A Practical Approach—Summary
Chapter 1. Marketing in a Digital World
This first chapter considers some of the aspects of technological development that will
–or already do – impact on the digital marketer. They are generic in nature in that they
are not marketing subjects – but they have either (a) an impact on marketing, or (b)
can be used by marketers in the practice of their craft.
A natural successor to the digital revolution, where changes to business brought about
by digitalization were presented, the digital transformation takes the issue a stage – or
several stages – further on into the impact of various technologies on business.
Although the term digital transformation has been around since the birth of the
commercial Internet, it has previously been used to describe how organizations,
industries or markets adapted to the digital world. Obvious examples are e-commerce
(the sale of goods online) and the impact of digital technologies on the printing and
music industries. More recently, however, digital transformation has become the term
that indicates how the entire organization has adopted, adapted to – or ignored – the
changes brought to society by the digital revolution.
In attempting to define digital transformation, Fitzgerald et al. (2013) suggest it
encom-passes the use of new digital technologies to enable major business
improvements (such as enhancing customer experience, streamlining operations or
creating new business models). Customer service writer and practitioner Gerry
McGovern is more specific, saying that: ‘Digital transformation is about
organizing around the current customer.
It is about putting the customer at the centre of the universe.’ In a warning to
those organ-izations that follow a trend rather than fully committing to digital
transformation, McGovern has also said that ‘Digital is the transformation agent,
not the transformation.’
It is agreed, however, that for any organization to digitally transform, that
transformation has to:
● be organization wide
● be understood by everyone in the organization
● involve everyone in the organization
● be cultural and not forced
● have no end date.
, An effective digital transformation cannot be undertaken by one area or department of
the organization. Furthermore, digital transformation is not about technology, it is
about the strategic use of technology. However, too often the IT department is the least
digitally savvy department within most organizations because they are still obsessed
with the technology. A great many organizations still seem to think that the answer to
digital technology is in buying the right technology.
Key components of the digital transformation include: big data, reverse marketing,
mobile applications, the Internet of things and the automation of business processes.
Big data
This is the collection of a wealth of data from and about everything internal and external
to the organization and its interpretation to help make the business run more
efficientlyand improve customer service. It facilitates the ability to track customers and
their communications across every channel, which can help measure and manage the
customer experience – the sum of all the experiences a customer has with a business. In
turn, this can:
● help improve customer service levels
● enhance customer retention
● improve overall customer lifetime value
● be used to deliver personalized services.
However, some are sceptical. As with other aspects of technology, those promoting the
concept – and term – are more often those who will gain from its adoption; that is, those
selling products or services associated with it. It is still not agreed whether it is the
cutting edge of modern marketing or an overhyped buzzword. Commentators raise two
other issues with regard to big data’s value:
● Mathematical algorithms produce data in abundance on what has happened – or is
happening – but they have difficulty answering the question of why things are
happening. That is where the analytics come into play
Sceptics who question the value of the deluge of data produced by data scientists have
coined the phrase weapon of math destruction to describe the impact of useless big data
on organizations.
Reverse marketing
Associated to the concept of helping the buyer to buy, this is where organizations and
brands are increasingly distrusted by customers and so the customer has become the
marketer, that is, the roles are reversed.
Chapter 1. Marketing in a Digital World
This first chapter considers some of the aspects of technological development that will
–or already do – impact on the digital marketer. They are generic in nature in that they
are not marketing subjects – but they have either (a) an impact on marketing, or (b)
can be used by marketers in the practice of their craft.
A natural successor to the digital revolution, where changes to business brought about
by digitalization were presented, the digital transformation takes the issue a stage – or
several stages – further on into the impact of various technologies on business.
Although the term digital transformation has been around since the birth of the
commercial Internet, it has previously been used to describe how organizations,
industries or markets adapted to the digital world. Obvious examples are e-commerce
(the sale of goods online) and the impact of digital technologies on the printing and
music industries. More recently, however, digital transformation has become the term
that indicates how the entire organization has adopted, adapted to – or ignored – the
changes brought to society by the digital revolution.
In attempting to define digital transformation, Fitzgerald et al. (2013) suggest it
encom-passes the use of new digital technologies to enable major business
improvements (such as enhancing customer experience, streamlining operations or
creating new business models). Customer service writer and practitioner Gerry
McGovern is more specific, saying that: ‘Digital transformation is about
organizing around the current customer.
It is about putting the customer at the centre of the universe.’ In a warning to
those organ-izations that follow a trend rather than fully committing to digital
transformation, McGovern has also said that ‘Digital is the transformation agent,
not the transformation.’
It is agreed, however, that for any organization to digitally transform, that
transformation has to:
● be organization wide
● be understood by everyone in the organization
● involve everyone in the organization
● be cultural and not forced
● have no end date.
, An effective digital transformation cannot be undertaken by one area or department of
the organization. Furthermore, digital transformation is not about technology, it is
about the strategic use of technology. However, too often the IT department is the least
digitally savvy department within most organizations because they are still obsessed
with the technology. A great many organizations still seem to think that the answer to
digital technology is in buying the right technology.
Key components of the digital transformation include: big data, reverse marketing,
mobile applications, the Internet of things and the automation of business processes.
Big data
This is the collection of a wealth of data from and about everything internal and external
to the organization and its interpretation to help make the business run more
efficientlyand improve customer service. It facilitates the ability to track customers and
their communications across every channel, which can help measure and manage the
customer experience – the sum of all the experiences a customer has with a business. In
turn, this can:
● help improve customer service levels
● enhance customer retention
● improve overall customer lifetime value
● be used to deliver personalized services.
However, some are sceptical. As with other aspects of technology, those promoting the
concept – and term – are more often those who will gain from its adoption; that is, those
selling products or services associated with it. It is still not agreed whether it is the
cutting edge of modern marketing or an overhyped buzzword. Commentators raise two
other issues with regard to big data’s value:
● Mathematical algorithms produce data in abundance on what has happened – or is
happening – but they have difficulty answering the question of why things are
happening. That is where the analytics come into play
Sceptics who question the value of the deluge of data produced by data scientists have
coined the phrase weapon of math destruction to describe the impact of useless big data
on organizations.
Reverse marketing
Associated to the concept of helping the buyer to buy, this is where organizations and
brands are increasingly distrusted by customers and so the customer has become the
marketer, that is, the roles are reversed.
