizes to competitions 124.374 3 0.278 1005 446.874 0.000
Product placement 59.299 3 0.230 1005 258.327 0.000
Point of
sale
Leaflets 40.128 3 0.658 1005 60.958 0.000
Posters 49.939 3 0.743 1005 67.237 0.000
Catalogues 54.502 3 0.692 1005 78.755 0.000
Tasting 61.108 3 0.288 1005 212.157 0.000
Competitions 100.865 3 0.504 1005 200.223 0.000
Presentations 51.909 3 0.703 1005 73.891 0.000
Print
(newspapers,
magazines)
Desktop advertising (classic) 62.487 3 0.679 1005 92.051 0.000
Desktop advertising with a response 62.226 3 0.345 1005 180.574 0.000
Line advertising 62.083 3 0.395 1005 157.360 0.000
Inserted leaflets 99.978 3 0.555 1005 180.070 0.000
Inserted samples 75.444 3 0.217 1005 348.172 0.000
Public relations (PR) articles 36.258 3 0.730 1005 49.654 0.000
Organizing competitions 75.991 3 0.407 1005 186.885 0.000
Providing prizes to competitions 94.998 3 0.476 1005 199.482 0.000
Telephone
Passive telemarketing 60.296 3 0.294 1005 205.419 0.000
Active telemarketing 58.988 3 0.437 1005 135.000 0.000
Sales over the phone 48.477 3 0.482 1005 100.553 0.000
Organizing competitions 44.493 3 0.217 1005 204.716 0.000
Mobile
Mobile advertising 81.690 3 0.283 1005 288.476 0.000
Bluetooth marketing 59.691 3 0.050 1005 1204.529 0.000
Banners in applications 69.945 3 0.311 1005 225.094 0.000
Mobile apps 81.223 3 0.331 1005 245.484 0.000
Geolocalisation 59.764 3 0.135 1005 442.572 0.000
Sending short message service (SMS) to
customers
61.569 3 0.599 1005 102.810 0.000
Sending multimedia messaging service (MMS)
to customers
72.361 3 0.197 1005 366.746 0.000
Passive telemarketing 58.921 3 0.213 1005 277.030 0.000
Active telemarketing 62.063 3 0.311 1005 199.528 0.000
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 6 of 18
Table 4. Cont.
Media Marketing Communications Form
Cluster Error F Sig.
Mean
Square
df
Mean
Square
df
Internet
Viral marketing 90.418 3 0.522 1005 173.182 0.000
Discussion forums 59.425 3 0.651 1005 91.259 0.000
Contextual advertising 98.314 3 0.451 1005 217.853 0.000
Website 10.471 3 0.399 1005 26.244 0.000
Sponsoring a discussion forum 56.112 3 0.221 1005 253.399 0.000
Direct e-mail 54.976 3 0.713 1005 77.072 0.000
Banners 53.363 3 0.700 1005 76.220 0.000
Blogs 65.205 3 0.558 1005 116.909 0.000
Vlogs 50.363 3 0.156 1005 323.340 0.000
PPC advertising 60.294 3 0.427 1005 141.128 0.000
Content marketing 48.697 3 0.422 1005 115.395 0.000
Native advertising 36.784 3 0.244 1005 151.019 0.000
Affiliate marketing 60.881 3 0.203 1005 299.907 0.000
Search engine optimization (SEO) 40.226 3 0.572 1005 70.271 0.000
Facebook 23.213 3 0.624 1005 37.209 0.000
Instagram 58.861 3 0.647 1005 90.992 0.000
Youtube 88.188 3 0.507 1005 173.832 0.000
Other social media 61.708 3 0.353 1005 174.572 0.000
Cinema
Cinema advertising 47.540 3 0.199 1005 238.407 0.000
Product placement 44.522 3 0.087 1005 511.045 0.000
Film sponsorship 36.055 3 0.133 1005 270.200 0.000
Other
forms
Organizing events 49.996 3 0.760 1005 65.742 0.000
Co-organizing events 63.608 3 0.662 1005 96.047 0.000
Fairs and exhibitions 22.792 3 0.717 1005 31.773 0.000
Press conferences 67.109 3 0.350 1005 191.499 0.000
Presentation events 30.318 3 0.751 1005 40.355 0.000
Guerrilla marketing 53.010 3 0.111 1005 475.819 0.000
Buzz marketing, WOM 44.943 3 0.121 1005 370.306 0.000
Note: Word of mouth (WOM) is oral communication in the context of a consumer’s behaviour, used to spread
the reputation of the firm, product or service. It is a consumer’s personal recommendation or something that is
discussed. Items essential in determining clusters are highlighted in bold. Source: Authors’ compilation.
The F tests were used for descriptive purposes because the clusters were chosen to maximize the
differences between cases in different clusters. The observed significance levels are not corrected and,
thus, cannot be interpreted as testing the H1 hypothesis. When comparing the results of the F value in
Table 4, the highest values are mentioned in the case of communication most involved in defining the
resulting groups, the clusters. The use of mobilebluetooth marketing (F value of 1204.529, contributing
26.24 times more to determining the clusters than the website—the least evaluated item) was the most
important factor. The use of product placement, guerrilla marketing, price awarding on radio and
mobile geolocalization supported the rise of clusters significantly. Following the methods used, three
significantly different clusters of SMEs in Slovakia (traditionalists, progressives and minimalists) were
determined in terms of marketing communication tools implemented.
3.1. Cluster 1—Traditionalists
Cluster 1 represents 21.9% of enterprises (whereof 25.8% are foreign majority owned enterprises),
84.6% of them are small enterprises (80.2% domestic and 19.8% foreign majority owners) and 15.4%
are medium-sized enterprises (41.2% domestic and 58.8% foreign majority ownership). The impact
of implemented marketing communication activities is regional (51.1%), nationwide (33.9%), and
international (14.9%). That is why, compared to other clusters, the fact that it is a smaller group with
the highest number of a foreign majority owner can be seen. The impact of communication activities
is especially regional compared to Clusters 2 and 4. Databases of customers are created by 71.5%
of the traditionalists, but only 68.8% use them for marketing communications and 14% for other
marketing activities. The CRM system is implemented by 33.9% while 32% consider it effective and
65.3% partially effective.
In terms of using marketing communication tools (Figure 1), it is rather a more conservative
group of SMEs with running marketing communication strategy. More traditional forms of marketing
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 7 of 18
communications are preferred by them. Television forms of marketing communications are the most
often used by the SMEs in Cluster 1. Nowadays, up to 69.7% use cash prizes in competitions and 14.5%
are planning to do so in the future; 51.6% of enterprises organize TV competitions; and 50.7% provide
TV talks (17.6% are planning to do so in the future). More than half of the businesses in this cluster use
radio for marketing communications in the form of commercials (58.8% and 18.1% are planning to use
this form), talk shows and interviews (57.5% and 14.5 are planning it in the future); and almost half of
businesses provide cash prizes in competitions (49.8% and 22.6% are planning it). Advertising spread
by post is used by more than a half of enterprises (except the form of putting samples in mailboxes)
and only a small percentage (2.7%–13.1%) is planning to use these forms in the future. Leaflets are
used by 68.3%, direct mail by 61.1%, and catalogues by 52%.
Considering the point of sale, leaflets are the most commonly used form of advertising (84.2%
and 5% are planning it), 58.4% organize competitions, 56.6% make presentations and 54.8% provide
catalogues. Tasting (12.2%) is the form used least in terms of the point of sale. Compared to other
clusters, print media advertising (74.7%), inserting leaflets (68.8%) and providing prizes in competitions
(61.1%) are the most applied forms. Phone as a communication tool is used by enterprises. 27.1%
of them focus on selling on the phone and 26.2% use the phone to contact their customers. Passive
telemarketing is used only by 13.1%. Future progress of using the phone is planned in the range from
6% to 10%. Online forms of marketing communications, e.g., websites (84.2% and 0.9% are planning
it), profiles on Facebook (81.4% and 1.8% are planning it), advertising banners (54.8%), direct emails
(51.6%), Instagram (45.7%) and YouTube (40.7%) are used by companies in this cluster primarily. This
cluster is characterized by the highest rate of the Internet advertising (13.6%) compared to 9.4% of
enterprises in Cluster 2 and 3.7% in Cluster 4. Cinema ads are used by the overwhelming majority
of companies (57.5% and 16.3% are planning it). Less than half of enterprises invest in billboard
advertising (36.7%, and 7.7% are planning it) and vehicle advertising (44.8%, 3.6% are planning it);
55.7% organize events, 55.2% are involved in organizing events, and presentations are held by 52% of
enterprises. More progressive forms such as guerrilla marketing (5.4%), buzz marketing, or WOM
(4.1%) are rarely used.
3.2. Cluster 2—Progressives
A progressive cluster includes 19.03% of SMEs (21.9% foreign majority owned enterprises),
whereof 81.3% are small enterprises (85.9% domestic and 14.1% foreign majority owners) and 18.7% are
medium-sized enterprises (44.4% domestic and 54.6% foreign majority owners). Therefore, the impact
of the implemented marketing communication activities is regional (39.6%), nationwide (39.1%) and
international (21.4%). In fact, national and international impact of communication marketing activities
is larger than in Clusters 1 and 4. A customer database is created by only 56.3% of the progressives,
whereby only 55.2% of them use it for marketing communications and 17.2% for other marketing
activities. A CRM system is implemented in 40.6% of the enterprises, and 56.4% consider it to be
effective while 41% think it is only partially effective.
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 8 of 18
Sustainability 2019, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 19
Figure 1. Use and planned use of marketing communication tools by small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).
Figure 1. Use and planned use of marketing communication tools by small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs).
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 9 of 18
A wide range of communication tools is used by the members of Cluster 2 (Figure 1). However,
in comparison to Cluster 1, Progressives prefer mobile, online and more progressive forms of
communication tools and their plans and visions dealing with the future of media are ambitious. The
use of TV for marketing purposes is less important than in Cluster 1, however, they are planning
to use it especially in the future. Similarly to Cluster 1, prizes in TV competitions are provided by
most enterprises (58.9% and 40.1% are planning to do it in the future). Talk shows are provided
by 48.4% (49.5% are planning to do it in the future), and 40.6% use TV (direct-response advertising
spots), and 58.3% of them are planning to implement this form into marketing communications in the
future. Radio, e.g., ad spots with a direct response (including the phone number, website, or email),
is preferred by more than half of enterprises in this cluster, 56.8%; 38% enterprises are planning to
do so in the future. Moreover, 53.6% use it for classic advertising spots and 41.1% are planning to do
so in the future. Beside the use of the aforementioned forms of radio communication, this group of
SMEs has high aspirations for its implementation in the future (up to 70.3% are planning to send their
representatives to radio sessions). Mailing as a marketing tool is widely used by these enterprises;
leaflets are used by 71.9% of these enterprises, direct offers by 75.5% and catalogues by 62.5%, while
36.5% are planning to take advantage of postal services in the future. Sending samples is used by
35.4% and 57.8% are planning to do so in the future. The forms of communication at the point of
sale are used by most members of this cluster, 78.1% of them are using leaflets (19.8% are planning to
use them), 68.2% are using advertising banners and 30.7% are planning to use them, and 57.8% are
using competitions. Compared to Cluster 1, space advertising, leaflets and prizes in competitions
are used the enterprises in this cluster to a lesser extent. On the other hand, aspirations for their
future implementation is relatively high, from 29.7% to 45.8%. Similarly, it is also high in the case of
other forms of print media strongly used in the group. A landline for marketing communications is
most often used by members of the Cluster 2, moreover, the members still not using it are planning
to change it in the near future. Active customer contact is used by 36.5%, passive telemarketing by
32.3%, and sales on the phone is carried out by 30.7% of enterprises. This group of SMEs uses Internet
communications (except for native advertising) most of all. A high percentage is planning to use them.
Similar to other clusters, websites (86.5% and 13.5% are planning them) and Facebook profiles (83.9%
and 15.1% is planning them) are the most used forms. Attention is also paid to viral marketing (69.3%
and 30.7% are planning to use it), as well as to discussion forums (67.2% and 31.8% are planning them)
and contextual advertising (64.1% and 34.9% are planning this). The enterprises in this cluster use and,
in particular, are planning to use even less common forms such as content and affiliate marketing, SEO,
vlogs and blogs. It is the group of companies using (or it is planning to use) cinema for marketing
communications most, e.g., cinema ads (60.4% and 39.6% are planning to do so), sponsorship (25.5%
and 68.2% are planning to do so) and product placement (19.8% and 72.9% are planning to do so in the
future). Considering outdoor advertising, this group invests most and is planning to invest in stands
(60.4% and 33.3% are planning), vehicle advertising (52.6% and 43.2% are planning) and billboards
(37.5% and 52.6% are planning this investment). More than three quarters of enterprises in this cluster
(77.6%) are planning to invest in ambient media. According to the other media used, the fact that this
group does not only use but it also prefers using more progressive forms in the future, e.g., guerrilla
marketing, as well as buzz marketing can be seen (15.6% of enterprises has already used them and
73.4% are planning to use them in the future. WOM is used by 10.4% of enterprises and 77.6% are
planning to do so in the future; 62% organize and 32.8% are planning to organize events, and 55.2% are
involved in organizing the events. In addition, presentations are held by 46.4% of enterprises.
3.3. Cluster 4—Minimalists
Cluster 4 is represented by 58.18% of enterprises (whereof 86.7% are domestic majority owners)
and it consists of small enterprises (88.1%). In the case of 91.1% of them, the majority of owners are
domestic and in the case of 8.9% the majority of owners are foreign. When medium-sized companies
(11.9%) are mentioned, 54.3% of them have domestic and 45.7% foreign majority owners. The impact
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 10 of 18
of implemented marketing communication activities is regional (46.2%), nationwide (35.4%), and
international (18.4%); 84.5% of the minimalists create customer databases, but only 60.8% use them
for marketing communications, and 12.4% for other marketing activities. Similar to Cluster 1, 33.9%
has a CRM system. However, 47.7% of enterprises in this cluster consider it effective and 32.7%
partially effective.
Marketing communications is not emphasised by this group of SMEs (Figure 1). However, they
use marketing communication tools but only to a lesser extent. Websites and Facebook profiles are the
most used forms. When investing in marketing communications, they prefer the following media: post
office, point of sale, print, the Internet and organized and co-organized events, or exhibitions and fairs.
Communication tools are not used by this group very often, moreover, they are not planned to be used
in the future as well. TV and radio, landline, mobile, or outdoor advertising are implemented by these
SMEs only rarely. In terms of point of sale, leaflets are used by 47.7% of enterprises, advertising banners
by 35.5% and space advertising by 32%. Compared to other clusters, the fact that online marketing
communication is the least used form in this group can be stated. These enterprises use only websites
(79.9% and 8.3% are planning to do so) and Facebook profiles (58.9% and 11.2% are planning to do so in
the future). The use of other forms of online marketing communication does not exceed 26%. Similar
to other marketing tools, cinema is the least used or planned alternative by this group. Pre-release
commercials are used by 16.4% of enterprises while other forms are not used very often. In the case
of outdoor advertising, these enterprises pay the highest attention to vehicle advertisements (16.5%)
while 12.1% of them focus on stands. The planning of future investments in outdoor advertising is
almost none. Taking into consideration other forms of marketing communications, the fact that 31.2%
of these enterprises organize events and participate in fairs and exhibitions (12.3% are planning to do
so in the future) can be seen. Presentations are organized by 31.7% of enterprises.
Due to the composition of determined clusters, the dependence of several attributes, such as
enterprise size, majority ownership, the territorial scope of marketing activities, agency used in
marketing programs, customer database creation, and CRM were verified by ANOVA. Following
the one-way ANOVA with the p-value smaller than 0.05 at the significance level of 5%, a significant
difference in clusters was confirmed in terms of the majority owner of the enterprise (Table 5), the
territorial scope of marketing communication programs (Table 6), the use of agency services for the
implementation of marketing programs (Table 7), the creation of customer databases (Table 8), and the
use of the CRM system (Table 9). Thus, the H0 claiming the given attribute is the same in the clusters
was rejected in favour of the alternative hypothesis. By contrast, the size of the enterprise (Table 10) is
not statistically significantly different comparing individual clusters. It is confirmed by the Anova test
result, where p value is 0.56.
Table 5. ANOVA analysis of clusters vs. the majority owner of the company.
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 3.204 3 1.068 7.519 0.000
Within Groups 142.747 1005 0.142
Total 145.950 1008
Source: Authors’ compilation.
Table 6. ANOVA analysis of clusters vs. the territorial scope of marketing communication programs.
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 7.968 3 2.656 4.754 0.003
Within Groups 561.398 1005 0.559
Total 569.366 1008
Source: Authors’ compilation.
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 11 of 18
Table 7. ANOVA analysis of clusters vs. the use of an agency implementing the marketing
communication program.
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 8.626 3 2.875 3.631 0.013
Within Groups 795.935 1005 0.792
Total 804.561 1008
Source: Authors’ compilation.
Table 8. ANOVA analysis of clusters vs. creating a customer database.
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 18.712 3 6.237 17.763 0.000
Within Groups 352.890 1005 0.351
Total 371.602 1008
Source: Authors’ compilation.
Table 9. ANOVA analysis of clusters vs. implemented customer relationship management
(CRM) system.
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 10.230 3 3.410 6.444 0.000
Within Groups 531.786 1005 0.529
Total 542.016 1008
Source: Authors’ compilation.
Table 10. ANOVA analysis of clusters vs. enterprise size.
Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between Groups 0.903 3 0.301 2.528 0.056
Within Groups 119.672 1005 0.119
Total 120.575 1008
Source: Authors’ compilation.
The H1 hypothesis is confirmed in the case of the attribute of enterprise size. In the case of the
attributes of majority ownership, the territorial scope of marketing activities, agency used in marketing
programs, customer database creation and CRM use, the H1 hypothesis was refused in favour of
alternative one.
Following the research results, the fact that all companies use TV, radio, print media, mobile
devices, the Internet, as well as outdoor and indoor advertising can be stated.
A marketing communication survey was carried out by Starchon and Vilcekova [107] in 2007
and 2017. More than 300 enterprises participated in this research and the findings reflect changes in
communication behaviour. For example, an increase in consumer contests can be observed. According
to this study, in 2007, this tool was used only by 16% of enterprises. Compared to the year 2017, it
was more than 33% of the studied enterprises. An overall growth can be observed in the intensity of
using different tools including television. Starchon and Vilcekova [107] mentioned that in 2007, 23% of
companies used TV commercials while in 2017 it was 34%. While advertising in print media has a
general tendency to decline, an increase in PR activities can be seen. Unsurprisingly, the biggest change
can be noticed in using the new media. An increase of 13% can be observed in content marketing
(7% in 2007 compared to 19% in 2017). The huge increase can be seen in the use of social media.
In 2007, only 7% of enterprises used this tool while in 2017 it was 75% [107]. In Slovakia, most of
the enterprises use Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to communicate with their customers. SMEs
represent a significant part of Slovak economy with the greatest potential for growth and the impact
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 12 of 18
on economic stabilization and balanced development of the regions [108–112]. In Slovakia, 99.9%
of the total number of business entities are SMEs and in 2017, they recorded increased employment
(+1.4%), added value (+8.9%), or profit (+7.5%), while value added growth in this sector was the
most significant over the course of the last seven years [12]. In the competitive market, SMEs are
vulnerable and exposed to many risks but their existence and success are of great importance in the
Slovak Republic. Therefore, the aim of the study is to support companies by helping them make
the right decision about developing suitable marketing communication programs using adequate
communication tools and selecting appropriate media.
Pohludka and Štverková [108] present the results of the research focused on the use of CRM
in SMEs in the Czech Republic carried out using a sample of 319 business entities. Following their
research, the fact that, similarly to the enterprises in Slovakia, there is a significant gap between
companies creating customer databases (81%) and subsequently using the data within a CRM (45%) can
be seen. Collecting customer data does not mean that a CRM is implemented in the enterprise. A CRM
philosophy is a prerequisite for an enterprise to collect customers’ data and cooperate with them.
When verifying the CRM implementation in the studied enterprises, the fact that 45% of entities
have a CRM system, 3% are in the implementation phase; 21% consider implementation and 31% of
respondents do not consider implementing CRM was found. In particular, micro-businesses do not
think about a CRM system implementation. Taking a closer look at the medium-sized enterprises, 80%
of the studied entities have already implemented the CRM system. These results are comparable to
those found in SMEs in Slovakia, where 75.5% of SMEs create customer databases and only 40.7% of
them use them for the purpose of CRM. In 2012, Urdzikova et al. [113] presented the results of the use
of CRM by manufacturing companies in Slovakia. At that time, 0.1% of micro, 40% of small and 40%
of medium manufacturing enterprises (in total 262 manufacturing enterprises were analysed) used
CRM. Therefore, the further research problem about the use of CRMs and the creation of databases in
terms of individual segments arises.
4. Conclusions
Entrepreneurial activities are affected by many external factors. Under the pressure of a global
competitive environment, businesses have to create sophisticated business strategies. The effect of the
upcoming Industry 4.0 is similar. An active use of advanced information technology in the business
environment is at the centre of attention. Sustainability is an important part of strategic business
management. It can be achieved through effective marketing communications taking into account
current trends. The sustainability in marketing communications employed within SMEs depends
largely on the level of innovation reflected in the use of modern electronic tools. On the other hand,
there is a range of limitations in marketing communication activities of SMEs resulting from restricted
finances as well as from the fact that owners and employees of SMEs tend to be generalists rather
than specialists, so their marketing expertise is often limited. This brings us to the conclusion that
in order to succeed in both domestic and international markets, innovations must be not only at the
manufacturing or service level but also in adopting creative and innovative marketing communication
activities and in selecting appropriate and adequate marketing communication tools. The aim of
the paper was to present the clusters created by the use of marketing communication tools in SMEs.
Following the use of a K-means cluster analysis, three clusters significantly different in terms of
the majority of owners of an enterprise, the territorial scope of marketing activities, the use of the
agency in implementing marketing programs, customer database creation and the use of the CRM
system were determined. In terms of enterprise size, these clusters are comparable. The attitude to
the previously established and used communication programs applied in the group with the largest
foreign ownership was the main difference in the use of marketing tools. Compared to other clusters,
TV and radio media were used more frequently. Similarly, the group of enterprises in Cluster 4, the
“Minimalists” over-represented within SMEs (formed by 58.18% of SMEs whereof 88.1% are small
enterprises), is comparably traditional. Minimalistic marketing communication activities in terms of
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 13 of 18
marketing tools are preferred by these enterprises. Following the research results, they are not planning
to change significantly this trend in the future. Their attention is focused on using the websites,
Facebook profiles, leaflets, general advertising, organizing events and presentations or participating
in exhibitions and fairs. This group consists mostly of small businesses with close relationship with
customers. Their customer database is the largest one (up to 84.5, by 13 % more than in the case
of the Traditionalists (Cluster 1) and by 28.2% more than the Progressives (Cluster 2). Moreover, a
majority of them use the databases for marketing communications. The progressive members of
Cluster 2—the “Progressives”—are the most different group of enterprises. They are active in the use
of communication tools and prefer forms that are more progressive. Their vision of incorporating
forms of communication tools in the future is highly ambitious. This is a group with higher domestic
representation, whose marketing activities are rather national or even international. Their visions and
real use of marketing communication tools are in contrast with the number of customer databases
created. Only 55.2% of enterprises in this group create databases at the same time. However, these
enterprises use the CRM system most (up to 40.6%).
The results of this empirical study conducted in SMEs in Slovakia enhance knowledge about
the use of marketing communication tools in firms. It provides a valuable view into the presence
and implementation of marketing activities as well as the choice of media in promotional campaigns.
Most of the budget allocated for marketing communications is spent especially on traditional media
such as broadcast (TV and radio) and print media. However, in Slovakia, a tendency to invest in
marketing communication activities in new media (the Internet and mobile) has been steadily increasing
since the beginning of the 21st century. The Internet and the widespread use of social media have
become effective and profitable tools of promoting company products and services. In the case of
SMEs, they take advantage of social media because of cost effectiveness, time saving and engagement
with customers.
Sustainable development at the SME level is essential and inevitable. The 4.0 Industry Revolution
is accompanied by the expectations and demands of customers in the intelligent use of information
technology in marketing communications as well as its connection with integrated marketing
communications. From this point of view, Cluster 2 (the “Progressives”) enterprises are the most
responsive to this transition. Nowadays, they are no longer satisfied with websites (86.5%) and social
networks (83.9%), but they focus also on viral marketing (69.3%), contextual advertising and, to a lesser
extent, on the use of SEO, vlogs and blogs, buzz marketing, and e-WOM, etc. Cluster 1 (Traditionalists)
has no problem with the more common forms of e-marketing communication tools (websites, social
networks, native internet advertising, banner ads, direct-mails), however, buzz marketing and e-WOM
are almost unused by them.
The transition to Industry 4.0 will be the biggest challenge facing the largest cluster, Cluster 4
(the “Minimalists”). These small enterprises are primarily focused on personal approach to customers.
However, the benefits of information technology are not excluded. Without taking advantage of
the benefits provided by information technology in marketing, there is a risk that customers will
begin to favour competition. Using CRM and e-WOM offers a great advantage to these businesses in
order to improve their personal approach and strong customer relationships. SMEs should realize the
importance of WOM and e-WOM marketing. Customers’ comments as well as experience shared in
social networks can strengthen or, on the other hand, destroy the reputation of an enterprise. The more
consumers chat and write online about the company, its products and services in a positive way, the
better promotion of the enterprise and its performance.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, L.L., P.Š., S.L., D.W. and P.P.; methodology, L.L., P.Š., S.L., D.W. and
P.P.; data curation, L.L., P.Š., S.L., D.W. and P.P.; writing—original draft preparation, L.L., P.Š., S.L., D.W. and P.P.;
visualization, L.L., P.Š., S.L., D.W. and P.P.
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 14 of 18
Acknowledgments: This research was supported by VEGA 1/0024/17 “Computational model of motivation”,
VEGA 1/0320/17 “Economic and Social Context of European 20/20/20 Targets from the Viewpoint of Economy
Low-energy Houses”, APVV 16-0297 “Updating of anthropometric database of Slovak population”, TA ˇCR - ÉTA
-project TL02000559 Safe and secure cities for pedestrians and senior citizens and TL02000017 Inter-generation
cooperation in digitalization.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
1. Kazmir, S.A.Z.; Naaranoja, M. Inspiring European small and medium enterprise (SME) sector by inserting
effective business transfer process. In Proceedings of the AHFE International Conference on Human Factors,
Business Management and Society, Orlando, FL, USA, 21–25 July 2018.
2. Bojica, A.M.; Estrada, I.; del Mar Fuentes-Fuentes, M. In good company: When small and medium-sized
enterprises acquire multiplex knowledge from key commercial partners. J. Small Bus. Manag. 2018, 56,
294–311. [CrossRef]
3. Stoian, M.C.; Dimitratos, P.; Plakoyiannaki, E. SME internationalization beyond exporting:
A knowledge-based perspective across managers and advisers. J. World Bus. 2018, 53, 768–779. [CrossRef]
4. Bartakova, G.P.; Gubiniova, K.; Brtkova, J.; Hitka, M. Actual trends in the recruitment process at small and
medium-sized enterprises with the use of social networking. Econ. Ann.-XXI 2017, 164, 80–84. [CrossRef]
5. Sawang, S.; Parker, R.; Hine, D. How small business advisory program delivery methods (collective learning,
tailored, and practice-based approaches) affect learning and innovation. J. Small Bus. Manag. 2016, 54,
244–261. [CrossRef]
6. Gejdoš, M.; Danihelová, Z. Valuation and timber market in the Slovak Republic. Procedia Econ. Financ. 2015,
34, 697–703. [CrossRef]
7. Hitka, M.; Zavadska, Z.; Jelacic, D.; Balazova, Z. Qualitative indicators of company employee satisfaction
and their development in a particular period of time. Drv. Ind. 2015, 66, 235–239. [CrossRef]
8. McCann, M.; Barlow, A. Use and measurement of social media for SMEs. J. Small Bus. Enterp. Dev. 2015, 22,
273–287. [CrossRef]
9. Higón, D.A.; Driffield, N. Exporting and innovation performance: Analysis of the annual small business
survey in the UK. Int. Small Bus. J. 2011, 29, 4–24. [CrossRef]
10. Dennis, W.J., Jr. Entrepreneurship, small business and public policy levers. J. Small Bus. Manag. 2011, 49,
149–162. [CrossRef]
11. SBA. Malé a stredné podnikanie v ˇcíslach v roku 2017. Available online: https://www.npc.sk/file?uuid=
b40742be-ac93-4fd0-ae60-b52467626139 (accessed on 27 November 2018).
12. Cornett, M.M.; Erhemjamts, O.; Tehranian, H. Competitive environment and innovation intensity. Glob.
Financ. J. 2019, 41, 44–59. [CrossRef]
13. Li, S.; Han, S.; Shen, T. How can a firm innovate when embedded in a cluster?—Evidence from the automobile
industrial cluster in China. Sustainability 2019, 11, 1837. [CrossRef]
14. Korauš, A.; Mazák, M.; Dobroviˇc, J. Quantitative analysis of the competitiveness of Benelux countries. Entrep.
Sustain. 2018, 5, 1069–1083. [CrossRef]
15. Hitka, M.; Vetrakova, M.; Balazova, Z.; Danihelova, Z. Corporate culture as a tool for competitiveness
improvement. Procedia Econ. Financ. 2015, 34, 27–34. [CrossRef]
16. Bayraktar, C.A.; Hancerliogullari, G.; Cetinguc, B.; Calisir, F. Competitive strategies, innovation, and firm
performance: An empirical study in a developing economy environment. Technol. Anal. Strateg. Manag.
2017, 29, 38–52. [CrossRef]
17. Klaric, K.; Greger, K.; Klaric, M.; Andric, T.; Hitka, M.; Kropivsek, J. An exploratory assessment of FSC chain
of custody certification benefits in Croatian wood industry. Drv. Ind. 2016, 67, 241–248. [CrossRef]
18. Pratistha, B. The influence of strategic control, strategy orientation, and business environment on competitive
strategy and its effect to business performance. Acad. Strateg. Manag. J. 2016, 15, 15–23.
19. Hitka, M.; Potkany, M.; Sirotiakova, M. Proposal of assessment of wood processing company employees.
Drew.-Wood 2009, 182, 91–102.
20. Dominguez, N. SME Internationalization Strategies: Innovation to Conquer New Markets; Wiley Backwell:
Malden, MA, USA, 2018.
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 15 of 18
21. Graa, A.; Abdelhak, S. A review of branding strategy for small and medium enterprises. Acta Oeconomica
Univ. Selye 2016, 5, 67–72.
22. Agrawal, S.R.; Mittal, D. Measuring CRM effectiveness in Indian stock broking services. J. Glob. Inf. Manag.
2019, 27, 144–164. [CrossRef]
23. Fróis, J.; Teresa Pereira, M.; Ferreira, F.A. How a CRM tool can contribute to a better business performance:
The case of a shipping company. In Proceedings of the 3rd Conference on Innovation, Engineering and
Entrepreneurship, Regional HELIX 2018, Guimaraes, Portugal, 27–29 June 2018.
24. Minh Ngo, V.; Pavelkova, D.; Phu Thi Phan, Q.; Van Nguyen, N. Customer relationship management (CRM)
in small and medium tourism enterprises: A dynamic capabilities perspective. Tour. Hosp. Manag. 2018, 24,
63–86. [CrossRef]
25. Belz, F.M.; Binder, J.K. Sustainable entrepreneurship: A convergent process model. Bus. Strategy Environ.
2017, 26, 1–17. [CrossRef]
26. Lengler, J.F.B.; Sousa, C.M.P.; Perin, M.G.; Sampaio, C.H.; Martínez-López, F.J. The antecedents of export
performance of Brazilian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): The non-linear effects of customer
orientation. Int. Small Bus. J. Res. Entrep. 2016, 34, 701–727. [CrossRef]
27. Newby, M.; Nguyen, T.H.; Waring, T.S. Understanding customer relationship management technology
adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises: An empirical study in the USA. J. Enterp. Inf. Manag. 2014,
27, 541–560. [CrossRef]
28. Kwok, L.; Yu, B. Spreading social media messages on Facebook: An analysis of restaurant
business-to-consumer communications. Cornell Hosp. Q. 2013, 54, 84–94. [CrossRef]
29. Brammer, S.; Jackson, G.; Matten, D. Corporate social responsibility and institutional theory: New perspectives
on private governance. Socio-Econ. Rev. 2012, 10, 3–28. [CrossRef]
30. Crittenden, V.L.; Crittenden, W.F.; Ferrell, L.K.; Ferrell, O.C.; Pinney, C.C. Market-oriented sustainability: A
conceptual framework and propositions. J. Acad. Mark. Sci. 2011, 39, 71–85. [CrossRef]
31. Jones, R.; Rowley, J. Entrepreneurial marketing in small businesses: A conceptual exploration. Int. Small Bus.
J. 2011, 29, 25–36. [CrossRef]
32. Arvidsson, S. Communication of corporate social responsibility: A study of the views of management teams
in large companies. J. Bus. Ethics 2010, 96, 339–354. [CrossRef]
33. Kubeš, V.; Ranˇcák, J. Sustainability of organization performance via management techniques. Entrep. Sustain.
2018, 5, 1031–1042. [CrossRef]
34. Amran, A.; Ooi, S.K.; Mydin, R.T.; Devi, S.S. The Impact of business strategies on online sustainability
disclosures. Bus. Strategy Environ. 2015, 24, 551–564. [CrossRef]
35. Ashley, C.; Tuten, T. Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory study of branded social
content and consumer engagement. Psychol. Mark. 2015, 32, 15–27. [CrossRef]
36. Hultman, M.; Katsikeas, C.S.; Robson, M.J. Export promotion strategy and performance: The role of
international experience. J. Int. Mark. 2011, 19, 17–39. [CrossRef]
37. Nyvlt, V. The role of managing knowledge and information in BIM implementation processes in the Czech
Republic. In Proceedings of the 9th International Scientific Conference on Building Defects, East Java,
Indonesia, 23–24 November 2018. [CrossRef]
38. Lee, Y.C. Corporate Sustainable Development and Marketing Communications on Social Media: Fortune 500
Enterprises. Bus. Strategy Environ. 2017, 26, 569–583. [CrossRef]
39. Khúlová, L. Marketing mix of internationally active company in terms of transport and logistics (export to
the USA and China). Acta Oeconomica Univ. Selye 2016, 5, 85–95.
40. Oblak, L.; Glavonji´c, B. A model for the evaluation of radio advertisements for the sale of timber products.
Drv. Ind. 2014, 65, 303–308. [CrossRef]
41. Boso, N.; Cadogan, J.W.; Story, V.M. Complementary effect of entrepreneurial and market orientations on
export new product success under differing levels of competitive intensity and financial capital. Int. Bus.
Rev. 2012, 21, 667–681. [CrossRef]
42. Armario, J.M.; Ruiz, D.M.; Armario, E.M. Market orientation and internationalization in small and
medium-sized enterprises. J. Small Bus. Manag. 2008, 46, 485–511. [CrossRef]
43. Bonerjee, S.; Mandal, K. Advertisement vs societal based marketing communication: An empirical analytic
comparison vis-a-vis profit contribution. Indian J. Mark. 2018, 48, 7–21. [CrossRef]
44. Grimaldi, J. The Art of Advertising; Aspatore: Eagan, MN, USA, 2003.
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 16 of 18
45. Hanuláková, E. Etika v Marketingu; Eurounion: Bratislava, Slovakia, 1996.
46. Llopis-Amorós, M.P.; Gil-Saura, I.; Molina, M.E.R. The role of marketing communications in generating
brand equity for an event. Event Manag. 2018, 22, 825–848. [CrossRef]
47. Šimo, D. Agrárny Marketing; SPU: Nitra, Slovakia, 2006.
48. Kita, J. Marketing; Ekonóm: Bratislava, Slovakia, 2000.
49. Medved, J.; Kováˇcová, Z. Finanˇcný a Bankový Marketing; SPRINT: Bratislava, Slovakia, 2003.
50. ˇDad’o, J.; Petroviˇcová, J.; Kostková, M. Marketing Služieb; EPOS: Bratislava, Slovakia, 2006.
51. Pelsmacker, P.; Geuens, M.; Van den Bergh, J. Marketingová Komunikace; Grada Publishing: Praha, Czech
Republic, 2003.
52. Bazhan, M.; Naser, K.; Nastaran, K.M.; Hedayat, H.; Hassan, E.Z.; Hamid, A. Applying social marketing mix
to identify consumers’ preferences towards functional dairy products in Iran. Nutr. Food Sci. 2018, 48, 45–60.
[CrossRef]
53. Potkany, M.; Hitka, M.; Krajcirova, L. Life cycle cost calculation at the transport company in the supply of
production of wooden houses—Case Study. Web Conf. 2017, 134. [CrossRef]
54. El Baz, J.; Laguir, I.; Marais, M.; Staglianò, R. Influence of national institutions on the corporate social
responsibility practices of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the food-processing industry: Differences
between France and Morocco. J. Bus. Ethics 2016, 134, 117–133. [CrossRef]
55. Ainin, S.; Parveen, F.; Moghavvemi, S.; Jaafar, N.I.; Shuib, N.L.M. Factors influencing the use of social media
by SMEs and its performance outcomes. Ind. Manag. Data Syst. 2015, 115, 570–588. [CrossRef]
56. ˇDurišová, M.; Falát, L.; Malichová, E. The influence of business intelligence on digital marketing and the
economic situation of the enterprise. In Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference Marketing
Identity: Digital Life, Smolenice, Slovakia, 10–11 November 2015.
57. Kim, Y.; Briley, D.A.; Ocepek, M.G. Differential innovation of smartphone and application use by
sociodemographics and personality. Comput. Hum. Behav. 2015, 44, 141–147. [CrossRef]
58. Frey, P. Marketingová Komunikace: To Nejlepší z Nových Trend ˚u; Management Press: Praha, Czech Republic,
2008.
59. Tarute, A.; Nikou, S.; Gatautis, R. Mobile application driven consumer engagement. Telemat. Inform. 2017, 34,
145–156. [CrossRef]
60. Kaplan, A.M. If you love something, let it go mobile: Mobile marketing and mobile social media 4 × 4. Bus.
Horiz. 2012, 55, 129–139. [CrossRef]
61. Mirchev, A.; Dicke, P. Mobile marketing and the usage of a smartphone. Mark. Manag. Innov. 2011, 4, 50–54.
62. Škapa, R.; ˇCástek, O. Faktory Ovlivˇnující Osvojení Mobilních Služeb: Mezikulturní Porovnání, Vývojové Tendence
Podnik ˚u; Masarykova univerzita v Brnˇe: Brno, Czech Republic, 2005.
63. Zujewska, B. Guerrilla Marketing a Creative Marketing Method for Start-Ups. Available online: https:
//www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/89246/Zujewska_Barbara.pdf?sequence=1 (accessed on 16 January
2019).
64. Monzel, M. 99 tip ˚u Pro Úspˇešnˇejší Reklamu; Grada Publishing: Praha, Czech Republic, 2009.
65. Baltes, G.; Leibing, I.L. Guerrilla marketing for information services? New Libr. World 2008, 109, 46–55.
[CrossRef]
66. Pˇrikrylová, J.; Jahodová, H. Moderní Marketingová Komunikace; Grada Publishing: Praha, Czech Republic,
2010.
67. Matúš, J.; Petranová, D. Aktuálne Marketingové Trendy v Teórii a Praxi; EDIS: Žilina, Slovakia, 2008.
68. Nadanyiová, M. Global trends of the personnel marketing in service enterprises. In Proceedings of the 16th
International Scientific Conference on Globalization and its Socio-Economic Consequences, Rajecke Teplice,
Slovakia, 5–6 October 2016.
69. Majerova, J.; Kliestik, T. Brand valuation as an immanent component of brand value building and managing.
In Proceedings of the 4th World Conference on Business, Economics and Management, Ephesus, Turkey, 30
April–2 May 2015.
70. Costa-Sánchez, C.; Fontela Baró, B. Corporate communication, marketing, and video games. Stud. Syst.
Decis. Control 2019, 154, 421–433. [CrossRef]
71. Lieskovská, V. Vybrané Kapitoly z Marketingovej Komunikácie; Ekonóm: Bratislava, Slovakia, 2002.
72. Hitka, M.; Kozubikova, L.; Potkany, M. Education and gender-based differences in employee motivation.
J. Bus. Econ. Manag. 2018, 19, 80–95. [CrossRef]
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 17 of 18
73. Hitka, M.; Balazova, Z. Comparison of motivation level of service sector employees in the regions of Slovakia
and Austria. Procedia Econ. Financ. 2015, 23, 348–355. [CrossRef]
74. Okazaki, S.; Taylor, C.R. Social media and international advertising: Theoretical challenges and future
directions. Int. Mark. Rev. 2013, 30, 56–71. [CrossRef]
75. Abdolmaleki, H.; Zahra, S.M.; Ebrahim, A.G. Identify and prioritise factors affecting sports consumer
behaviour in Iran. Int. J. Sport Manag. Mark. 2018, 18, 42–62. [CrossRef]
76. Galvao, M.B.; de Carvalho, R.C.; Oliveira, L.A.B.; Medeiros, D.D. Customer loyalty approach based on CRM
for SMEs. J. Bus. Ind. Mark. 2018, 33, 706–716. [CrossRef]
77. Anisimova, T. Integrating multiple factors affecting consumer behavior toward organic foods: The role of
healthism, hedonism, and trust in consumer purchase intentions of organic foods. J. Food Prod. Mark. 2016,
22, 809–823. [CrossRef]
78. Delcourt, C.; Gremler, D.D.; Van Riel, A.C.R.; Van Birgelen, M. Effects of perceived employee emotional
competence on customer satisfaction and loyalty: The mediating role of rapport. J. Serv. Manag. 2013, 24,
5–24. [CrossRef]
79. Kuzman, M.; Motik, D.; Biˇcani´c, K.; Vlosky, R.; Oblak, L. A comparative analysis of consumer attitudes on
the use of wood products in Slovenia and Croatia. Drv. Idustrija 2012, 63, 71–79. [CrossRef]
80. Guha, S.; Harrigan, P.; Soutar, G. Linking social media to customer relationship management (CRM): A
qualitative study on SMEs. J. Small Bus. Entrep. 2018, 30, 193–214. [CrossRef]
81. Mészáros, M. Employing’ of self-employed persons. Cent. Eur. J. Labour Law Pers. Manag. 2018, 1, 46–67.
[CrossRef]
82. Odoom, R.; Anning-Dorson, T.; Acheampong, G. Antecedents of social media usage and performance
benefits in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). J. Enterp. Inf. Manag. 2017, 30, 383–399. [CrossRef]
83. Knoll, J. Advertising in social media: A review of empirical evidence. Int. J. Advert. 2016, 35, 266–300.
[CrossRef]
84. Dessart, L.; Veloutsou, C.; Morgan-Thomas, A. Consumer engagement in online brand communities: A social
media perspective. J. Prod. Brand Manag. 2015, 24, 28–42. [CrossRef]
85. Žul’ová, J.; Švec, M.; Madleˇnák, A. Personality aspects of the employee and their exploration from the GDPR
perspective. Cent. Eur. J. Labour Law Pers. Manag. 2018, 1, 68–77. [CrossRef]
86. Kucharˇcíková, A. Investment in the human capital as the source of economic growth. Period. Polytech. Soc.
Manag. Sci. 2014, 22, 29–35. [CrossRef]
87. Ninda Safitri, L.; Sarno, R.; Intani Budiawati, G. Improving business process by evaluating enterprise
sustainability indicators using fuzzy rule based classification. In Proceedings of the 2018 International
Seminar on Application for Technology of Information and Communication: Creative Technology for Human
Life, iSemantic 2018, Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Semarang, Indonesia, 27 November 2018.
88. Jansson, J.; Nilsson, J.; Modig, F.; Hed Vall, G. Commitment to sustainability in small and medium-sized
enterprises: The influence of strategic orientations and management values. Bus. Strategy Environ. 2017, 26,
69–83. [CrossRef]
89. Larsch, S.; Betz, S.; Duboc, L.; Madgaleno, A.M.; Bomfim, C. Integrating sustainability aspects in business
process management. Lect. Notes Bus. Inf. Process. 2017, 281, 403–415. [CrossRef]
90. Magdaleno, A.M.; Duboc, L.; Betz, S. How to incorporate sustainability into business process management
lifecycle? Lect. Notes Bus. Inf. Process. 2017, 281, 440–443. [CrossRef]
91. Gupta, P.D.; Bhattacharya, S. Impact of knowledge management processes for sustainability of small family
businesses: Evidences from the Brassware Sector of Moradabad. J. Inf. Knowl. Manag. 2016, 15. [CrossRef]
92. Pádua, S.I.D.; Jabbour, C.J.C. Promotion and evolution of sustainability performance measurement systems
from a perspective of business process management: From a literature review to a pentagonal proposal. Bus.
Process Manag. J. 2015, 21, 403–418. [CrossRef]
93. Shkurupska, I.; Litovchenko, I. The development of marketing communications under the influence of the
Industry 4.0. Int. Sci. J. Ind. 2016, 1, 103–106.
94. Bettiol, M.; Capestro, M.; Di Maria, E. Industry 4.0: The Strategic Role of Marketing. In Proceedings of the
XIV Convegno Annuale SIM, Bergamo, Italy, 26–27 October 2017; pp. 1–7.
95. Pollák, F.; Dorˇcák, P. The effective use of Facebook by small and medium sized enterprises operating in
Slovakia. Trz. Mark. 2016, 28, 79–91.
Sustainability 2019, 11, 2302 18 of 18
96. Hudák, M.; Kianiˇcková, E.; Madleˇnák, R. The importance of e-mail marketing in e-commerce. Procedia Eng.
2017, 192, 342–347. [CrossRef]
97. Foroudi, P.; Gupta, S.; Nazarian, A.; Duda, M. Digital technology and marketing management capability:
Achieving growth in SMEs. Qual. Mark. Res. Int. J. 2017, 20, 230–246. [CrossRef]
98. Šˇceulovs, D.; Gaile-Sarkane, E. Impact of e-environment on SMEs business development. Procedia-Soc. Behav.
Sci. 2014, 156, 409–413. [CrossRef]
99. Gregori, G.L.; Marinelli, L.; Temperini, V. Využívanie nástrojov digitálneho marketingu v MSP: Potreby,
problémy a príležitosti. Empirická štúdia v regióne Marche. Int. J. SalesRetail. Mark. 2015, 4, 69–77.
100. Baˇcík, R.; Mudrík, M.; Štefko, R.; Kot, S. Analysis of tourism travel trends after 2014. J. Environ. Manag. Tour.
2016, 7, 88–93. [CrossRef]
101. Svoboda, J.; Šalgoviˇcová, J.; Polakoviˇc, A. Religion and tourism in Slovakia. Eur. J. Sci. Theol. 2013, 9,
125–132.
102. Zaušková, A.; Bezáková, Z.; Grib, L. Marketing communication in eco-innovation process. Procedia Econ.
Financ. 2015, 34, 670–675. [CrossRef]
103. Nadanyiova, M.; Kicova, E.; Rypakova, M. Green marketing and its exploitation in Slovak companies.
Procedia Econ. Financ. 2015, 26, 219–226. [CrossRef]
104. Schüller, D.; Chalupský, V. Marketing communication management of higher education institutions. Acta
Univ. Bohem. Merid. 2012, 15, 61–69.
105. Ferencova, M. Investigating possibilities of using tools for promoting higher-education institutions in areas
of e-communication. J. Appl. Manag. Investig. 2012, 1, 151–159.
106. ˇRehák, J.; Brom, O. SPSS—Practical Data Analysis; Computer Press: Brno, Slovakia, 2015.
107. Štarchoˇn, P.; Vilˇceková, L. Evolution of marketing communications in Slovakia. In Proceedings of the 24th
EBES Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, 10–12 January 2018.
108. Pohludka, M.; Štverková, H. The best practice of CRM implementation for small- and medium-sized
enterprises. Adm. Sci. 2019, 9, 22. [CrossRef]
109. Haviernikova, K.; Ivanova, E. Evaluation of selected risk categories related to marketing activities by SMEs
in case of potential cluster cooperation. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Economic and
Business Management (FEBM 2018), Hohhot, China, 20–22 October 2018. [CrossRef]
110. Mura, L.; Mazák, M. Innovative activities of family SMEs: Case study of the Slovak regions. Online J. Model.
New Eur. 2018, 27, 132–147. [CrossRef]
111. Lesáková, L.; Gundová, P.; Král, P.; Ondrušová, A. Innovation leaders, modest innovators and non-innovative
SMEs in Slovakia: Key factors and barriers of innovation activity. Organizacija 2017, 50, 325–338. [CrossRef]
112. Marková, V.; Sedliaˇciková, M.; Gurova, D.H. The model of financial budgeting and planning for micro and
small enterprises. In Proceedings of the 16th International Scientific Conference on Globalization and its
Socio-Economic Consequences, Rajecke Teplice, Slovakia, 5–6 October 2016.
113. Urdzikova, J.; Jakabova, M.; Saniuk, S. The customer relationship management in terms of business practice
in Slovakia. Res. Pap. Fac. Mater. Sci. Technol. Slovak Univ. Technol. 2012, 26–34. [CrossRef]
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).