Digital Marketing and Communications Notes

Learning Outcomes

  • Define key concepts in digital marketing and marketing communications.
  • Describe online marketing approaches and their execution tools.
  • Outline social media marketing strategies and platforms.
  • Explain mobile marketing and its execution tools.

Marketing Communications Tools (Promotions Mix)

  • Advertising: Promotion via TV, radio, print, or online.
  • Public Relations: Managing company reputation and media interaction.
  • Sales Promotion: Short-term incentives to encourage purchases.
  • Personal Selling: Direct interaction between sales staff and customers.
  • Product Placement & Branded Entertainment: Integrating products into entertainment content.
  • Event Marketing & Sponsorship: Connecting brands with events for visibility.
  • Direct Response Marketing: Strategies prompting direct responses from consumers.
  • Social Media Marketing: Using social platforms to engage and promote.

Approaches to Marketing Communications

Outbound Marketing

  • Broadly broadcasts messages:
    • Traditional advertising (TV, print, radio)
    • Direct mail campaigns
    • Email marketing
    • Telemarketing
    • Public selling

Inbound Marketing

  • Consumers discover brands through digital methods:
    • Content marketing
    • Online marketing techniques
    • Pay-per-click (PPC) ads
    • Extensive use of social media
    • Mobile marketing strategies

Digital Marketing

  • Defined as the use of online, social, and mobile marketing strategies.
    • Informs consumers directly, referred to as Direct To Consumer (DTC) marketing.
    • Digital ad spending is increasing, surpassing traditional media in Canada as of 2018.

Key Statistics in Digital Communications

  • 2018: Digital ad spending overtook traditional methods in Canada.
  • $11.2 billion spent in Canada (2021); $285 billion in the U.S.

Case Studies in Marketing Responses

KFC Supply Chain Incident (2018)

  • KFC faced chicken shortages; utilized OOH, print, and online media to address the issue publicly.

Oreo’s Real-Time Marketing Strategy (Super Bowl XLVII)

  • Quick social media response during power outage led to 10,000 retweets in one hour, demonstrating agility in marketing.

Digital Marketing Tools

1. Websites

  • Multi-functional, allowing consumer interaction to drive sales.
  • Microsites track specific campaign engagement.

2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

  • Involves paid ads on search engines; crucial for visibility at purchase moments.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) enhances organic search visibility.

3. Display Advertising

  • Visual ads (images, videos) on digital platforms.
  • Effective when retargeting is applied despite privacy laws.

Social Media Marketing Insights

  • 4.65 billion total users; Canadians average over an hour on social media daily.

Popular Platforms:

  • Facebook: 2.9 billion users, revenue $86 billion.
  • YouTube: 2.2 billion users, revenue $28.8 billion.
  • Instagram: 2 billion users, revenue $24 billion.
  • TikTok: 1 billion users, revenue $11 billion.

Measuring Social Media Marketing Effectiveness

  • Metrics to consider:
    • Engagement (likes, shares, comments)
    • Reach and impressions
    • Brand awareness and sentiment
    • Click-through rates (CTR) and conversions

Influencer Marketing

  • Utilizes influencers to engage target audiences; forecasted growth in spending to $656.63M by 2025 in Canada.

Email Marketing

  • Uses opt-in lists for communication; can be effective but often faces issues with spam.

Mobile Marketing

  • Engages through mobile devices:
    • Mobile websites, apps, and advertising mediums.
    • Significant engagement in Canada with high mobile internet access reported.
    • 56% purchased via mobile devices in 2021.