Digital Marketing, Analytics & Research – Key Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering fundamental terms from the lecture notes on digital marketing, big data analytics and marketing research.

Digital marketing

Achieving marketing objectives through the use of digital media, data and technology.

Digital media

Online channels used to communicate and interact with target audiences.

Social media networks

Platforms that facilitate sharing ideas, information and content; combine owned and earned media effects.

Owned media

Digital assets a firm controls, such as its website, email list or social-network pages.

Earned media

Audience engagement a firm gains organically online (likes, shares, follows, reviews, etc.).

Search engine marketing (SEM)

Paid-for tactics that optimize search listings and place ads when users search for related terms.

Digital display advertising

Paid online ads delivered through banners, video or rich media across websites and apps.

Website (as a channel)

An owned digital touch-point providing flexible content, e-commerce, information or brand portals.

Email marketing

Direct, owned-media tool that sends targeted messages to subscribers’ inboxes.

Mobile marketing

Creation and delivery of marketing messages via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Messaging applications

Mobile services (WhatsApp, Messenger, WeChat, Viber) used for one-to-one or group communication marketing.

Dimensions of the digital communication environment

Technology, applications, marketing and audiences that frame online activity.

Technology dimension

Infrastructure elements such as internet, mobile, satellite, data and intelligent tech.

Applications dimension

Tools like websites, e-commerce, social media, AI, augmented reality and robots.

Marketing dimension

Issues of globalization, multichannel operations, continuous trading and remote work.

Audiences dimension

Groups such as shoppers, information searchers, businesses and online communities.

Digital marketing planning

Process of aligning, integrating, implementing and monitoring digital activities.

RACE framework

Planning template: Reach, Act (interactions), Convert (sales) and Engage.

Digital media competency

A firm’s capability to use digital channels effectively in planning and execution.

Evaluation and control (digital)

Monitoring performance, diagnosing variance and applying continual improvements to campaigns.

Target segment (digital view)

Audience defined by connectivity, channel usage, media consumption and online behaviour.

Dark side of digital marketing

Ethical issues such as cyber security threats, digital divide and human obsolescence.

Cyber security

Protection of digital assets and data from theft, damage or unauthorized access.

Digital divide

Gap between those with and without effective access to digital technologies.

Human obsolescence

Risk that technology supersedes human roles and skills.

Big data

Large, complex data sets generated by interactions among people, firms and technology.

Marketing analytics

Tools and systems that reveal insights and link marketing activities to revenue.

Marketing information system (MkIS)

Platform for gathering, storing, analysing and distributing marketing information across an organization.

Performance-measurement questions

What do we want to achieve? What is happening? Why is it happening? What actions are needed?

Data (in research)

Basic factual elements that become meaningful when organised.

Information

Data combined to provide knowledge relevant to a decision.

Internal continuous data

Ongoing records produced within a firm (e.g., sales logs, website analytics).

Environmental scanning

Gathering external data about markets, competition and trends.

Market research data

Information collected to study consumer or market trends for commercial purposes.

Customer insights

Actionable understanding of customers derived from data analysis.

Data-driven marketing

Tailoring products, services and messages using data analysis results.

Precision marketing

Highly targeted outreach enabled by big-data analytics and detailed customer journeys.

Customer journey mapping

Plotting stages and touch-points a customer experiences with a brand.

Market research

Investigation of market trends affecting practical marketing activities.

Marketing research

Broader academic study of marketing phenomena and processes.

Qualitative research

Exploratory, in-depth inquiry that yields rich insights but small samples.

Quantitative research

Structured study producing numerical results generalisable to a larger population.

Exploratory research

Preliminary qualitative/secondary work to refine problems before main quantitative stage.

Research brief

Client document outlining marketing problem, objectives, background and timetable.

Research proposal

Agency plan detailing objectives, design, schedule and costs for a study.

Sampling

Process of selecting who and how many respondents to include in research.

Survey method

Mode of data collection—face-to-face, telephone, mail or internet.

Questionnaire design

Planning, drafting and piloting survey questions prior to full administration.

Data analysis and interpretation

Processing collected data and explaining findings without confusing association with causation.

Content analysis

Systematic coding of qualitative responses or media content.

Statistical analysis

Mathematical examination of quantitative data to identify patterns or relationships.

Report writing

Compilation of title page, contents, summary, method, findings, conclusions and appendices.

Focus group

Small, moderated discussion used for qualitative insight.

Structured questionnaire

Pre-coded survey instrument used for quantitative data collection.

Ethical issues in research analytics

Concerns about privacy, personalization limits, data misuse and ‘sugging’ (selling under guise of research).