Chapter 1: Introducing digital marketing
To understand the importance of digital marketing to the future of marketing in general, it is helpful to think
about what audience interactions we need to understand and manage. Today, digital marketing involves
harnessing the following ‘5Ds of managing digital marketing interactions’, for which we need to assess
customer adoption and how our business can manage them to support marketing goals:
1. Digital devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, TVs, gaming devices, virtual
assistants and other connected devices forming the Internet of Things (IoT)
- Internet of things (IoT): a system of devices, software, objects, people or animals with unique
identifiers that can transfer data over a network via machine-to-machine (M2M) interactions without
human interaction
2. Digital platforms: browser or apps from the major platforms or online services
3. Digital media: different communication channels for reaching and engaging audiences, including
advertising, email and messaging
4. Digital data
5. Digital technology: the marketing technology used to create interactive experiences from websites and
mobile apps to in-store kiosks and email campaigns
The customer lifecycle (shown below) shows the practical opportunities and challenges of managing digital
marketing today. It shows the importance of integrating communications, including paid, owned and earned
media integrating with a web, mobile, email or in-store based experience.
Digital disruptors are innovations in digital media, data and marketing technology which enable a change to a
new basis for competition in a market or across markets. Disruptors are also used to refer to startup or existing
companies that, through their agility, are good examples of impacting competitors through disruption.
Digital media is defined by the communications that are facilitated through content and interactive services
delivered by different digital technology platforms including the Internet, web, mobile phone, TV and digital
signage.
Digital marketing can be defined as achieving marketing objectives through applying digital media, data and
technology -> the application of digital media, data and technology integrated with traditional communications
to achieve marketing objectives. This suggests that the results delivered by technology should determine
investment in digital marketing, not the adoption of the technology.
1
, In practice, digital marketing focuses on managing different forms of online company presence -> different
forms of online media controlled by a company including their website, blogs, email list and social media
presences (today known as ‘owned media’). These techniques are used to support the objectives of acquiring
new customers and providing services to existing customers that help develop the customer relationship
through customer relationship management (CRM).
Multichannel (omnichannel) marketing: customer communications and product distributions are supported by
a combination of digital and traditional channels at different points in the buying cycle or ‘path to purchase’.
With the range of mobile and IoT touchpoints, some have expanded the term to omnichannel marketing.
Customer journeys and the customer lifecycle: the sequence of online and offline touchpoints a customer or
buyer persona takes during a buying process or broader customer experience. Online this may include a range
of digital platforms, communications media, websites, pages and engagement devices.
To help develop a strategy to reach and influence potential customers online, it is commonplace to refer to
three main types of media channels that marketers need to consider today:
1. Paid media: bought media where there is investment to pay for visitors, reach or conversions through
search, display ad networks or affiliate marketing
2. Owned media: media owned by the brand. Online includes a company’s own websites, blogs, email
list, mobile apps or their social presence on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Offline owned media may
include brochures or retail stores
3. Earned media: the sharing of engaging content developed through different types of partners (also
word of mouth). Also it is different forms of conversations between consumers and businesses
occurring both online and offline
2
To understand the importance of digital marketing to the future of marketing in general, it is helpful to think
about what audience interactions we need to understand and manage. Today, digital marketing involves
harnessing the following ‘5Ds of managing digital marketing interactions’, for which we need to assess
customer adoption and how our business can manage them to support marketing goals:
1. Digital devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, TVs, gaming devices, virtual
assistants and other connected devices forming the Internet of Things (IoT)
- Internet of things (IoT): a system of devices, software, objects, people or animals with unique
identifiers that can transfer data over a network via machine-to-machine (M2M) interactions without
human interaction
2. Digital platforms: browser or apps from the major platforms or online services
3. Digital media: different communication channels for reaching and engaging audiences, including
advertising, email and messaging
4. Digital data
5. Digital technology: the marketing technology used to create interactive experiences from websites and
mobile apps to in-store kiosks and email campaigns
The customer lifecycle (shown below) shows the practical opportunities and challenges of managing digital
marketing today. It shows the importance of integrating communications, including paid, owned and earned
media integrating with a web, mobile, email or in-store based experience.
Digital disruptors are innovations in digital media, data and marketing technology which enable a change to a
new basis for competition in a market or across markets. Disruptors are also used to refer to startup or existing
companies that, through their agility, are good examples of impacting competitors through disruption.
Digital media is defined by the communications that are facilitated through content and interactive services
delivered by different digital technology platforms including the Internet, web, mobile phone, TV and digital
signage.
Digital marketing can be defined as achieving marketing objectives through applying digital media, data and
technology -> the application of digital media, data and technology integrated with traditional communications
to achieve marketing objectives. This suggests that the results delivered by technology should determine
investment in digital marketing, not the adoption of the technology.
1
, In practice, digital marketing focuses on managing different forms of online company presence -> different
forms of online media controlled by a company including their website, blogs, email list and social media
presences (today known as ‘owned media’). These techniques are used to support the objectives of acquiring
new customers and providing services to existing customers that help develop the customer relationship
through customer relationship management (CRM).
Multichannel (omnichannel) marketing: customer communications and product distributions are supported by
a combination of digital and traditional channels at different points in the buying cycle or ‘path to purchase’.
With the range of mobile and IoT touchpoints, some have expanded the term to omnichannel marketing.
Customer journeys and the customer lifecycle: the sequence of online and offline touchpoints a customer or
buyer persona takes during a buying process or broader customer experience. Online this may include a range
of digital platforms, communications media, websites, pages and engagement devices.
To help develop a strategy to reach and influence potential customers online, it is commonplace to refer to
three main types of media channels that marketers need to consider today:
1. Paid media: bought media where there is investment to pay for visitors, reach or conversions through
search, display ad networks or affiliate marketing
2. Owned media: media owned by the brand. Online includes a company’s own websites, blogs, email
list, mobile apps or their social presence on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Offline owned media may
include brochures or retail stores
3. Earned media: the sharing of engaging content developed through different types of partners (also
word of mouth). Also it is different forms of conversations between consumers and businesses
occurring both online and offline
2
