Advertising And Marketing In Today’S Dynamic Digital World
In today’s ever changing digital world, the rules of marketing are no longer what they once were and traditional media is no longer the only option available to marketers. There is an abundance of new practices, new options and new technology. It is essential for brand marketers to be well-versed with these changes, to keep learning new skills and to be highly educated on the industry. Digital media is “in fact one of the most powerful channels and levers for brand communications, one that is integral and often central to every media campaign.” It is important for digital media, not to be separate from the overall communications plan, but to be well integrated into it. A truly successful marketing plan is a holistic one, combining the vital media touchpoints - traditional, experiential, digital and word-of-mouth - effectively. In business, results always matter. Numbers tell a story and it is important to know how to measure and analyze results. They give marketers direction and help them form new strategies for success or make changes to existing ones.
The argument is strong because it is important to stay current on the industry and stay up to date with the latest marketing and branding developments. It is crucial to be extremely knowledgeable about the ever-changing media landscape and the new technology and use of digital media. This will go a long way in helping marketers stay abreast with the trends in the industry. Armed with relevant knowledge, they will be able to thrive in the digital world and stand out from their competitors. This will also be useful in learning how to make the best use of media tools in order to maximize the impact of branding. The argument is right in stating that, while digital is central to every media campaign, it cannot exist by itself as a separate function and needs to be smoothly integrated into the overall communications plan in order to achieve the best results. In creating the right media mix, it is important to “think like an investment fund manager.”
In other words, it is all about making the right choices and picking the right form of media for the right job. One weakness, however, of this argument is that it does not address situations where it is often necessary to allow a particular media channel (say, digital media) stand out from the others and be given more importance. Marketing situations often arise where there doesn’t always have to be a balance between the different media touch points, and one can be given more attention, budget and so on. This is a strong argument because, in today’s world, business results are truly everything. No matter what, businesses want to see the numbers. Numbers are not just useful for measuring results, but will also help businesses form concrete and measurable goals and strategies. This is also a strong argument because it stresses the importance of not just recording quantitative results but also knowing how to analyze them and understand what they mean. This will help marketers learn from their past performances and know what to improve upon in the future, making them more likely to succeed.
In my opinion, the book is a very valuable read because it is concerned with advertising, communications and marketing in today’s dynamic digital world. It is useful and engaging, and makes good use of real-world case studies to offer knowledge and perspective to the readers as well as to underline the ideas that it is talking about. It is well structured and offers step-by-step advice from how to adapt to the changing digital era from marketing communication strategies to selecting the right touch points to bringing your media strategy to life. The book acts as a thorough guide necessary to succeed in the marketing world. It also empowers marketers to be savvy and stay up to date with the trends in the media and technology trends in the industry. I completely agree with the book’s idea of the importance of knowing how to perfectly integrate all elements of the communication mix to ensure “a more complete user experience.”
I especially agree with the author’s analogy of an orchestra when explaining how to “make music in communications.” It is extremely important for all the elements of a campaign (not solely creative or digital) to work together to produce a memorable and successful campaign. It is also vital to understand the importance of creating multimedia strategies and thinking about ideas for non-media channels as well, to give the campaign a more holistic feel. Two questions that I would like to discuss further in class: Is traditional media being completely replaced by digital media, or do some brands still thrive off of using traditional media to reach out to their consumers? Are there cases when integrating digital marketing into the communications plan has backfired for a brand?
