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© All rights reserved Price : ` 595 First Published : August 2026 Published by : Taxmann Publications (P.) Ltd. Sales & Marketing : 59/32, New Rohtak Road, New Delhi-110 005 India Phone : +91-11-45562222 Website : www.taxmann.com E-mail : sales@taxmann.com Regd. Office : 21/35, West Punjabi Bagh, New Delhi-110 026 India Printed at : Tan Prints (India) Pvt. Ltd. 44 Km. Mile Stone, National Highway, Rohtak Road Village Rohad, Distt. Jhajjar (Haryana) India E-mail : sales@tanprints.com Disclaimer Every effort has been made to avoid errors or omissions in this publication. In spite of this, errors may creep in. Any mistake, error or discrepancy noted may be brought to our notice which shall be taken care of in the next edition. It is notified that neither the publisher nor the author or seller will be responsible for any damage or loss of action to any one, of any kind, in any manner, therefrom. No part of this book may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means [graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information retrieval systems] or reproduced on any disc, tape, perforated media or other information storage device, etc., without the written permission of the publishers. Breach of this condition is liable for legal action. For binding mistake, misprints or for missing pages, etc., the publisher’s liability is limited to replacement within seven days of purchase by similar edition. All expenses in this connection are to be borne by the purchaser. All disputes are subject to Delhi jurisdiction only.
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Page I-5
Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction to Digital Marketing Let’s Begin with a Story: The Scroll Ends with a Purchase 1.1 Digital Marketing Overview 1.1.1 Meaning, Definition, and Concept 1.1.2 Key characteristics of Digital Marketing 1.2 Origin and Evolution of Digital Marketing 1.3 Difference between Traditional Marketing and Digital Marketing 1.4 Scope and Penetration of Digital Marketing 1.4.1 Methods of Digital Marketing 1.4.2 Digital Marketing Channels 1.4.3 Technological Capabilities 1.4.4 Applications across industries and the types of organizations 1.4.5 Digital Marketing Careers 1.5 Digital Marketing Ecosystem Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Airbnb - Evolving Marketing Tactics Practice Exercise
1 3 3 4 6 12 14 14 18 19 19 21 23 24 25 26
Chapter 2: Digital Consumers Let’s Begin with a Story: One Choice that Leaves a Digital Trail 2.1 Digital Consumers: Introduction 2.2 The Marketing Strategy Shift: Responding to Changing Digital Consumer Behavior 2.3 Growth of the Digital Consumer Economy 2.4 Evolution of the Digital Consumer 2.5 Comparative Analysis: The Shift in Consumer Behaviour 2.6 Impact of Digital Marketing on Consumer Behaviour 2.7 Micro-moments in Digital Consumer Behaviour 2.8 Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning in the Digital Era 2.8.1 Segmentation 2.8.2 Targeting 2.8.3 Digital Marketing and Positioning I-7
29 31 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 45 48
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Page Summary Let’s Test Your understanding: Case Study: A Study on Blinkit and the Psychological Behaviour of Online Consumers Practice Exercise
51 51 52
Chapter 3: Customer Journey in the Digital Era Let’s Begin with a Story: One Customer Influences Many Others 3.1 Concept of Customer Journey 3.2 Decoding the Digital Consumer Journey: Paradigms and Perspectives 3.3 Evolution in Customer Journey: From Funnel Thinking to Journey Thinking 3.3.1 Evolution of Customer Journey: From Traditional to Digital Purchase Funnels 3.3.2 Evolution of Customer Journey: From Transaction-Focused to Relationship-Focused Marketing 3.4 Customer Value Journey 3.4.1 Stages of the Customer Value Journey 3.4.2 The 5A’s Framework: A Networked View of Customer Engagement 3.4.3 The O3 Concept: Mapping the Forces Behind Decisions 3.4.4 Relevance of the Customer Value Journey 3.5 Strategic Touchpoints in B2B and B2C Interactions in Digital World Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - The Loop of Desire, Indulgence, and Regret - The Customer Journey of Myntra Practice Exercise
56 58 59 61 62 65 69 69 71 73 74 75 76 76 77
Chapter 4: Digital Marketing Strategy and Planning Let’s Begin with a Story: The Digital Presence Beyond Clutter 4.1 Digital Marketing Strategy: Overview 4.1.1 Meaning, Definition, and Concept 4.1.2 Characteristics of Digital Marketing Strategy 4.1.3 Evolving Marketing Strategy: From Traditional to Digital 4.1.4 Digital Marketing Objectives and Strategic Alignment 4.1.5 Importance of Digital Marketing Strategy 4.1.6 Components of a Digital Marketing Strategy 4.2 Setting a Digital Marketing Strategy 4.3 Digital Strategy Management Process 4.3.1 Environmental Scanning 4.3.2 Identifying User’s Needs 4.3.3 Developing a Vision and a Plan 4.3.4 Digital Initiatives to Reach Vision 4.3.5 Evaluating the Digital Effort 4.3.6 Revising the Strategy
79 81 81 82 83 83 86 88 89 89 90 92 92 93 96 98
4.4
4.5 4.6
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I-9 Page
Digital Strategic Management: Frameworks and Tools 4.4.1 SOSTAC 4.4.2 BCG’s Digital Strategy Roadmap Digital Marketing Mix as a Strategic Framework SoLoMo (Social–Local–Mobile) and the Digital Marketing Mix Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Sleepy Owl Coffee’s Digital Marketing Strategy Practice Exercise
98 98 100 103 104 107 107 108
Chapter 5: Digital Marketing Channels Let’s Begin with a Story: Igniting Sales through Digital Channels 5.1 Meaning, Definition, and Concept 5.1.1 From Traditional to Digital Marketing Channels 5.1.2 Channels vs Platforms vs Tools 5.2 Classification of Digital Marketing Channels 5.2.1 Classification on the Basis of Medium of Communication 5.2.2 Classification on the Basis of Ownership and Control 5.2.3 Classification on the Basis of Functional Role in Influencing Consumer Behaviour Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Duolingo’s Integrated Digital Marketing Channels Ecosystem Practice Exercise
111 113 114 114 115 115 131 133 137 137 138
Chapter 6: Content Marketing Let’s Begin with a Story: The Content that Connects 6.1 Content Marketing Overview 6.1.1 Key Elements of Content Marketing 6.1.2 Importance of Content Marketing 6.1.3 Evolution of Content Marketing 6.1.4 Content Marketing versus Traditional Advertising 6.1.5 Content Marketing versus Traditional Marketing: Key Differences 6.2 What is a Content Marketing Strategy? 6.2.1 Key Decision-mechanisms of Content Marketing Strategies 6.3 Steps of Content Marketing Strategy 6.4 Recommended Tools and Platforms 6.5 Templates and Checklists 6.6 Measurement and KPI Dashboard Example 6.6.1 Risk and Mitigation 6.7 Quick Wins and Advanced Tactics 6.8 Influencer Marketing
141 144 144 145 145 146 146 148 149 152 156 158 160 161 162 163
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Page 6.8.1 Concept 6.8.2 Characteristics of a Good Influencer 6.8.3 Benefits of Influencer Marketing 6.8.4 Limitations 6.8.5 Process of Building an Effective Influencer Marketing Strategy Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Brand Creation Through Humor & Meme Marketing Strategy - The Zomato Story Practice Exercise
163 163 164 165 165 167 168 169
Chapter 7: Website Marketing and Online Presence Let’s Begin with a Story: A Website that Creates Silent Relationship 7.1 Introduction to Website Marketing and Online Presence 7.1.1 Meaning and Concept 7.1.2 Evolution of Business Website 7.1.3 Importance of Website Marketing in Modern Business Practices 7.2 Online Presence 7.2.1 Components of Online Presence 7.2.2 Online Presence Framework 7.3 Website Planning and Strategy 7.3.1 Website Marketing Objectives 7.3.2 Website Planning Process 7.3.3 Website Marketing Strategic Framework 7.4 Components of Websites 7.5 Types of Websites 7.6 Website Development Process 7.7 User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UX) 7.8 Website Navigation 7.9 Visual Hierarchy 7.10 Website Marketing Strategic Approaches 7.11 Conversion Funnel Analysis 7.12 Website Analytics and Performance Measurement 7.13 Emerging trend in Website Marketing Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Notion – Building Global Growth Through Website Marketing and Product-Led Online Presence Practice Exercise
171 173 173 174 175 176 176 177 178 178 178 179 180 181 182 184 184 185 186 187 187 190 191 191 192
Chapter 8: Search Engine Optimisation Let’s Begin with a Story: The Search that Led to a Sale 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
195 197 197
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8.5 8.6
8.7 8.8 8.9 8.10 8.11
8.12 8.13 8.14
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8.2.1 Meaning and Definition of SEO 8.2.2 Importance of SEO 8.2.3 Evolution of SEO 8.2.4 Types of SEO Search Engine Algorithms and Ranking Factors 8.3.1 Introduction to Search Engine Algorithms 8.3.2 Importance of Search Engine Algorithms 8.3.3 Evolution of Search Engine Algorithms 8.3.4 Characteristics of Modern Search Engine Algorithms 8.3.5 Major Ranking Factors 8.3.6 How Search Engines Evaluate Webpages Keyword Research and Search Intent 8.4.1 Introduction 8.4.2 Meaning of Keywords 8.4.3 Importance of Keyword Research 8.4.4 Types of Keywords 8.4.5 Search Intent 8.4.6 Types of Search Intent 8.4.7 The Keyword Research Process 8.4.8 Keyword Metrics Used in SEO 8.4.9 Keyword Research Tools 8.4.10 Keyword Mapping and Content Planning 8.4.11 Challenges and Common Mistakes in Keyword Research On-Page SEO Technical SEO 8.6.1 Introduction to Technical SEO 8.6.2 Technical SEO Importance 8.6.3 Components of Technical SEO 8.6.4 Technical SEO Audits Off-Page SEO and Link Building Domain Authority and Page Authority White Hat and Black Hat SEO The Future of Off-Page SEO Local SEO 8.11.1 Local SEO has evolved over time and is growing in significance 8.11.2 Importance of Local SEO for Business 8.11.3 How Local Search Works 8.11.4 Factors of Local SEO 8.11.5 Future of Local SEO SEO in Social Media Google Search Console Google Analytics
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Page 8.15 8.16 8.17
SEO Audits SEO Reporting and Dashboards SEO Measurement Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Cetaphil's Organic Success in Online Visibility Using SEO Practice Exercise
227 227 228 228 229 230
Chapter 9: Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Let’s Begin with a Story: How Booking.com Wins the Search Battle 9.1 Introduction to Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 9.1.1 Meaning of SEM 9.1.2 Characteristics of Search Engine Marketing 9.2 Evolution of Search Advertising 9.3 SEO versus SEM: Understanding the Difference and Strategic Relationship 9.3.1 The Integrated Search Strategy 9.4 Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising and the Search Advertising Process 9.4.1 Understanding the PPC Model 9.4.2 Reasons for the Growth of PPC Advertising 9.4.3 The Search Advertising Process 9.4.4 The Google Ads Ecosystem and Campaign Structure 9.4.5 Understanding the Google Ads Structure 9.4.6 Major Campaign Types in Google Ads 9.4.7 Targeting Capabilities in Google Ads 9.4.8 Search Network vs Display Network 9.5 Ad Auctions, Ad Rank, and Quality Score 9.5.1 How the Google Ad Auction Works 9.5.2 Understanding Keyword Bidding 9.5.3 Keywords 9.5.4 The Keyword Research Process 9.6 Landing Pages, Conversion Optimisation, and User Experience 9.7 Campaign Budgeting and Bidding Strategies Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Grow Leaf Organics SEM Strategy Practice Exercise
233 236 237 237 240 244 247 249 249 250 250 253 254 255 256 257 258 258 259 261 262 264 266 267 267 268
Chapter 10: Social Media Marketing Let’s Begin with a Story: A Cafe Built by People 10.1 Social Media Marketing Overview 10.1.1 Meaning of Social Media Marketing 10.1.2 Concept and Nature of Social Media Marketing
271 273 273 274
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10.1.3 Objectives of Social Media Marketing 10.1.4 Importance of Social Media Marketing 10.2 Evolution of Social Media Marketing 10.3 Social Media Ecosystem 10.4 Types of Social Media Marketing Platforms and Their Applications 10.4.1 Facebook 10.4.2 Instagram 10.4.3 LinkedIn 10.4.4 YouTube 10.4.5 Twitter 10.4.6 Pinterest 10.4.7 TikTok 10.4.8 Snapchat 10.4.9 WhatsApp 10.4.10 Telegram 10.5 Building a Successful Social Media Strategy 10.6 Anatomy of an Advertising Campaign 10.7 Organizational Considerations for Integration of Social Media Channels 10.8 Implementation of Social Media Channel Integration 10.9 Social Media Engagement 10.10 Social Media ROI (Return on Investment) 10.11 Social Media Analytics Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - boAt - Sustaining the Rebel Identity Practice Exercise
I-13 Page 275 275 276 278 280 282 284 286 288 291 293 294 295 296 296 296 299 301 302 302 303 304 305 305 306
Chapter 11: E-mail Marketing Let’s Begin with a Story: The 11:47 E-mail that Felt Personal 11.1 Introduction to E-mail Marketing 11.1.1 Meaning of E-mail Marketing 11.1.2 History of email marketing 11.1.3 Types of E-mails Involved in E-mail Marketing Process 11.1.4 Benefits of E-mail Marketing 11.1.5 Limitation of E-mail Marketing 11.1.6 Reasons why a Marketer should go for E-mail Marketing 11.2 The Process of E-mail Marketing 11.3 The AI Revolution in Email Marketing Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Netflix and their Strategy for Email Marketing Practice Exercise
309 311 311 311 312 314 316 316 322 323 324 324 325
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Page
Chapter 12: Mobile Marketing Let’s Begin with a Story: Convenience Shopping and the Rise of the Mobile Consumer 12.1 Introduction to Mobile Marketing 12.2 Evolution of Mobile Marketing 12.3 Characteristics of Mobile Marketing 12.4 Methods of Mobile Marketing 12.5 Mobile Marketing and the Marketing Funnel 12.6 Mobile Marketing Ecosystem 12.6.1 Key Participants in the Mobile Marketing Ecosystem 12.7 Mobile Connectivity and Communication Infrastructure 12.8 Mobile Data and Analytics 12.9 Mobile Payment Ecosystem 12.10 Artificial Intelligence (AI) 12.11 Comparison between Mobile Marketing vs Traditional Marketing 12.12 Understanding the Mobile Consumer 12.12.1 Mobile Consumer Behaviour 12.12.2 Mobile Customer Journey 12.12.3 Google’s Micro-Moments Framework 12.12.4 Personalization and Mobile Experiences 12.12.5 Privacy and Consumer Trust 12.13 Mobile Marketing Strategies 12.13.1 Mobile-First Strategy 12.13.2 Personalization strategy 12.13.3 Mobile Customer Engagement 12.13.4 Omnichannel Mobile Marketing 12.13.5 Mobile Loyalty and Retention Strategies 12.13.6 Best Practices for Mobile Marketing Strategy 12.14 Mobile Advertising 12.14.1 Meaning of Mobile Advertising 12.14.2 Importance of Mobile Advertising 12.14.3 Types of Mobile Advertisements 12.14.4 In-App Advertising 12.14.5 Mobile Search Advertising 12.14.6 Social Media Mobile Advertising 12.14.7 Programmatic Mobile Advertising 12.14.8 Advantages of Mobile Advertising 12.14.9 Challenges of Mobile Advertising 12.15 SMS and Messaging Marketing 12.16 Mobile Applications as a Marketing Tool 12.17 Push Notifications and Mobile Engagement 12.18 Location-Based Mobile Marketing
329 331 332 333 334 337 338 338 339 340 341 341 342 343 343 344 344 344 344 345 345 345 346 346 347 347 347 347 348 348 349 349 349 350 350 350 351 352 353 353
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12.19 Mobile Commerce (M-Commerce) 12.20 Mobile Website Optimization 12.21 Types of Mobile Marketing Campaigns Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Barbeque Nation’s QR-Based Mobile Dining Experience Practice Exercise
I-15 Page 354 355 356 357 358 358
Chapter 13: Introduction Affiliate Marketing Let’s Begin with a Story: The Joy of Earning Rewards 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Affiliate Marketing 13.2.1 Benefits of Affiliate Marketing 13.2.2 Affiliate Marketing Process 13.2.3 Types of Affiliates 13.3 Limitations of Affiliate Marketing 13.4 Difference Between Affiliate Marketing and Influencer Marketing 13.5 How to become a Successful Affiliate? 13.5.1 Niche Selection 13.5.2 Traffic Generation 13.5.3 Creating a Connection and Rapport with the Viewer 13.5.4 Diversification and Multiple Programs Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - Winning Trust Over Commissions Practice Exercise
361 363 364 365 366 368 370 372 372 372 373 373 373 374 374 375
Chapter 14: Display and Programmatic Advertising Let’s Begin with a Story: The Talking Advertisement that Hear You Too 14.1 Introduction and Meaning of Display Advertising 14.1.1 Concept 14.1.2 Features of Display Advertising 14.1.3 Strategic Campaign Objectives Across the Funnel 14.1.4 Chronological Evolution of Display Networks 14.2 Understanding Display Advertising 14.2.1 Working of Display Advertising 14.2.2 Publisher - Advertiser - Consumer relationship in Display Advertising 14.2.3 The Digital Canvas 14.2.4 Benefits and Limitations of Display Advertising 14.3 Core Display Advertisement Formats 14.3.1 Banner Advertisements 14.3.2 Advanced & Alternative Display Formats
377 380 380 380 381 381 383 383 383 384 385 386 386 386
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Page Display Advertising Networking 14.4.1 Ad Exchange 14.4.2 Supply-Side Platforms (SSP) 14.4.3 Demand Side Platform (DSP) 14.5 Programmatic Advertising 14.5.1 Components 14.6 Real-Time Bidding (RTB) and Ad Auction 14.6.1 Bidding and Pricing Models 14.7 Targeting Mechanics in Display Advertising 14.7.1 Major Types of Targeting 14.8 Remarketing and Retargeting 14.8.1 Website Retargeting 14.8.2 Search Retargeting 14.8.3 Social Retargeting 14.9 Display Advertising Design and Creative Strategy 14.9.1 Principles of effective display Ad design 14.9.2 Visual Hierarchy 14.9.3 Ad Copywriting 14.9.4 Call-to-Action (CTA’s) 14.10 Metrics and Performance Measurement 14.11 Benefits and Challenges of Display Advertising Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study - ‘Cadbury Celebrations’ Builds Emotional Bonds Through Personalized Display Advertisements Practice Exercise 14.4
388 388 388 389 390 391 391 392 393 394 395 395 396 397 398 398 399 400 401 402 402 403 404 405
Chapter 15: Digital Analytics and Metrics Let’s Begin With A Story: The Billion that Broke 15.1 Introduction to Metrics 15.2 Classification of Metrics Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study: UrbanNest Home Décor Pvt Ltd. Practice Exercise
407 409 413 421 422 423
Chapter 16: Recent Trends and Privacy & Security Issues in Digital Marketing Let’s Begin with a Story: Growth of Intelligent Marketing
425
Part I: Recent Trends in Digital Marketing 16.1 16.2 16.3
Introduction Speak and Search Chat with Chatbots!
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16.4 Play It! 16.5 Gamification 16.6 Use of AI in Digital Marketing 16.7 Foundations of AI in Digital Marketing 16.8 Applications of AI 16.9 Customer Relationship Management 16.10 Understanding Data Privacy 16.10.1 Defining Privacy in the Digital Context 16.10.2 Why Privacy Matters for Marketers 16.10.3 Types of Consumer Data 16.11 Privacy Regulations: The Indian and Global Landscape 16.11.1 India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), 2023 16.11.2 Information Technology Act, 2000 and Related Rules 16.11.3 Global Privacy Regulations 16.11.4 Sector-Specific Regulations in India 16.12 Privacy Practices in Digital Marketing 16.12.1 Consent Management 16.12.2 Privacy by Design
I-17 Page 429 432 432 433 434 435 436 436 438 438 438 438 439 440 440 440 440 441
Part II: Security in Digital Marketing 16.13 Understanding Cybersecurity in Marketing Contexts 16.13.1 Defining Cybersecurity 16.13.2 Why Cybersecurity Matters for Marketers 16.13.3 Common Cyber Threats Facing Marketers 16.14 Cybersecurity Regulations and Standards 16.14.1 Indian Regulatory Framework 16.14.2 International Security Standards 16.15 Security Practices for Marketing Teams 16.15.1 Organizational Security Measures 16.15.2 Technical Security Measures 16.16 Emerging Security Challenges 16.16.1 Artificial Intelligence and Security 16.16.2 Cloud Security 16.16.3 Mobile and IoT Security
442 442 442 442 443 443 443 444 444 444 445 445 445 445
Part III: Ethics in Digital Marketing 16.17 Understanding Marketing Ethics 16.17.1 Why Ethics Matters 16.17.2 Ethical Frameworks 16.18 Ethical Challenges in Digital Marketing 16.18.1 Misleading Advertising and Clickbait 16.18.2 Influencer Marketing Ethics 16.18.3 Targeting Vulnerable Populations
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Page 16.19 Building an Ethical Marketing Framework 16.19.1 Organizational Ethics Infrastructure 16.19.2 The TARES Test 16.20 Responsible Marketing in Practice 16.20.1 Sustainable and Purpose-Driven Marketing 16.20.2 Cultural Sensitivity Summary Let’s Test Your Understanding: Case Study 1 - Ethical Promotional Practices Case Study 2: Data Handling at Tesla Practice Exercise
447 447 448 448 448 449 449 450 451 452
CHAPTER
3868C0; <0A:4C8=6 BCA0C46H 0=3 ?;0==8=6
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” —Benjamin Franklin
L E A R N I N G
O B J E C T I V E S
After reading this chapter, you would be able to:
Understand the meaning of strategy and digital strategy.
Identify the growing role of digital marketing in marketing strategies.
Differentiate between online strategy and digital strategy.
Recognize digital marketing objectives and its strategic alignment with KPIs.
Align digital marketing funnel with KPIs.
Learn the importance of digital marketing strategy.
Know the strategy building process.
Explore some conceptual frameworks of digital marketing strategy.
Highlight prominent approaches of digital marketing.
LET’S BEGIN WITH A STORY 7KH 'LJLWDO 3UHVHQFH %H\RQG &OXWWHU While commuting to her workplace, Neha simply looked at her phone screen as a shopping app sent a notification that a discount coupon she could have availed had just expired. Moments after, another beauty brand showed an advertisement for a product she has recently bought. She just scrolled past these without any attention to details until she came across a brand post with a short video that highlighted how a disciplined routine, balanced diet and proper sleep enhance holistic health, fitness and beauty. The brand suggested small yet noteworthy changes in the lifestyle in the form of tips that she saved to revisit later 79
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besides immediately following the brand. Neither this felt urgent, nor compelling as she decided to explore the brand at a convenient time soon, but for sure it remained in her mind as something meaningful. Now, even after almost 6 months, she makes it a point to never miss a post from that brand and needless to mention, she is a loyal customer by now.
5HÁHFWLQJ RQ WKH 6WRU\ 6HWWLQJ WKH &RQWH[W Neha could easily realise that the volume of brand messages she receives is irrelevant if the essence of those does not resonate well. Insights that can be captured from this routine instance focuses on timely, relevant and need-based digital marketing communication rather than mere presence. This modern structured approach of designing such customer-focused and purposeful interactions shifting from scattered digital noise is realised through a well-planned digital marketing strategy. In the first chapter, we learned how the rapid growth of digital technologies has modified the ways the organisations are interacting with their customers. Utilizing digital capabilities was once an optional or supplement virtue but the same has become an imperative way of doing businesses and interacting with all the stakeholders. Besides, the digital ecosystem shapes the interests, opinions, preferences, relationships and behaviours of online users towards the brands. A seamless user interface across various digital touchpoints through search engines, mobile applications, websites etc. makes the customer journey even more relevant and convenient when companies strategize their marketing communications well. In such a scenario, it is vital to understand that these communication tactics do not work in isolation or with an approach of This story illustrates that customers platform-specific assortment of marketing do not oppose digital marketing as actions, in fact, as mentioned in the opening such, rather they are keeping an eye narrative of this chapter, customers are more on the content from marketers that likely to ignore online messages that are clutbest suit their needs while filtering tered, untimely, fragmented, misaligned or in out those communications that lack appropriate to their needs and preferences. a contextual understanding of them. Marketers explore the opportunities of the There can be a high-time dis-engagedigital world that offers not just platforms to ment if the digital messages and communicate with their customers but also campaigns lack relevance, timings analytics to monitor their performances, and and vested interests of users in a all this is backed-up by data, artificial intellicrowded digital environment. An gence and automations and personalised tools overarching strategic framework can making the whole mechanism crucial as well be aligned with business purpose as complex to handle. To this backdrop, comes and its unintrusive digital actions to the critical role of digital marketing strategy generate sustained business value. that aids organisations tap and avail immense opportunities to engage with customers with meticulous planning and execution, to evaluate the efforts with precise metrics and to launch campaigns with proper understanding of target customers. This chapter explores digital marketing as a strategic discipline focusing on the enablement of new digital capabilities projected to envision value generation for organisations and customers through goal-oriented, customer-centric and integrated interactions well-matched with the available resources, budgets and time in an ever-changing and technology-enabled marketplace.
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81
Table 4.1: Core Concepts used in this chapter Concept Strategy Tactics Goals Vision
Mission
Description Long-term plan of action guiding decisions to achieve pre-determined goals Specific tools and actions used to execute the strategy Broad outcomes or desired end-results that an organization wants to achieve Organisations’ desired future status anticipating what it intends to become in the long run.
Example Ikea focuses on Cost leadership and minimal designs Sale price reveal countdown to insiders by Myntra Amazon wants high festival-sale conversions Tesla’s vision - “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy”. Present purpose of the organisation describing Tata’s mission - “to improve the qualwhat, for whom and how it creates value ity of life of the communities it serves through responsible businesses”
'LJLWDO 0DUNHWLQJ 6WUDWHJ\ 2YHUYLHZ 0HDQLQJ 'HILQLWLRQ DQG &RQFHSW Strategy gives direction to managerial decisions by answering “what” and “why” to achieve pre-planned objectives. Strategy is different from tactics as tactics are the specific shortterm actions, approaches, methods and tools that are utilized to implement the strategy by answering “how”, “when” and “where”. The focus of strategy mainly lies in positioning and objectives while tactics revolve around tools and execution. Strategies are made at managerial level for a relatively stable period and the tactics keep on changing frequently and are designed to be executed at operational level. Knowing the difference between these two helps organisations avoid making mistakes of jumping to tactics without comprehending the strategy. Let us understand this within the realm of digital marketing: posting a poll on social media without contemplating the strategic direction of the poll results and simultaneously collaborating with influencers without knowing the target segment. In the absence of strategic goals, this can lead to inconsistent activities with unplanned use of resources and low impact on meaningful outcomes. Thus, tactics like social media post derive their effectiveness from the underlying strategy and not merely from isolated actions. This distinction sets the foundation to understand digital strategy which is defined by organisational resourcefulness in applying digital technologies to existing offerings, processes and practices in order to achieve overall business objectives. Digital marketing strategy operates within this set-up to direct marketing-related digital actions. The widespread use of mobile phones and the internet have changed how firms interact with customers, while the basic purpose of marketing remains the same. Since technologies and customer preferences keep evolving, so does digital marketing strategy. Digital Marketing Strategy is a process of planning, designing and implementing digital marketing practices in overall business activities. With an aim of value-creation for customers while emphasizing on firm’s competitive advantage, digital marketing strategy works best with long-term direction, and alignment with organisational goals. Thus, a digital marketing strategy uses environmental analysis including customer insights as inputs, and integrates them with digital technologies and organisational proficiencies. It also guides the choice and usage of digital platforms.
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&KDUDFWHULVWLFV RI 'LJLWDO 0DUNHWLQJ 6WUDWHJ\ Let us now explore various well-coordinated characteristics that decide the effectiveness of a digital marketing strategy in alignment with its organizational objectives in digital space. These are as follows: Goal-oriented: These strategies are formulated around the clearly defined goals and contributed towards outcomes which are typically aligned with overall organisational objectives. These outcomes could be lead generation, brand awareness, customer acquisition or retention.
BRAND SPOTLIGHT 1 PERSONALISED MARKETING OF SPOTIFY Spotify introduced its well-known campaign known as “Spotify Wrapped”. It gained popularity by making customized reports of yearly music preferences. Listeners actively share these reports by organic marketing like word of mouth or by posting it online. This shows that by doing such campaigns, users can engage and involve themselves more and it helps build trust and better customer relationships.
Customer-focused: Understanding the customers’ behaviour in terms of their buying preferences, needs and digital usage patterns is the core orbit around which digital marketing strategies are designed to deliver relevant value-driven experience to customers.
Long-term: A series of short-term marketing activities or campaigns are generally planned as the consolidated efforts under the consistent direction of visionary marketing strategy that emphasizes on building sustainable value and long-term relationships. Data-driven: Decision support systems that bank upon data and its analysis is core to formulating digital marketing strategy. These metrics-based insights also help evaluate performance of various marketing activities further guiding the strategic decision making. Dynamic: Although digital marketing strategy is a long-term affair but it keeps on adapting itself endlessly according to ever-evolving technology, upgrading platforms, and changing consumer behaviour incorporating flexibility and competitiveness in the current digital environment. Integrated: The tactics and action plans under digital marketing strategy are such designed that they warrant synchronization across multiple digital and traditional platforms to provide a unified brand message and smooth customer experience across all marketing touch-points.
Figure 4.1: Characteristics of Digital Marketing Strategy
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Strategic versus Tactical Digital Marketing To understand the difference between strategy and tactics, one must recognize the role of resource allocation, the span of objectives, brand resourcefulness, duration and efforts required. Strategy gives the direction while indicating priorities and tactics use that direction to implement the required actions using specific tools. Consider Flipkart’s strategy to retain customers, tactics being sharing relevant content to customers through emails or personalised offers etc. encouraging engagement, repeat purchases and loyalty. Without a purposeful strategy, these actions would be isolated, random and meaningless. Similarly, without actionable steps, strategy remains unexecuted. +RZ LV GLJLWDO VWUDWHJ\ GLIIHUHQW IURP RQOLQH VWUDWHJ\" Digital strategy and online strategy are two terms that are often used interchangeably. However, the term digital strategy is a broader term. It refers to a strategy taken by a firm to go digital. It involves a deeper interaction with customers and offers more customized offerings. In other words, online strategy is a subset of digital strategy. There can be a digital strategy which is not online. So, the term online strategy can be limited to the development of plans and engagement of online assets to maximize the worth of the business. Digital strategy is a transformative phase for an organization.
(YROYLQJ 0DUNHWLQJ 6WUDWHJ\ )URP 7UDGLWLRQDO WR 'LJLWDO The focus of traditional marketing strategy is to identify segments, select target markets, position the value to be delivered from the offerings and finally arraying the right marketing mix. With the business environment being digitally equipped and customers being more empowered, this traditional strategic set-up has been disrupted carving out the path for long -term strategic imperatives which are driven by digital platforms and technologies. Digital Marketing strategy itself also evolved from basic online presence where firms focused to utilize websites and e-mails for visibility to customer-centric strategies and data-driven approach pushing personalisation and engagement across the digital customer journey. Digital strategy helps provide the most reasonably appropriate answers to digital situations posing questions that can make or break a marketing move in digital space. It answers questions like: Who are our target customers in the online sphere? Which digital platforms are most valuable to utilize? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for our digital campaign? Similar to any traditional business strategy, a digital strategy can also be designed and implemented through different approaches, formulation of which classically begins with the process of setting the organization’s vision, mission, goals and objectives. These are implemented with adoption of integrated digital strategies that include omnichannel approaches and platform-based strategies facilitating a value-conscious and consistent experience for customers across platforms.
'LJLWDO 0DUNHWLQJ 2EMHFWLYHV DQG 6WUDWHJLF $OLJQPHQW At the outset, clearly stated objectives that align with overall organisational goals work as prerequisites for an operative digital marketing strategy. A well guided series of shortterm actions led by strategic intent and supported by its precisely defined metrics make the digital marketing activities more impactful. Within this discourse, these objectives play the role of anchor ensuring unidirectional digital efforts. These objectives guide decisions pertinent to choice of channels and digital platforms, content curation, selection
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of ideas and sharing of resources without which marketing activities could be ineffective and inconsistent. Effectiveness of these objectives is ensured by how clear, accountable, aspirational, actionable and measurable they can be held for which SMART framework is typically applied to the objectives. This approach helps decode extensive strategic goals into tangible digital outcomes that reflect what the organisation seeks to achieve. These are explained in the table below. Table 4.2: SMART Elements SMART Element Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound
Meaning
Digital Marketing Example
Clearly stated objectives with focused outcomes. The objectives are tracked and quantified through relevant indicators. The objectives are realistic to realize based on available resources and competences. The objectives are aligned with overall business priorities. The objectives are linked with a defined duration.
Increase festive sales Increase festive sale by 30% Increase sales using existing digital apps and channels Festive sales enhance overall market penetration Increase festive sale by 30% in 45 days
.H\ 3HUIRUPDQFH ,QGLFDWRUV DQG 0HDVXUHPHQWV KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) decode objectives into measurable outcomes which can range from building brand awareness, generating leads, increasing online sales, retaining customers, and enhancing engagement and loyalty. These KPIs keep a track of organisational goals and evaluate progress to assess overall strategic effectiveness through metrics as shown in the Figure 4.2.
Strategy
Strategic Control
Outcomes
Objectives
KPIs
Figure 4.2: KPIs across Digital marketing funel as strategic touchpoints KPIs can normally be of two types - Vanity and Strategic. Vanity metrics (likes, impressions) mainly refer to the visibility and surface level activities which makes them look more impressive than strategic KPIs (conversions, loyalty) that explain the actual attainments of
DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY AND PLANNING
organisational objectives. Since the real performance is more reflected by strategic metrics, they contribute more towards management decisions. This distinction emphasises that measurement not just reports results rather it solves a strategic purpose as it connects objectives with outcomes. Let us take an example of an organisational objective-increasing customer retention, this remains significant if it can be realised, quantified, evaluated and finally utilized to guide managerial decisions. This is where KPIs became vital to strategy and required control over performance henceforth.
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BRAND SPOTLIGHT 2 JETBLUE: CUSTOMERS ABOVE ALL! Most of the companies often make mistake by posting only the self-promotional material online. JetBlue is the one company that using the online marketing strategy of AI-driven personalization and community engagement right. It does not only use Twitter to post special offers and discounts but also for providing better and faster customer services. Their latest campaign “BLUE SKY” focuses on network expansion and building trust. It was used to push and promote the brand widely. The goal of this campaign was to merge JetBlue’s dense East Coast presence with United’s unmatched global network.
The digital marketing funnel is treated as one of the Strategic measurement frameworks here aligning marketing objectives and KPIs with stages of creating, communicating and delivering value to customers to make sure that the activities are methodically attempted, monitored and evaluated. As customers progress through different funnel stages, the objectives and respective KPIs also evolve, highlighting the essence of funnel-based measurement for strategic evaluation of marketing activities.
The stages of the Marketing funnel that logically explain how customers progress toward value creation in alignment with different sets of objectives and KPIs at each stage are depicted in the Figure 4.3. At this point, let us understand this concept from a strategic perspective where the digital marketing funnel is used as a measurement and control framework. In the next chapter we shall discuss this funnel as a behavioural analysis of customers. Based on KPIs aligned to strategic objectives, the funnel enables managers to identify strong and weak performing areas across stages. At the onset, awareness stage focuses on visibility and hence the objectives at this stage are generally to spread awareness and brand presence which are assessed by KPIs like reach or impressions. These pointers help understand the effectiveness of the strategy in customer’s awareness and attention in digital platforms. The next stage of consideration materialises the awareness and visibility into interest and conviction possibly leading to engagement. Click-through rates, time spent with media and level of engagement including likes, shares, tweets, comments, reposts etc are used as KPIs to measure the progress of marketing efforts at this stage. Positive results establish that prospects are stepping down the funnel. In the conversion stage, the strategic focus is to translate intent into action and accomplish tangible results including leads and sales. Metrics such as conversion rate, sales revenue, number of leads generated or order placed are used as indicators to evaluate digital marketing strategy at this stage. Retention and loyalty signify the bottom two stages of the funnel, where strategic emphasis is on maintaining long-term relationships and brand value. KPIs like repeat purchases and customer lifetime value help marketers evaluate sustainable efficiency of marketing actions at these stages.
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Source: Authors’ interpretation depicted through an image generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Figure 4.3: Objectives and KPIs across Digital Marketing funnel
,PSRUWDQFH RI 'LJLWDO 0DUNHWLQJ 6WUDWHJ\ As discussed in the above sections, that digital marketing strategy ensures that digital efforts are cohesive and purposefully aligned with organisational goals, a strong and clear strategy warrants that any digital initiatives like promotional campaigns, content management or customer loyalty programs support bigger organisational goals such as branding, customer engagement, and retention.
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Over the past few years, a remarkable development has been observed in the way digital marketing is being executed by many companies in the contemporary business environment. The business world is moving further away from traditional style of strategy making and jumping into the digital sphere with lightning speed. The way marketers reach their customers has also evolved tremendously, concentrating on digital strategy facilitates them to do so by using a diverse range of digital media. Digital marketing has turned out to be much more beyond the mere selection and utilization of digital tools, channels or platforms- its effectiveness relies on the presence of a well-structured digital marketing strategy that directs the planning, coordination and assessment of digital channels. Following aspects mention why digital marketing strategy is crucial for effective planning, execution, and performance management: Resourcefulness in Complexity: Digital marketing environment in itself is a complex phenomenon as customers use multiple digital platforms and it has also been observed that many times organisations operate with limited resources, and without strategic direction, digital efforts may become disjointed, inconsistent and ultimately inefficient. But a meaningful strategic approach aids to manage that complexity with ease and logic by ensuring optimized use of resources towards a consistently coordinated brand communication across various digital touchpoints of customer purchase journey. Generating More Leads: Incorporation of well-linked cohesive digital strategy helps in defining and identifying target customers, reaching to a wider audience and converting higher traffic effectively aligning digital efforts with lead generation objectives. Some people spend more time on social media while some like to make Google searches. So, it is very important to have a comprehensive digital marketing strategy which can serve a diverse audience and convert relevant prospects. This strategic focus improves lead quality and reduces wasted marketing effort. Better Direction: Well-carved out strategy provides a clear roadmap for planning and executing digital activities ensuring that all digital initiatives are aligned with organisational goals rather than being carried out in an ad hoc manner. As it has been discussed earlier, a digital strategy helps a company to reap out maximum from its online assets if it is working in a specific direction for a specific goal. A cohesive strategy helps a company to keep track of its progress and direction well. It helps the company, its advertising agency, and other stakeholders work toward shared commitments. Agility: Tremendous digital transformation in business spaces has been witnessed in the past few years, as a result of which, marketing activities are also shifting towards tech-friendly applications. It gives an advantage to companies which already have a well-defined digital strategy over their competitors as it allows organisations to respond quickly to advances in technology, platforms, and customer behaviour. This strategic flexibility helps firms adjust and refine their digital tactics as market conditions change. Surviving the Competition: Differentiation may be created with an up-to-date digital strategy that helps a business to stay ahead by means of improving customer insights, data, analytics and integrated efforts more effectively than competitors. Not just this, a straightforward and sequential digital approach allows companies to review the planning, implementation process and control process accordingly. Strategic clarity builds stronger digital presence for firms and long-term value creation for customers. Higher performance outcomes: Digital strategy is not only limited to online presence, but also entails social media, app management, promotional content and content generators etc. Planned activities across these platforms aligned with clear objectives and KPIs improves resource allocation, implementation and performance evaluation. When combined with
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analytics it can further prove to be a very effective tool for improved outcomes delivering a strong return on marketing investment.
&RPSRQHQWV RI D 'LJLWDO 0DUNHWLQJ 6WUDWHJ\ A digital marketing strategy is not a one-time choice but a comprehensive guiding plan consisting of interrelated components that are blended together to help an organisation create value in adaptation through digital environments. Unlike tactics and tools which focus mainly on execution as collection of disconnected activities, these cohesive components of strategy outline the direction and priorities of digital marketing efforts and make them purposeful and synchronized with long-term organisational objectives. Built on wholesome traditional marketing principles, these components comprise of Strategic objectives, target digital audience, value proposition, channel strategy and integration, content approach, data and analytics, resource allocation and capability configuration and finally integration with overall business strategy. Let us comprehend this from the exhibit Table 4.3 below. Table 4.3: Digital Marketing Components Framework Component of DM Strategy
Focus at Strategic Level
Illustrative Example
Strategic Objectives
Intended organisational outcomes Flipkart aims to increase revusing digital marketing enue from repeat purchases and increase lifetime value of customers.
Target Digital Audience
Intended audience the strategy Udemy targets professionals targets and their digital behaviour seeking career growth who search for new courses online.
Digital Value Proposition The value offered to customers and Blinkit integrates convenience the reasons they choose to interact and quick delivery of daily eswith brands digitally sentials. Channel Strategy and Integration
Role and harmonization of differ- H&M utilizes websites, mobile ent digital channels applications, and influencers on social media for seamless experience.
Content Approach
Type and purpose of content de- Nike uses a motivational storysigned to persuade and engage telling approach to inspire concustomers nection and build trust.
Data and analytics
Metrics and methods used for Amazon tracks conversions, evaluating performance of digital repeat purchases, form sign-ups marketing actions and festive campaign ROI.
Resource allocation and Ensuring strategic fit with budget- Uber aligns mobile app techcapability configuration ary, skill-based, and technological nology and drivers’ network, infrastructure cab infrastructure as a real-time service strategy Integration with Overall Alignment with brand image as Samsung ensures digital promoMarketing Strategy strategy and offline and omnichan- tions reinforce innovation-led nel marketing activities brand image
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'LJLWDO 0DUNHWLQJ 6WUDWHJ\ LQ $FWLRQ =RPDWR Zomato illustrates how digital marketing strategy supports long-term organisational objectives beyond short-term promotional campaigns. Its digital marketing strategy focuses on customer convenience, engagement, and retention, reflecting a strategic orientation. The company targets urban, mobile-first consumers and offers a digital value proposition centred on ease of food discovery and ordering. Zomato’s channel strategy is primarily app-based, supported by social media to maintain engagement and brand presence. Rather than using digital channels independently, the company adopts an integrated approach to ensure consistency. Zomato’s strategy also emphasises content and engagement, using relatable digital communication to sustain interest. Performance is evaluated using strategic metrics such as repeat usage and order frequency, reinforcing the role of data-driven decision-making. Overall, the case highlights how integrated digital marketing strategy enables sustained customer relationships rather than isolated campaign outcomes.
6HWWLQJ D 'LJLWDO 0DUNHWLQJ 6WUDWHJ\ How the digital strategy should be different from the one that has been followed for years is the first question to ask while setting a strategy for a business. Copying the past strategy cannot guarantee success, so it is very important to know the direction of the strategy. There are two options available at the first stage. The first option is to repeat the current strategy with new processes and functions. Digitization of HR, Customer relationship management, supply chain management and other activities are some examples of introducing new and innovative techniques to existing practices. The second option available to a business is to transform the strategy. It views every practice as the first time practice and makes a new strategy for every activity.
'LJLWDO 6WUDWHJ\ 0DQDJHPHQW 3URFHVV Digital strategy management process is a structured process which ranges from planning, implementing and refining the strategies that enable the digital transformation of the organization and provide a competitive advantage. This ongoing process involves vision, mission, resources, metrics, KPIs etc. There, are many approaches available to carry on the digital strategy, but at their core, all go through Six steps: Environmental Scanning Identifying Users’ needs Developing a Vision and a Plan Digital initiatives to reach vision Evaluating the digital effort Revising the strategy
Digital Marketing—Concepts • Tools • Applications AUTHOR
:
PUBLISHER : DATE OF PUBLICATION : EDITION : ISBN NO : No. of Pages : BINDING TYPE :
Priyanka Rajpal Munjal, Rutika Saini, Hamendra Kumar Dangi Taxmann August 2026 2026 Edition 9789375615569 472 Paperback
Rs. 595 DESCRIPTION Digital Marketing—Concepts • Tools • Applications is a classroom-ready textbook that maps the discipline end to end — from what digital marketing is and how the digital consumer thinks, through every execution channel, to the analytics that measure it and the privacy, security and ethics regime that now governs it. It is written for Indian university curricula and anchored in the Delhi University syllabus, following a comparative analysis of Digital Marketing syllabi across leading Indian universities. The book’s organising principle is concept-first. Chapters 1–5 build the conceptual architecture—meaning and evolution, the digital consumer, the customer journey, strategy and planning, and the channel landscape—before a single platform interface appears. Chapters 6–14 then address execution: content, website, SEO, SEM, social media, e-mail, mobile, affiliate, and display and programmatic advertising. Chapter 15 supplies the measurement discipline that evaluates all of it, and Chapter 16 closes with emerging technology alongside the obligations that come with it. Students learn why before how, and meet platforms as instances of a category rather than as a syllabus of buttons. Two further qualities distinguish the book in use. The first is its grounding in the Indian market—an internet population of over 958 million active users, UPI and mobile payments, quick commerce, WhatsApp as a business channel, hyperlocal search, and the regulatory stack from the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 to the TRAI ‘Do Not Disturb’ registry, with rupee-denominated worked calculations throughout. The second is its currency: coverage runs to mid-2026, treating generative and agentic AI, AI-driven search and cookie-less advertising as live subjects rather than appendices. This book is intended for the following audience: • Undergraduate Students (BBA, B.Com., BMS, B.A.) • Postgraduate and Management Students (MBA, PGDM, M.Com.) • Educators and Course Coordinators • Research Scholars • Entrepreneurs, Founders, D2C Brands and MSME Owners • Working Professionals and Career-Switchers • Placement and Certification Candidates The Present Publication is the 1st Edition, authored by Dr Priyanka Rajpal Munjal, Dr Rutika Saini, and Prof. (Dr) H.K. Dangi, with the following noteworthy features: • [Syllabus-Oriented Coverage] Aligned with Digital Marketing curricula followed by universities and higher educational institutions across India • [Concept-First Learning] Conceptual understanding is developed before digital tools and platforms are introduced, so learners grasp the what and why, not merely the how • [Framework-Based Teaching] Frameworks are named, expanded and applied rather than merely listed: o Consumer and Journey — AIDA, Kotler’s 5A’s, the Customer Value Journey, the Loyalty Loop and the O3/OZone model (Own, Other, Outer) o Strategy and Planning — SOSTAC (P.R. Smith), BCG’s Digital Strategy Roadmap, Porter’s Five Forces in the Digital Age, POEM (Paid–Owned–Earned Media), SoLoMo and SMART o Execution, Skills and Ethics — Google’s Micro-Moments, E-E-A-T, Core Web Vitals, Think–Feel–Act extended to React and Protect, and the TARES Test • [Learning Objectives and Key Concepts Up Front] Every chapter opens with defined outcomes and a Core Concepts table pairing each term with a real brand example—Zomato for local SEO, Burger King for geofencing, PhonePe for QR marketing and Netflix for customer lifetime value • [Real-World Illustration at Three Levels] Sixteen named opening narratives; 64 Brand Spotlight boxes and 20 ‘Digital Marketing in Action’ features covering Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, Myntra, Nykaa, Mamaearth, boAt, Amul, Razorpay and Paytm alongside Spotify, Booking.com, Etsy, IKEA, Apple, Dove and Patagonia; and 17 closing case studies that require judgement rather than recall • [Visual Learning] 141 figures and 34 tables, including diagrams, flowcharts and comparison tables, together with genuine tool captures of Google Search Console, Keyword Planner and Google Trends, an annotated Google SERP, and live in-app and e-mail campaign screenshots • [Worked Calculations and Formulas] Concepts are quantified, not merely described—Ad Rank arithmetic in which the highest bidder loses to a higher Quality Score, an SEO return on investment of 300% on a ₹1,00,000 spend, and formulas for click-through rate, cost per conversion, lead-to-close ratio and value per visit • [Ready-to-Use Templates] A nine-field content brief, an editorial calendar with status colour-coding, a three-month content plan mapped across channels, and a KPI dashboard with a worked quarterly example • [Contemporary Coverage] Artificial intelligence across the funnel, generative and agentic AI, marketing automation, programmatic advertising and realtime bidding, quick commerce, voice search, videofication, gamification and product-led growth • [Regulatory and Ethical Grounding] India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023, the Information Technology Act 2000 and IT Rules 2011, global regimes including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, LGPD and PIPL, sectoral rules from RBI, IRDAI, SEBI and TRAI, security standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 and PCI DSS, and an ethics framework built on the TARES Test • [Chapter Summary and Learning Support] Every chapter closes with a summary, a case study with discussion questions, and a Practice Exercise combining conceptual questions with applied consulting-style briefs — amounting to 152 discussion and application questions and 97 MCQs with printed answer keys across the book • [Career-Oriented Perspective] Chapter 1 maps roles, competencies and progression through a five-skill model of Think (analytical), Feel (creative narration), Act (implementation), React (performance measurement) and Protect (ethical data handling), with a fifteen-sector table of digital marketing applications
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