Follow up post: Digital Engagement -2019
Thanks to all of you that attended the session yesterday on digital engagement with Chris Millson! Chris delivered a very interesting and interactive lecture on what constitutes as digital engagement and how this differs from traditional engagement. Not only did Chris touch on how we engage with each other, but how we engage with our world and how companies engage with us.
What makes good digital engagement?
In the session we spoke about the Pepsi Bus shelter campaign and how this is an example of traditional and digital engagement. Not only did the bus shelter cause people to engage in conversation with each other, but the production of the viral video allowed for a lot of digital engagement. However, not everyone agreed as to whether this was a particularly effective campaign. Whilst some found it innovative, others saw it as a large sum of money to be spent on just one bus shelter.
Who is monitoring us?
A key conversation piece in this session was about the potential for monitoring within our digital society.
‘Facebook wants us to think it is a park when it’s actually a shopping mall’ — Aral Balkan
It appears that monitoring and collecting data is paramount for today's digital engagement in terms of marketing. As scary as it is to consider, we are being monitored all the time. For example:
- Amazon
‘So say me and my friends would be talking about doughnuts, and then an add would pop up for doughnuts… it’s weird’
When we think about it, monitoring is everywhere, offline and online. Even without physically using our digital device, our locations (and possibly our voices? the boat is still out) is being recorded. This constant monitoring has led to the acquisition of data on each of us, producing a profile which can be sold. This is known as Surveillance Capitalism.
Sometimes this is good right? If our data and habits ‘are’ being tracked, then it is easier for companies to display products to us that we are more likely to purchase. The company makes more revenue, we spend less time scrolling through the internet in search of our next purchase. However, as discussed in the session, this can lead to ‘the bubble effect’. We are not exposed to things we might otherwise buy or read that is outside our normal activities.
One of the main concerns with this surveillance capitalism is the issue with its government and control. The internet is, naturally, harder to control in terms of a legality standpoint…
Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing
Chris introduced us to the ‘7 Ps’ of traditional marketing:
- Product
- Promotion
- Place
- Price
- People
- Process
- Physical evidence
It is safe to say that digital marketing can vary greatly compared to traditional marketing. As some of you pointed out, digital marketing may not rely on some of these point as much or in the same way as traditional marketing. As Chris said, Starbucks owes its popularity to its placement, they’re everywhere! However, in an online medium ‘place’ takes a very different meaning. As well as this, there are key strategies that are paramount in digital marketing that are not mentioned above.
What is important in digital marketing?
It appears that there are other avenues of thought when it comes to digital marketing. For example, how the brand presents itself in the digital world. Through digital marketing, brands have the opportunity to have a ‘personality’, they can relate to their target audience and keep of top of trends. They also have the ability to rapidly respond to enquiries and rectify mistakes. This is relatively easy to accomplish through social media. As well as this, it is easier for brands to have incentives/competitions for prizes. With each give away there are thousands of shares, likes and comments, making your brand reach a wider audience. Although we don’t like to admit it, click-bait works. Although this is not an exhaustive list, it is clear that digital marketing does steer from the traditional strategies that once worked so well.
What do you think about digital engagement?
Please leave your comments below on what you thought of the session, we’d love to see what ideas you have!
Please email digisoc@manchester.ac.uk with any questions or problems.
