STUDY OF NEED OF DIGITAL MARKETING FOR BRANDS TO SUCCEED

Abstract

The growth of digitalization has introduced a new viewpoint to incorporate in all aspects of their lives in order to make their day-to-day lives easier while maintaining the same level of efficiency. Different people apply the concept of digital marketing in different ways. It is signified and utilised using many jargons such as e-marketing, internet marketing, e commerce, e-business, and so on, as the internet and web marketing evolve. Despite the fact that these concepts are related, there is a significant distinction between them (Rowan, 2002). The phrase "internet marketing" refers to the promotion of products and services on the online platform in real time, while connected to the internet. The term 'e-business' has a broader definition because it refers to the use of technology to promote company transactions and internal procedures with third parties. This entails two processes: e marketing, which refers to the marketing aspect, and e-commerce, which refers to the commercial aspect. Electronic marketing, often known as e-marketing, is a type of marketing that makes use of digital technologies and the internet to advertise products and services using various media and electronic means (Hoge, 1993). E-ary marketing, according to Rowan (2002), is defined as the practise of using information technology to complete the marketing process, which includes processes such as communication, production, and delivery of value to customers in order to maintain and manage client relationships (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2001). While the word 'E-Commerce' refers to the commercial aspect of the business, it refers to the selling and buying of goods and services through the internet, as well as the promotion of financial transactions through electronic media. Electronic data transfer that is non-variable and finite in nature is what the term "digital" refers to (Kaufman and Horton, 2014). These digital frequencies are made up of analogue signals that translate sound waves into electrical signals for data transmission. However, when a marketing action relies on a digital medium to accomplish a marketing function, it is referred to as digital marketing. In their study, Kierzkowski McQuade, Waitman, and Zeisser defined digital marketing as a promotional strategy used to promote goods and services through various digital and electronic media sources. The researchers at Techopedia (n.d.) exhibited their digital marketing proclivity by employing a variety of approaches and promotional practises to reach clients via various digital technological platforms. Digital marketing, according to Bird (2007), is a style of communication that employs various media activities of digital transmission to establish a direct contact between the prospect or client as an individual and the organisation. Applications, channels, methods, tools, and gadgets that operate on the basis of digital codes are referred to as mediums in digital marketing (Rowan, 2002). Digital media operates and channels numerous platforms such as social networking sites, search engines, websites, and online communities, which are content-based platforms that can be accessed via internet technology on devices such as digital TV, mobile phones, and digital outdoors, among others. Digital marketing is not the same as internet marketing. Digital marketing entails the use of emails, blogs, social media, and search engine optimization over a real time internet connection. Other channels such as business websites, business networking sites, paid advertising, applications, and online tools are also included. Internet marketing, on the other hand, is based on having a website and is responsible for generating sales through websites, pay-per-click ads, and search engine traffic. Short messaging service (SMS), multimedia message service (MMS), digital outdoors, billboards, digital TVs, mobile applications, call back, and e-books are examples of digital marketing techniques that are used online or offline to promote products and enhance sales by generating visitors. Furthermore, new age technologies such as augmented reality are expanding the frontiers of digital marketing beyond internet marketing. As a result, internet marketing is considered a sub-category of digital marketing. The Internet is the foundation of digital marketing. Because of its compatibility and ease of integration with numerous digitally powered gadgets such as tablets, watches, mobile phones, computers, laptops, TVs, and many more, the internet is seen as an unavoidable aspect of digital marketing (Smith, 2011). The most crucial invention of the twenty-first century, the Internet, has completely altered marketing viewpoints. Initially, it was created as a medium to support multi-channel marketing functions such as sales, distribution, and customer relationship building. However, it was formerly used to introduce, show, market, distribute, and purchase things. The introduction of internet marketing revolutionised traditional marketing mix techniques by allowing marketers to offer their products to a huge audience. It also promoted client engagement by allowing them to readily compare the pricing of other products on the market The website which is content-based platform application, acts as a communicative tool between the customer and advertiser. The design and content present on the website (corporate websites, e-commerce site, government site, and media sharing site) highly influence customer satisfaction (Stokes, 2013). The first website was developed in the year 1991 and since then the usability of websites has increased to more than 200 million in the year 2010. Websites provide information about product, company, and individual through flash, audio, video, and images that help in positioning the company. Social networking sites such as Face book, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Snap chat, and MySpace are used to public profile and interact with consumers by the brands. For example, social media sites such as Face book and Twitter are used by Adidas to interact with customers and increase brand value. The company has uploaded more than a thousand promotional campaigns on YouTube by using two channels Adidas Football and Adidas. On Face book, Adidas has three active accounts in which two are original Adidas accounts and one is Adidas Football with a followership of more than 20 million users. While, on Twitter, Adidas has several accounts such as Adidas US and Adidas Football to interact and stay connected with the followers and fans. As a result, by using different social networking sites, the company was able to attract huge customer traffic, generate leads, and increase sales. It improved the financial performance of the company and provided an edge over rivals such as Under Armour and Nike. The online community is another channel that is used by brands to interact with consumers. It includes different interaction mediums such as instant messaging, chat rooms, forums, e-mails, social networking sites, and discussion boards so that interaction is established with minded people (Chen, Wu, and Yoon, 2004). Owned communities called as forums are highly effective that help in establishing a strong association with viewers and consumers. It includes customer analytics which helps in making the word of mouth campaign successful (Chowdhury, 2016). Email is another effective tool that is used by the brand to engage with the customers. It includes text, audio, and video-based messages that are sent to an individual or group of individuals to provide information about the product or company. Email marketing is a precised form of marketing that helps the brand to focus on target consumers and reach them easily and cost-effectively (MacDonald, 2016).