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chapter 1 the Digital Landscape
further reading ...
Note that I’ve included some articles that are a couple of years old ...
don't let their publication date put you off - they are still relevant now.
The most recent posts are at end of each section.
This book covers only the essentials – for links to wider coverage of the
subjects take a look at the web pages for Digital Marketing; a Practical Approach.
For deeper knowledge and understanding of digital marketing, see this list of books on the subject that will help - and if some of digital marketing’s terminology and phrases are new to you take a look at the author’s Key Concepts in e-Commerce. Getting on in digital years – but not out-dated – it’s available free to read online at Digital Marketing Definitions.
Google offers its own online training on all aspects of its products. The courses follow a similar format to that of this book and the author's. Having the Google certificates may well help you in finding a job in marketing.
Chris Anderson’s 2006 book The Long Tail (Hyperion Books) and John Battelle’s The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture (Nicholas Brealey Publishing) from 2005 were two of the first books to look at the impact of the Internet on business. Do not be put off by their published dates – they present many issues relevant to contemporary digital marketing.
A background to the Internet is what it says, and Internet World Stats has updated stats on Internet usage - both will be useful if you're not fully aware of the issues.
Consumers Turned More to These Online Services During the Pandemic covers subjects from a number of section - so I've included it in here. Bear in mind that it is pandemic related and the results may differ in 'normal' times. However, I think that it is worth noting that shopping comes in down at number 10 with only 11% - the activities above it are all non-commercial. Certainly, marketers could sell advertising on sites offering those services, but I would repeat the argument I've made for years - if folk are communicating with friends and family, looking for the weather and so on they're not in the state of mind where ads appeal to them in any way. The ads will, predominantly, go unnoticed. Interestingly, although some of the activities could be conducted on social media platforms, 'going on social media' isn't listed as an activity - so where does scrolling through TikTok for hours fit into this? Was it an omission? Or is such activity over-hyped by those who might benefit from higher usage numbers?
I’ve included Jeff Bezos’s success at Amazon is down to one thing: focusing on the customer at the beginning of the book because the message it emphasizes should be applied to every other element of the book.
Although its title suggests that Only one in 10 Brits trusts social media advertising, YouGov survey finds is just about ads on social - but the data actually shows that offline advertising is trusted far more than online ads.
Digital isn’t the only option
Although A Small Business Guide to Google My Business is - obviously - about an element of digital marketing, I have included it here as I think there is a reasonable argument that for many small businesses, this could be their web presence i.e. the only digital marketing they need to undertake [note that this article is relevant to the next chapter on SEO].
There is some stark honesty - and swearing - in Giffgaff: Online ads don’t make a brand famous. Take particular note of the quote; "We thought we didn’t need TV and that we could just make content that would go viral and make us famous ... that didn’t happen at all. We were wrong".
Mark Ritson: Marketers are clueless about media effectiveness – here’s the proof is a must read for all marketers and marketing students.
I have included Why one startup is investing 100% of its crowdfunding into marketing for several reasons, not least because it is a good story of the development of an online business. However, it is included in this section because the method of marketing that has been identified as being 'the way to go' is ... yep, offline.
Lidl scales back digital media investment after seeing poor ROI.
The author of Mark Ritson: Think TV is dying? You’re forgetting about the ‘Knopfler Effect’ is always worth reading [caveat: he does swear quite a lot]. This is an excellent example of his well thought-out and researched articles where he manages to make a valid [almost academic] argument in an entertaining way.
More from Mark Ritson Gary Vaynerchuk is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong about media - Prof Ritson has very similar views to me.
Note that no aspect of digital marketing is identified in In-Person Events Ranked #1 Among B2B Demand Generation Tactics. This reflects my experiences with B2B companies - particularly small ones.
Mark Ritson: It’s time to shut down digital marketing teams for good is not exactly the subject of this section - but it is closely related.
Lloyds admits it hasn’t had much success on social.
Vauxhall boss: Digital was meant to be a money-saver but no one has saved a penny.
This story is a case study in over-estimating the effectiveness of relying on online ... Adidas: We over-invested in digital advertising.
Which Channels Do Marketers Find Best for Reaching Top Target Audiences?
Do Consumers and Marketers Align in Their Advertising Channel Preferences? [clue: not at all].
Rethinking your media mix? is about the merits of off- and online advertising - and combinations thereof.
‘Innovation, culture, ownership’: How Premier Foods achieved three years of growth is about marketing in its widest sense – but it is here because it is made clear that for some FMCG products digital works – and for others it doesn’t.
I could have put Social Media’s Still Considered the Toughest Channel for Revenue Attribution in several other sections - but I've put it here with the question that if justifying the cost of these digital platforms is so difficult, could the money not be more effectively spent on traditional marketing channels?
Still more from Mark Ritson - Want a job? Pretend you believe in ‘digital marketing’.
The data presented in How did 2020 change the video world? suggests that TV is far from dead.
Some of the content in Modern Marketing Myopia: is marketing losing perspective? is also relevant to the next section.
According to the US Federal Reserve, folk over the age of 42 have 93.5 per cent of household wealth. At the same time, the Harvard Business Review estimates that only around 5 to 10 per cent of marketing spend is aimed at folk over 50. This is for the US – but I suspect the figure would be the same for most countries. This could have been in just about every chapter of the book, but I’ve included it here as I think that much of the wasted marketing spend will be on digital rather than more suitable traditional stuff.
Non-marketers in digital marketing
For those of you who feel I am wrong on this issue, read A day in the life of ... head of digital marketing & media at Philips, in particular the first line of the answer to the question; “what kind of skills do you need to be effective in your role?”[as head of digital marketing & media] - which is; “First and foremost, a solid background in marketing”.
Mark Ritson: Maybe it’s just me, but shouldn’t an ‘expert’ in marketing be trained in marketing? Before anyone is declared an expert/ninja/guru/visionary in marketing they need to learn the discipline. You need a qualification to be qualified.
Here's the argument from another - far more qualified than me - person Marketing failure and market research error: two unspoken reasons innovation fails.
I could have included To win the biggest legal battle in marketing, Google must show who its competition really is in a number of sections - not least SEO - because that is the focus of the story. However, the reason it is here is because it involves some arguments about marketing. A marketing student should be able to follow the narrative. I doubt that many [any?] computer scientists will. And yet - as per my argument in the book - computer scientists [techies] are being promoted to positions where marketing knowledge and skills [like those in this article about alternative products] are essential to the success of the organization. Warning: the author is Mark Ritson - so expect some swearing.
I’m always wary of any model made up of x number of the same initial – even the 4Ps is iffy as ‘place’ should be ‘distribution’. So … although the 10Cs of Modern Marketing Mindset struggles a bit making some of the Cs fit, it is a good guide for ambitious students. However, it is included in this section for element #3; Capable. Without a ‘Thorough knowledge of marketing principles’ the other 9 will never be achieved effectively.
The title and findings of What Are the Most Desirable Digital Marketing Skills Heading into the New Year? kind-of support my contention in this issue. The majority of the skills listed are not marketing per se, they are technical. Consider how many would be taught in a university's business school, let alone marketing department. Do get me wrong - these skills are required for effective digital marketing, but the emphasis is on digital - which may well result in folk with these skills moving into marketing management positions without knowing anything about marketing - and that can only end in tears.
Bill Bernbach’s incredible advertising wisdom is well worth a read from an advertising perspective. However. I think that a lot of what it covers can be applied to all online marketing. The science vs art argument is why I've included it in this section.
Not strictly belonging to this section, but still relevant to the majority of folk using this site – students – Social experts and digital specialists: The state of the marketing jobs market.
Modern Marketing Myopia: is marketing losing perspective? also has relevance to the subject of the previous section.
This essay - Financial Analysis for Marketers - doesn’t really belong in this book, but I think that knowing its subject is essential to all marketers. If you’re doing an UG marketing programme I would hope that you have cover this in a ‘finance’ module. I’ve put the link in this section as ‘non-marketers’ are unlikely have even heard of some of things. Let alone be able to explain them – or use them in a working environment.
For a thoughtful and much wider consideration of this topic, make sure you read Tom Roach’s Modern Marketing Myopia: is marketing losing perspective?
Dr Ritson has lots of stuff on online, all of which is worth a read or a watch. Not only is he informative, but entertaining also. He also swears a lot, so beware if you’re sensitive to bad language. See, Why Going to Business School is Important for Careers in Marketing.
The most pertinent paragraph in looking ahead – an article that considers the future of website design – is;
‘Achieving the business goals of our employers while simultaneously improving the lives of our users … will be the Next Big Thing in web design and development’.
I should be pleased at this notion – but I’m not. Sadly, it serves to prove that there always has been a disconnect between website development [techies] and marketers. You see, since 1996 I – and others – have been saying that ‘ACHIEVING THE BUSINESS GOALS OF OUR EMPLOYERS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVING THE LIVES OF OUR USERS’ should be the primary objective of ALL commercial websites.
I could have put Everyone can type, but not everyone can write… in a number of chapters, but the sentence ‘It was not written by a copywriter, it was written by a typist with a poor grasp of writing’ inspired me to put it here.
In-house or out-source?
Marketers Outsource Programmatic More than Other Tasks offer an insight into the issue of in-house vs out-source. Note, however, that the respondents will be from 'big' organizations - the numbers could be completely different for smaller organizations.
Reviews and ratings
The story of 'the shed' restaurant is legendary in review
terms and here it is from the man responsible ... I Made My Shed the Top Rated Restaurant On TripAdvisor. Note that in the article he says that he once had a job where restaurant owners would pay him £10 to write a positive review of their place, despite him never eating there.
There's some good food for thought in 85% of consumers disregard local reviews more than 3 months old.
Massive fake review attack has big impact on small businesses.
Study finds 61 percent of electronics reviews on Amazon are ‘fake’.
The Relationship Between Local Reviews and SEO.
Fake Amazon reviews giving unknown brands an SEO bump, says Which?
Consumers Consider Reviews More Influential Than Influencer or Celebrity Endorsements.
Review fraud: Hijacked Amazon reviews a big problem says Consumer Reports.
My derelict pub still got TripAdvisor reviews.
Not covered in the book is the Net Promoter Score [NPS] is used by many large companies as a customer feedback tool championed for its simplicity. However, although the NPS can give an indication of growth potential and customer loyalty for a company or product, the model is not without its sceptics who argue that it is too simple, with insufficient scientific basis for any results and that customer loyalty and satisfaction should consider also the causes and consequences of that loyalty and satisfaction. NPS is calculated by collecting customer responses as either positive [Promoters], negative [Detractors] or neutral [Passives] as an overall percentage; e.g. 25% Promoters, 55% Passives and 20% Detractors. In the calculation, passives are ignored and the scores is the difference between the percentage of Promoters and Detractors. In this example, 25-20 giving a NPS of +5 [anything above 0 is generally considered as being good]. Note that the NPS is not presented as a percentage. A critique of the model can be found on NPS is where customer insight starts, it’s not your ultimate goal.
Is NPS truly ‘the growth marketer’s secret weapon’ or more ‘snake oil and fake science’? is a good review of the model ... I actually come down on the side of ‘snake oil and fake science’.
There's some interesting stuff in Consumers more invested in reviews, but also more skeptical of authenticity but note that it refers to local search/businesses only.
The North Wales bar that takes no prisoners when it comes to bad reviews from customers.
Fake reviews problem is much worse than people know.
The content of Amazon ‘deletes 20,000 fake reviews after users rake in £20,000 from five-star posts’ is nothing new - but I've included it because it is in a popular tabloid newspaper, which shows that it is common knowledge, not an industry secret [note that the story originated in the Financial Times].
Asos has finally added product reviews, but how should brands handle online reviews?
How to Track Customer Feedback: Your Guide to Designing a Killer System That Works has a focus on B2B, but is a excellent description of serious feedback collection and use for all organizations.
Note that Fake Amazon reviews being sold 'in bulk' for £5 each online is from a TV news outlet - not a digital marketing source - so indicating that this subject is in the public domain.
Note that the title of Facebook removes over 16,000 groups trading fake reviews doesn't say '16,000 reviews have been removed' - it's 16,000 groups trading fake reviews ... we can only guess or imagine how many reviews that covers.
Inside the Underground Market for Fake Amazon Reviews.
Personalization
Targeting personalised ads to the right audience is a MUST read.
How Can Brands Make Customers Feel Like Individuals?
Personalisation is not the end-game of marketing is an objective view of the subject - take note that there is mention of the personalisation spectrum.
Gartner are usually quite good with their predictions 80% of Marketers Will Abandon Personalization Efforts by 2025.
Over the years I've agreed with most of what Gerry McGovern has had to say - including this ... The great personalization con.
Viral marketing
For more on the origins of word-of-mouth and its link to viral marketing, read Seth Godin’s Unleashing the Ideavirus. Godin doesn’t just talk the talk when he eulogizes viral marketing: the book can can be purchased as a hardcover book from a shop … but he also gives it away as an e-book – simply search for the title online.
Viral tricks of the trade ... The Secret Strategies Behind Many 'Viral' Videos. Note that this article was published in 2007. I bet practitioners of this 'dark art' have got a whole lot better at it since then - particularly as we have influencers
now. Indeed, marketers could see influencers as a tool in a viral
campaign.
Content marketing
‘Content’ is the worst word in marketing.
Here’s Why Your Content Marketing Is Failing.
Here's an outspoken view of the practice The Problem With Content Marketing Today.
How Honda shifted its content strategy from ‘attention-grabbing’ to storytelling.
Eight reasons why your content marketing fails.
What Is Click bait? is included here as some folk consider it to be part of content marketing.
The first couple of sentences of Content Marketing Should Mimic Publishing, Broadcasting say;
The best content marketing is so good, so useful, so entertaining that it holds an audience’s attention like a good newspaper, magazine, or TV show. The process, however, can require a substantial commitment.
... which suggests the rest of the article is worth reading.
The vital role of ‘slow data’ in e-commerce offers a basic - and short - introduction to slow data. Note also that this article could be part of content marketing [hence its inclusion in this section as an example] - you'll see a 'find out more' link to the organization's web page where a free demo is offered. In other words; this piece has not been written as an educational article - it's part of the organization's marketing.
5 Content Marketing Ideas gives some examples of content marketing - I've no doubt you will have comes across stuff like this without realising that it's part of a marketing strategy.
10 brilliant examples of content marketing from beauty brands is worth a read - but I have a couple of caveats: [1] I would list at least some of the 10 as marketing on social media, maybe even influencer marketing, and [2] beauty products lend themselves to this kind on promotion - that cannot be said about too many other product ranges.
I've included 16 Website & Blog Content Ideas to Get More Traffic & Engagement in this section, even though it mentions websites and blogs specifically. On lesson you should take from this is that writing content is not an easy task and should really be left to someone who knows what they're doing - and has the time to do it.
There's more about content marketing in Marketers Still Struggling to Measure Content Performance than just the issue in its title.
Perhaps publishing sounds a little old fashioned for the new wave of (digital) marketers – but I’m with Scott on this issue. If you agree, his blog is worth a read
You will note that the author of Five content marketing mistakes that will harm your SEO Seems to have similar problems to me in differentiating content marketing and SEO.
I think there are some good tips in Forget your content marketing consultant – here are 3 tips for free but I'm not too sure about the statement at the beginning which claims that; 'It’s no secret: content marketing pays. With 82% of marketers leveraging content marketing ... '
Influencers
COMMENT: it would seem that I have added more links to this section than many others on the site. This reflects that the role of influencers has been in the news. You should not take all these comments as suggesting that influencer marketing is more important than any other aspect of digital marketing. I would even argue that as it is effective for so few organizations it is one of the 'lesser' forms of marketing on social media.
How to calculate influencer engagement rate. Add the number of comments to the number of likes and divide by the number of followers. Multiply 100 to get the percentage. Various sources suggest the average engagement rate is around 1.5%. 6% is considered exceptional. Obviously, it is a numbers game, but if the average is 1.5%, that means many are less than 1%. Marketers should consider the ROI to decide on whether the effort – and potential problems - is worthwhile.
ANA finds only 36% of marketers say their influencer marketing is effective.
Influencer Content Sways Youth Who Engage With It: 4 Insights.
5 must-have considerations when working with influencers, according to P&G's legal counsel.
Is L’Oreal is doing ‘background checks’ as part of a new influencer vetting process closing the stable door after the horse has bolted?
Influencer recommendations are not celebrity endorsements is an excellent commentary on influencer marketing.
A third of brands admit to not disclosing influencer partnerships.
If influencers are authentic they’ll back your brand for free is a considered reflection on the use of influencers.
How to Scout Out the Best Influencers for Your Brand.
Five influencer marketing lessons from the Olivia Jade scandal.
It's nice to see some research that supports what I have always believed [based on my own research]. Only 4% of people trust what influencers say online kind-of makes all previous links on this page irrelevant.
Majority UK Instagram influencers engage in fakery - landmark new study.
Katie Price, Lauren Goodger and Georgia Harrison Instagram posts banned.
For Influencer Marketing at Amex, Authenticity Trumps Production Value is an example of a more 'professional' use of influencers. In this case, ads are placed in social media content written by 'famous' people whose opinions are valued by their readers and followers. Those ads are carefully developed so as to appear 'natural' within the writers' comments. Note that they are not paid to promote the products, but may receive payment for those ads.
COMMENT: The previous article – and several earlier in this page suggest that the role of the digital ‘influencer’ is maturing – though I would say it is reverting back to what the model was prior to someone coming up with the title ‘influencer’. Indeed, I think we will soon see the back of the term as soon as someone comes up with a more mature description of the practice – watch out for the old phrase ‘brand ambassador’ to revive in popularity. An example of this ‘back-to-the-future’ might be the celebrity athlete who ‘endorses’ a product relevant to her/his sport. In the old days this 'celebrity endorsement' might have been within an advert or infomercial or perhaps in an interview or on a chat show [‘I was back on the track ahead of schedule because I used Alan’s miracle cure cream’]. Now, that athlete can use their own social media presence[s] to get the message across. Furthermore, those folk who follow them are probably in the right target market for the product. The issue of the athlete declaring an interest does not go away, however.
A caveat to Grey and YouGov find 96% of people in the UK do not trust what influencers say would be that the respondents were 18 and over - perhaps younger folk might trust them more [i.e. are more gullible].
Note that in P&G and Disneyland among brands reaching most fake followers on Instagram influencer posts are - correctly - referred to as advertising.
Influencer Fatigue: Are We Done with Influencers?
Asos and Zoella hit with ad ban over 'unclear' promotional Instagram post.
Influencer posts dominate online complaints to UK ad watchdog.
Amazon opens livestreaming platform to influencers.
2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report from TopRank Marketing is an interesting read. However: take not of the potential bias towards the positive from the contributors and the industries in which they work. Could it be that influencer marketing is questionable outside of these industries?
Convinced that influencers are all genuine? Try putting “Amanda Smith and Alexa Rae” into a search engine.
I'm not sure which concerns me most about Instagram targets rule-breaking influencers - the fact that such practice is still going on, or that Instagram have just decided to do something about it. Note also that this article isn't hidden in a digital marketing publication - it's on the BBC.
Probably because I'm the wrong gender and from the wrong generation, but - as I allude to in the book - I am very sceptical about the use of influencers in marketing. At the end of the section I mention virtual influencers. I think it reflects on the buyer behaviour and personality of those customers that are influenced that they follow made-up characters that are the figment of the imagination of people [marketers] that are using these cartoons to sell products - Virtual Influencers Make Real Money While Covid Locks Down Human Stars sheds some more light on the subject.
You may think that my inclusion of In the battle of The Slumflower vs Florence Given, the only winner is the publishing industry is a tad strange – but give it a read as a marketer. Note that its author is a proper journalist.
Influencers told not to use 'misleading' beauty filters.
The issues raised in Nano Influencers: Who Are They and How to Work With Them are covered in the book – but I’ve included it here for another reason. Take a look at some of the data and it seems to suggest that the vast majority of influencers have only a thousand followers.
Tobacco giant bets £1bn on influencers to boost 'more lung-friendly' sales is the story of the successful use of influencers – but it does leave a bad taste in the mouth [pun intended]. A couple of other things: the article suggest that the videos are not adverts, yet the law in most countries is that they are – and should be identified as such. Also, I’ll repeat what I say in the book; if the video started with its star stating that ‘I’ve been paid to say this/wear this/show this’ its impact – i.e. influence – would be much less.
ASA threatens to take action against Instagram’s ‘non-compliant’ influencers.
The Beauty of 78.5 Million Followers - how social media stars like Addison Rae gave the cosmetics industry a makeover is a considered article on the role of influencers [and much more].
Take note that More Than 1 in 4 Gen Zers Worldwide Follow Influencers on Social Media could read 75% of Gen Zers Worldwide DON'T Follow Influencers on Social Media. If we then factor in just how much notice users take of influencers, and the limited range of industries/markets in which they operate, and ... well, you do your own assessment of whether all organizations should be using influencers as some folk would have you believe.
I found reading The Anxiety of Influencers made me rather sad. OK, so I’m the wrong generation for this – but every generation has its dreamers. For me it was being a footballer, for others it was artist, singer, pop star, athlete, TV celebrity … and guess what? For 99.9% it was just a dream. The same goes for earning a fortune as an influencer. That said, full marks to the ‘stars’ of the article for making some money out of marketers willing to pay them stupid amounts – but it’s the agents who are making the real money. As the article’s author suggests, the youngsters are being used and then ditched when their fame [follower count] takes a dip. For marketers; if your product/brand appeals to this 'influencer-wannabe' segment consider the platform – if not [99% of all products?] don't get duped into wasting even a penny/cent of your budget – spend it on something that has been proved to work. Note also: perhaps mine is not the only generation to not get this ... as per the previous article, only 25% of the target generation do so.
Perhaps reflecting a general ignorance with regard to influencers is The world’s top 50 inflencers across social media which is actually a list of the most followed individuals on social media … it’s nothing to do with influencers. It’s worth spending a few minutes looking at the relevant social media presences listed, however, not least for the fact that many of these athletes, musicians and actors make very few posts themselves … suggesting that followers do so as a sign of support rather than wishing to hear what the followed have to say.
Gen Z Touts High Purchase Influence of TikTok Videos is yet another pro-influencer headline where the actual stats don’t support the headline.
ASA threatens action against rule-breaking brands as it names and shames influencers and Ex-reality TV stars' 'misleading' debt ads banned carry a similar message for marketers ... and I’ll say it yet again; if influencers started each video by saying ‘I’ve been paid to promote this product’ their influence would diminish.
In the book I mention ads on social media which don’t identify themselves as ads, well … TikTok is full of shady secret advertisements and that is one of the reasons for Influencer Marketing Trade Body sets up regulation advice line.
I’ve included Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control: Inside Shein’s Sudden Rise here because of its mention of influencers [note how the influencers in this story are little more than models simply showing clothes the company sells], but it is an interesting read about business in general and e-commerce in particular.
More on virtual influencers - Forever young, beautiful and scandal-free: The rise of South Korea's virtual influencers.
The headline says; Influencer Collaborations Work Most of the Time, Marketers Say, but the devil, as they say, is in the detail – which is positive if you’re seeking engagement, not so if you’re looking for anything else.
According to Fortune magazine, The world’s most followed TikToker gets paid as much as $750K per post, but to reach his greatest business goal Khaby Lame is binge-watching American cartoons. Congratulations to Mr Lame … but which organizations can afford to spend $750K on a single ad – and get a return on that investment?
After Kim Kardashian’s SEC settlement, influencers working with brands could face more scrutiny – and fines is interesting for a number of reasons - not least that Ms Kardashian was found 'guilty' even though the offending post included the #Ad notice. In this case that was considered not to be enough - I wonder if the time will come when all influencer posts will have to carry a prominent 'this is an ad' notice?
The author of The influencer epidemic: How social stardom became marketing’s most exciting commodity has the same point of view as me. It's interesting how the title is positive, but the content is not so.
Despite the fact that the word influencer appears only once in Everyone Wants to Be a Hot, Anxious Girl on Twitter I think that is the subject of the article. It's a well-written piece ... which I find a bit disturbing in parts.
Affiliate marketing
I have included study finds very few influencers disclose affiliate marketing on YouTube and Pinterest here as an example of just how common affiliate marketing is and how it sneaks under the radar of many customers and consumers.
How affiliate marketing is making its multibillion-dollar return.
I've included Customer Journey Hijacking here not just for its subject of fraud, but it also explains a lot about how affiliate marketing works.
Direct to consumer
For more on direct-to-consumer, see the author's thoughts on direct-to-consumer.
How do you know if D2C is right for your beauty brand? offers a reasonable balance of the positives [what can be gained] and negatives [the resources required]. Note, however, the article is about an existing brand moving to DtoC and so it has existing customers - a new business would have to address the issue of SEO.
Although the direct-to-consumer craze is slamming into reality raises some interesting points, it’s disappointing that the article starts with; ' ... pioneered a new form of retail, one that went “direct to consumer”'. By 'new' does the author mean 'within the last hundred years or so'?
For more of the author’s personal views on DTC.
Beauty Pie founder Marcia Kilgore on loyalty, influencers and the lure of multichannel is a good story about real DTC.
Brands harness quick commerce boom seems very positive – but make sure you read the last paragraph. Basically, it goes with the ethos of this book; i.e. it works for some, but not for others.
Gaming
Four reasons why gaming should be a key channel for all media buyers.
Google rolls out smart targeting for in-game ads.
Fifa, product placement and the future of ads in video games.
Why gaming will be advertising's next key channel.
Majority of gamers say sponsored content adds to the fun, survey shows.
Study: In-game banner ads have high viewability, but low recall.
Mobile applications
Sorry ... nothing yet - perhaps because mobile is now the norm?
Virtual and augmented reality
Here’s an app that has a simple but effective commercial application of AR L’oreal professional adds 3 d hair colouring to mobile-app.
More from L’oreal who seem to be the leaders in the use of AR to increase sales ... L’Oréal looks to drive up ecommerce sales in AR partnership with Facebook and L'Oréal offers first line of virtual makeup for social media.
10 of the latest examples of augmented reality brand experiences.
14 examples of augmented reality brand experiences.
L'Oréal's Garnier blends hair color try-ons with Google Lens.
Watch this space ... Facebook plans to sell AR-equipped smart glasses from Ray-Ban.
Augmented Reality for Ecommerce: Is It Useful Yet?
There are some of the usual suspects in the examples of How to leverage AR in your digital marketing strategy - but its still worth a read.
Big data
Sorry ... nothing yet - which perhaps reflects that the subject is no longer 'hip'?
Artificial intelligence
The comments in Calling bullshit on marketers’ perceptions of (most) AI pretty much match my opinion of the subject.
If you asked me the question are we in danger of over-estimating AI? I would say definitely yes.
15 examples of artificial intelligence in marketing.
I'm not really in a position to make a definite argument, but the applications described in How artificial intelligence may be making you buy things sound more like machine learning than AI to me. This reflects my comments on the subject in the book. Note that this article is in the BBC's technology section - I get that AI comes under that heading, but because the story is about the application of technology, I would put it in the business section.
Why Artificial Intelligence Like AlphaZero Has Trouble With the Real World.
Although AI evangelists might disagree with some aspects of Why AI is Harder Than We Think if you want an objective review of the subject it is well worth a read. Note that it is about AI in general, not just marketing.
The Future of the Web Is Marketing Copy Generated by Algorithms could be in the section on website content, but as it’s about AI, it’s in here.
Google SpamBrain: AI-based spam prevention system launched in 2018 is another example of how digital marketers have been using AI without realising it.
Privacy and trust
That this section has more entries than most suggests that ... well, you decide.
I’m finding that some students are confusing privacy with security. Although there is a crossover between the two – a break in security might lead to a loss of privacy, for example – in the field of digital marketing they are different. In the book I address privacy of the individual, a social issue but not security, which is a computer science issue. For example, WhatsApp does a reasonable job with security, that is, it is difficult for a third party to access any messages you might send or receive. However, Facebook [WhatsApp’s owner] can glean a lot of data about you from your use of the app – and so your privacy is compromised.
The Cambridge Analytica/Facebook thing was major news in 2018 - and it still appears regularly as an example of abuse of privacy. Here’s my interpretation of the key issue. It all revolves around Cambridge Analytica’s app-based personality quiz. Just over a quarter of a million [considering the number of people impacted, this is a relatively low number] users downloaded the app. This app – like just about every commercial app – accesses peer data, that is, information held on a mobile device about the owner’s friends and contacts.
Here’s how it works:
You install a retailer’s club membership app on your smartphone. The small print you didn’t read asks for permission to access core services on your device, including your contacts. And you agree – effectively giving a third party [the retailer] permission to access not only your personal data, but also the personally identifiable information [name, address, email address, photo, phone number, birthday etc] of all of the contacts in your phone. None of your contacts agreed to share their information with the retailer. Indeed, they have no idea that you have given away their data to who-knows-who [who then sell it on to who-knows-who].
Of course, your contacts have almost certainly done the same to you.
Privacy stories seem to crop up nearly every day and would fill this page if I added them all. However, I've included Extent of 'shadow' data Facebook hands to advertisers revealed after lengthy study and What tech giants really do with your data as examples of what's been going on out there for some time.
In my classes I used to raise the issue of apps on smartphones tracking your every move. Some students showed concern, others just shrugged their shoulders - Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret covers the subject in a way that should prompt your concern.
There are some scary 'what they know about you' lists in How Google Tracks Your Personal Information.
Use and convenience replace trust and security.
Four in ten Brits cover webcam to thwart spies.
The Creepiness–Convenience Tradeoff.
Google workers can listen to what people say to its AI home devices.
This podcast How much does Google know about you? is well worth a listen - all in just 23 minutes.
93% of UK consumers worried brands are abusing their data, finds Adobe.
Ignore the title of 96% of global consumers expect brands to respond within 24 hours to an issue - it's about privacy paradox.
How brands get your phone number and call after they see you on their website explains how some of this online tracking works - basically, it's data collection companies talking to each other.
I think that this was been common knowledge in the 'digital' community for a while - I said it in classes for several years - but this excellent article [with presentation that others should strive for] from the New York Times has made the subject common knowledge, see one nation tracked. Also, Facebook finally admitted that it can locate users who opt out of tracking.
Another issue I talked about in classes is Silicon Valley Is Listening to Your Most Intimate Moments. Google also gets in on the act - Google really is listening and recording on apps.
Millions of Facebook user phone numbers exposed online, security researchers say.
Facial recognition's 'dirty little secret': Millions of online photos scraped without consent.
Google collects a frightening amount of data about you. How to find and delete it now.
How Many Ads And Trackers Does ONE Page Load? goes some way to explaining how third-party data is gathered. From this article: "When consumers visit a page on People Magazine’s website they knew they were interacting with people.com. But they did not know about the 100 other trackers that were loaded by the page or by the ads loaded into the page, that were all collecting their data and sending it to third parties, outside of the site."
How to Disappear is more of a magazine article than academic paper - but it is interesting to read. Note that it was written in 2017 - so things will have moved on since then.
Everything Is Listening—We Already Live In A Surveillance State, We Just Don’t Know It.
Google Says It Doesn’t 'Sell' Your Data. Here’s How the Company Shares, Monetizes, and Exploits It.
According to the IAB's website:
The Interactive Advertising Bureau is an advertising business organization that develops industry standards, conducts research, and provides legal support for the online advertising industry.
Which makes IAB Europe’s ad tracking consent framework found to fail GDPR standard more than a tad embarrassing for it.
Popular app T&Cs 'longer than Harry Potter'.
Robot Vacuums Suck Up Sensitive Audio in ‘LidarPhone’ Hack.
The story behind How A Massive Facebook Scam Siphoned Millions Of Dollars From Unsuspecting Boomers reads more like a movie script than real life - a scary movie.
Designed to Deceive: Do These People Look Real to You? could be in the previous section on AI - but this is about the use of the technology for nefarious purposes.
As well as the obvious privacy content [which is a bit scary], Why Amazon knows so much about you also includes some positive stuff on Amazon's business activities … and some negative stuff.
What Facebook's Privacy Policies Don't Tell You is [probably] true of all privacy policies that we tick as being read, but never read.
Despite all the publicity, a Pew Research Study has found that A Majority of Americans Know Little About Digital Security and Privacy.
‘Millions of people’s data is at risk’ — Amazon insiders sound alarm over security.
OOOPS ... 533 million Facebook users' phone numbers and personal data have been leaked online.
All the ways Amazon tracks you and how to stop it.
This video -
Online advertising causes the world's biggest data breach. We are going to court to stop it - is well worth your time. From a privacy point of view, you may find it disturbing. From an online advertising point of view it will tell you how real-time-bidding [RTB] works.
How spooky is this … Everyone Sees Something Different On Delta’s New Face Recognition Airport Display.
You agreed to what? Doctor check-in software harvests your health data is about the USA – but how long before we see similar around the world [tip; the Boris Johnson Conservative government has already tried something similar in the UK]
Tesla 'Spy' Cars Banned By German Police isn’t about online privacy, but it is about privacy if you consider why the ban was implemented.
Facebook and Anti-Abortion Clinics Are Collecting Highly Sensitive Info on Would-Be Patients
I tend to pick out the likes of Google allowed sanctioned Russian ad company to harvest user data for months pretty much at random – just as an example of the kind of thing that’s going on out there.
Ex-Twitter exec blows the whistle, alleging reckless and negligent cybersecurity policies is about users' – your – personal information.
How TikTok Tracks You Across the Web, Even If You Don’t Use the App is from a non-tech/digital source, so it explains the story clearly.
‘We all saw it’: anti-Xi Jinping protest electrifies Chinese internet Scramble to censor posts about Sitong bridge incident in Beijing where defiant banners were hung and a fire lit in lead-up to Communist party congress. I don't really cover this subject in the book [maybe I should?] but some folk don't have access to all of the Internet because their government censor it. Kind of the opposite of allowing everything on the web - which is a problem within itself.
How TikTok Tracks You Across the Web, Even If You Don’t Use the App is from a non-tech/digital source, so it explains the story clearly. TikTok will use your data to fuel its multibillion-dollar shopping mall — whether you know it or not is on the same subject - but although TikTok is named in the title, the article tells how Meta, Google and Microsoft are guilty of the same practice.
Not strictly part of this book's subject, but Uber Will Start Serving You Targeted Ads Based On Where You Go.
Digital marketing objectives
How ASOS used Instagram to boost recall and awareness is a very well presented story of marketing on social media. However, I have included it here because it is clear that the objective is 'branding'.
I have included Corporate vs. Business Unit Strategy as I think marketing students will benefit from it – but the reason it is here is that it will help students appreciate where digital fits at this level [spoiler; it doesn’t].
Can you achieve long and short at the same time? Usually, no is about marketing in general – but you should see its relevance to my views on strategic digital marketing.