Marketers can in fact measure statistics easily and inexpensively. They can determine which messages or offerings are more appealing to the audience through different methods: pay per impression, pay per click, pay per play… and so on. The results of campaigns can be measured and tracked immediately because online marketing initiatives usually require users to click on an advertisement, visit a website, and perform a targeted action. Such measurement cannot be achieved through billboard advertising. But on the other hand social network marketing requires customers to use newer technologies rather than traditional media.

Even though the great diffusion of internet and many networks that nowadays are more and more conditioning our lives, a big mistrust is always present.
So how the traditional consumer can be really involved in these kinds of promotion? And how the mistrust of doubtful consumers can be overcome?

But my question is: all the companies are equipped to meet the digital consumer needs?!

Recently, IBM Global Business Services’ Media and entertainment and IBM Institute for Business Value developed a global study.

http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/gbs/bus/html/gbs-beyond-advertising.html?cntxt=a1000401

The study, titled “Beyond Advertising: choosing a strategic path to the digital consumer” indicate that we have different trends emerging lately: consumer adopt new distribution formats and the digital migration of platforms.

Nowadays, consumer adopt with high level of engagement Social Networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter but companies, for reach different segments, have to offer new tailored offers for new platforms. Now social media can be used to address both transaction and brand requirements called “brands-actional” advertising.

Digital consumers today have fast growing and quickly emerging expectations; companies have to clearly choose the right way to deliver information to them and move quickly to become more effective.

Being connected to the Internet is now everyday stuff. In western societies it is almost impossible to live “unplugged”. Everybody has easy access to the Net and has become familiar with the possibilities we are offered by the virtual world.

Marketers are not aliens, in the sense that they perfectly know how to exploit the usage of the Internet and other mean of communication in order to get their final objective (sales!).

This is why we talk about e-marketing and e-business.

And the Digital Marketing Council (www.theidm.com) has defined Digital Marketing as:

“Applying digital technologies which form online channels to market to contribute to marketing activities aimed at achieving profitable acquisition and retention of customers through recognizing the strategic importance of digital technologies and developing a planned approach to improve customer knowledge, then delivering integrated target communications and online services that match their individual needs”

According to David Siegel (2000)

“E-marketing is not about building a web site, but building a web business… harmonizing the power to customers”

This blog is aiming at exploring the possibilities and the capabilities of digital marketing. We will go into details about the definitions in the next posts.