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CHAPTER 3 THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE
further reading ...
The following links take you to content that supplements and updates this chapter of the book. Note that
I’ve included some articles that are a few years old ... don't let their publication date put you off - they are
still relevant now. The most recent posts are at end of each section.
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Although I – and others, of course – had come across her work a few years earlier, it was early in 2010 when Aleks Krotoski presented The Virtual Revolution for BBC Radio that she came to the attention of a wider audience. Although she does not cover digital marketing per se, just about everything she covers is related to the subject. You would do well to seek out anything she has written or broadcast. Ignore the date of any work - it will still be relevant now.
Here's another one from the past. Its author and I were contemporaries in the second half of the 1990s - and so How to Attract Visitors to Your Website is very similar to the kind of advice I was giving out at the time. Take a read to see how some things have changed ... and some haven't [by the way, #5 is what came to be known as social media.
The sub-title to Enshittification’ is coming for absolutely everything is 'the term describes the slow decay of online platforms such as Facebook'. Perhaps it's an age thing ... but I agree with much of the article.
3.2 DIGITAL ISN’T THE ONLY OPTION
GO ONLINE *page 33* Marketing, for the little guy
According to the US Federal Reserve, folk over the age of 42 have 93.5 per cent of household wealth. At the same time, the Harvard Business Review estimates that only around 5 to 10 per cent of marketing spend is aimed at folk over 50. This is for the US – but I suspect the figure would be the same for most countries. This could have been in just about every chapter of the book, but I’ve included it here as I think that much of the wasted marketing spend will be on digital rather than more suitable traditional stuff. At the beginning of 2023 there was a lot of talk about a report that suggested that most marketers were under 45 years old. I think that goes a long way to explaining the issue of why older folk are neglected in marketing.
I could have put Social Media’s Still Considered the Toughest Channel for Revenue Attribution in several other sections - but I've put it here with the question that if justifying the cost of these digital platforms is so difficult, could the money not be more effectively spent on traditional marketing channels?
‘Innovation, culture, ownership’: How Premier Foods achieved three years of growth is about marketing in its widest sense – but it's here because it is made clear that for some FMCG products digital works – and for others it doesn’t.
Hotel Chocolat dials back ‘digital-led’ strategy to focus on store growth.
3.3 NON-MARKETERS IN DIGITAL MARKETING
This essay - Financial Analysis for Marketers doesn’t really belong in this book, but I think that knowing its subject is essential to all marketers. If you’re doing an UG marketing programme I would hope that you have cover this in a ‘finance’ module. I’ve put the link in this section as ‘non-marketers’ are unlikely have even heard of some of things. Let alone be able to explain them – or use them in a working environment.
GO ONLINE
Tom Roach’s Modern Marketing Myopia: is marketing losing perspective?
The most pertinent paragraph in looking ahead – an article that considers the future of website design – is;
‘Achieving the business goals of our employers while simultaneously improving the lives of our users … will be the Next Big Thing in web design and development’.
I should be pleased at this notion – but I’m not. Sadly, it serves to prove that there always has been a disconnect between website development [techies] and marketers. You see, since 1996 I – and others – have been saying that ‘ACHIEVING THE BUSINESS GOALS OF OUR EMPLOYERS WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY IMPROVING THE LIVES OF OUR USERS’ should be the primary objective of ALL commercial websites.
I could have put Everyone can type, but not everyone can write in a number of chapters, but the sentence ‘It was not written by a copywriter, it was written by a typist with a poor grasp of writing’ inspired me to put it here.
If you think I'm exaggerating this issue, what about Looking for a New CMO? Look No Further Than Your Social Media Manager?
The subject of Is an ‘obsession’ with digital skills excluding talent from the workplace? is not covered in the book, but it is relevant and so I've added it to this section.
Another subject that is beyond the remit of this section is Social media is the most overrated skill by businesses, marketers say - but I think it is relevant. My comment when referring to Twitter was 'Could that be that for the majority of businesses, social media is not a key aspect of its marketing? Or even part of its marketing? Or even a waste of time?'
I recently saw this comment from the CEO of a UK retail chain; “We are very aggressive on social media, which is free, but we don’t spend money on marketing. We create content ... this includes using affiliates and influencers”. I despair – another person who thinks marketing = advertising? Oh - and they think social media is free!
OK, so might be stretching my point a little here - but after a decline in sales Nike 'retired' CEO John Donahoe to end his short stint at the sports apparel brand. The problem - so insiders and commentators identified - was that Donahoe was from a tech background ... and he did not know what he was doing in a marketing environment. You might also want to take a look at my comment in chapter 6.4's web page which starts 'In the book I mention that Nike was going DTC' ... the person responsible for going DTC was Mr Donahoe. Naturally, Mark Ritson has an opinion on the story, see Four big strategic mistakes Nike needs to reverse.
3.4 IN HOUSE OR OUT-SOURCE
Insourcing vs. outsourcing: The pros and cons for content creation concentrates on content development - but it is an example of some of the issues in out/out sourcing.
3.5 FADS, TRENDS, NEXT BIG THINGS AND THE OCCASIONAL SUSTAINABLE MODEL
In this section of the previous edition [of this book] I included the use of ‘voice assistance’ for search and purchasing. I wasn’t over-enthusiastic then, I I decided not to include it in this edition – it seems my lack of enthusiasm wasn’t misplaced, see Amazon Alexa is a “colossal failure,” on pace to lose $10 billion this year. A key line in the report is ‘Alexa was getting a billion interactions a week, but most of those conversations were trivial commands to play music or ask about the weather." Those questions aren't monetizable.’
Personalization
The title of Forget personalisation, it’s impossible and it doesn’t work is a give-a-way of the view put forward by its author.
Viral marketing
Paid, Earned, Owned (PEO)
Is 2022 the Year You (Finally) Embrace the PESO Model™? is one of the extensions of PEO I mentioned in the book. It could be used as a guide to see if you're ticking the communications boxes - or ignoring them because they're not relevant to a particular organization.
Content marketing [note that some of these links are relevant to developing any online content eg websites, social media]
David Meerman-Scott's blog 15 content strategy myths debunked
You will note that the author of Five content marketing mistakes that will harm your SEO seems to have similar problems to me in differentiating content marketing and SEO.
I think there are some good tips in Forget your content marketing consultant – here are 3 tips for free but I'm not too sure about the statement at the beginning which claims that; 'It’s no secret: content marketing pays. With 82% of marketers leveraging content marketing ... '
How SEO and content marketing work together builds on the point I make in the book.
Podcasts now a top channel for B2B marketing.
Facebook: A content marketing guide could be in the SEO chapter - or that on social media - but its title suggests this is the best place.
Some good sense from Rand Fishkin ... “High Quality Content” is the Most Useless Phrase in Marketing; We Can Do Better.
More of a 'to do' list than strategic advice, but How to optimize your content strategy across the customer journey is still worth reading.
Affiliate marketing
Although How Affiliates Address Google’s Product Review Updates has a focus on reviews, the article gives an insight into how affiliate marketing works.
There is very little written about online affiliates, which is surprising given its size [I suspect it is not trendy enough]. Fraudsters Cheat By Tricking The Reporting To Look Awesome considers one of the down-sides of the practice.
What Are the Perceived Strengths of Affiliate Marketing?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) NOTE: some of these articles are also relevant to other sections [eg AI used in website development] but I've decided to keep all AI stuff in this section.
Although AI evangelists might disagree with some aspects of Why AI is Harder Than We Think if you want an objective review of the subject it is well worth a read. Note that it is about AI in general, not just marketing.
If you want to even begin to understand AI How do we know how smart AI systems are? is a good place to start.
The Future of the Web Is Marketing Copy Generated by Algorithms could be in the section on website content, but as it’s about AI, it’s in here.
Google SpamBrain: AI-based spam prevention system launched in 2018 is another example of how digital marketers have been using AI without realising it.
How to bring AI into your digital marketing strategy looks at AI from a wider perspective - and it supports my contention that AI is used as part of software applications that we might use and not appreciate the role of AI in that software.
The ethics of AI writing and the need for a ‘human in the loop’ is a very reasoned argument on the subject.
Do brands own the copyright on AI-generated ads? focuses on advertising - but what about the copyright on all AI-generated content?
AI in marketing: 7 areas where it shines and struggles.
Timnit Gebru Is Calling Attention to the Pitfalls of AI [note that this guy knows about the subject].
Humans Are More Unique Than the Existential Dread of AI Suggests is an article that I wish I had written.
AI Is a Lot of Work is about how AI data is gathered - but it also explains how AI works ... and how it doesn't work.
I think Tom Goodwin is always worth reading or listen to - so it's no surprise that I've included Special AI Edition; A Deeper Dive into Artificial Intelligence here.
How are beauty and cosmetics companies using generative AI? - sorry [well, actually I'm not] but I find some of this a bit iffy. For example; 'Rembrand analyses videos and digitally inserts photo-realistic product images or animations into the setting' ... why not simply put the product in the background in the first place - you can't get more realistic than that?
AI Improves Employee Productivity by 66% is a very good examination of AI - albeit only one of the case studies is an aspect of marketing. For that particular case, make sure you read the article to the end ... the results are - perhaps - not as good as the '66%' in the title suggest.
Centaurs and Cyborgs on the Jagged Frontier is another article that goes beyond marketing, but it is well worth a read.
Here's a wider context ... Synthetic data is suddenly making very real ripples.
Replacing frontline workers with AI can be a bad idea — here’s why is about a specific case study, but it is also an example that can be applied in a wider context.
Why I'm not afraid of superintelligent AI taking over the world seems - in my opinion - to offer a reasoned argument on the subject.
We mustn’t let the seductive siren call of AI lure the industry back in time is another objective view on the subject.
Ritson shooting from the lip [as usual] ... but there are many - including me - that agree with this sentiment; The internet will soon need warnings for AI-generated content.
The source of When Should We Trust AI? Magic-8-Ball Thinking means it is worth reading.
I've included 6 outdated AI marketing trends you should retire in 2025 as an EXERCISE where you can discuss the opinions offered. However, the discussion - and conclusions - will differ depending on when you read it. One opinion [OK, mine] would be to suggest that some of the trends being abandoned never produced any value in the first place.
AI Features Must Solve Real User Problems ... common sense? Not to many organizations I've come across online [see also previous chapter re non-marketers in marketing].
Who will speak for your company, human or machine? As well as the article - take a look at one of the best cookie warnings around.
Strictly speaking, Artificial intelligence: what five giants of the past can teach us about handling the risks is not about digital marketing - but the 'risks' could apply to individuals or organizations.
Is anyone out there? addresses a bigger picture, but AI is at its heart.
EXERCISE: Take a look at the following lists and analyse the use of AI as described. Consider AI's use in specific scenarios and industries. For example, in the first article, use is identified in periods of time - how many industries actually complete those tasks in those periods eg every day [clue: not many - consider the purchase cycle of products]. In the second article the tasks are rather vague - identify some actual jobs that fit in each task [eg for 'transforming data into actionable insights' what data for the case study examples used in the book can be transformed into actionable insights?]. The top 50 genAI use cases in marketing and 4 marketing ‘jobs to be done’ being transformed by genAI.
AI Will Help Advertisers and Shoppers is another pro-AI article which outlines some ways in which marketers can use AI. What I do find interesting is that AI is used to complete existing marketing practices [eg data analysis] - in my opinion this is the advantage of AI. Four AI Superpowers: Where AI Improves Products follows a similar vain.
Inside Marketing With Mike Grehan ... AI in Marketing. Friend or foe – or both? I knew Mike back in the early days of online marketing - he had me baffled with the science of SEO [he mentions Vector Space in this video] - but this covers more than just SEO, looking at how AI might impact marketing.
Here's another article talking sense about AI from someone who knows what they're talking about ... We need to stop pretending AI is intelligent. I particularly like the line: 'What we call AI today is nothing more than a statistical machine: a digital parrot regurgitating patterns mined from oceans of human data'.
How to tell if it’s real AI or just automation at a higher price.
ChatGPT and other large language models [LLM]
Around the time the book was published this was making the news. Here’s some of the reports at the time.
ChatGPT’s Fluent BS Is Compelling Because Everything Is Fluent BS.
ChatGPT Is a Tipping Point for AI.
And from Prof Ritson in his usual style - Is ChatGPT the next big threat to Google’s dominance in the AI market? and Brands’ biggest AI opportunity is in making customers believe the bullshit.
Why ChatGPT is not a threat to Google Search.
This Tweet from Samuel Scott sums up my opinion; ‘ChatGPT is the new NFT is the new Clubhouse is the new newsletter is the new podcast is the new personalization is the new brand purpose is the new blockchain is the new chatbots is the new growth hacking is the new agile is the new Pokemon Go is the new QR code.'
ChatGPT fails another test ... I asked ChatGPT to do my work and write an Insider article for me. It quickly generated an alarmingly convincing article filled with misinformation.
What Is ChatGPT Doing … and Why Does It Work? is a simple[ish] explanation of what's going on - you'll see it is more repetition than it is intelligence.
Another considered view from Samuel Scott in AI-Generated Content is the New Floor.
Another issue is that of who owns the IP of AI-generated content ... AI and the Law: What You Need To Know.
A similar subject is that of images being generated by AI. Marketers beware: AI-generated art might be fun, but it presents serious ethical risks covers some of the issues it raises, while China bans AI-generated media without watermarks shows that the Chinese are ahead of the game in addressing potential problems.
An academic paper which seems to talk sense - Beware Of Botshit: How To Manage The Epistemic Risks Of Generative Chatbots.
AI Chat Is Not (Always) the Answer is a reasoned, unbiased, assessment of the situation.
How Do Generative AI Systems Work? will help to understand how large language models (LLMs) work without getting too deep into the maths.
Virtual and augmented reality
There are some of the usual suspects in the examples of How to
leverage AR in your digital marketing strategy - but its still worth a read.
The Internet of things (IoT)
Sorry ... nothing yet - which, kind-of suggests that this subject could be filed under 'fads'.
Gaming
OK, In-game advertising: A marketer’s guide should probably be in the advertising chapter, but I've not come across much for this section.
Here’s everything advertisers need to know about in-game advertising.
Mobile applications
Sorry ... nothing yet - which, kind-of suggests that this subject is no longer a 'flavour of the month'.
The Metaverse
What the Heck is the Metaverse? And Should You Care? is an excellent commentary on the concept.
The metaverse doesn’t exist! You’re talking about gaming is a more subject view (though one I agree with). Here’s the author’s key points:
‘Depending on what you read, who you believe or what color wool is being pulled over your eyes this week (it’s blue, it’s always blue), the metaverse could literally be any number of things. So let’s set some ground rules.
Firstly, the metaverse does not exist. This is abundantly true. Whether you look it up on Wikipedia, read up on the dictionary definition or simply look at a briefing from Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy, they all say the same thing: the metaverse does not exist.
Secondly, people that say the metaverse exists have no idea what they are talking about. Anybody that tells you they’re doing something ‘in the metaverse’ either has no idea what they’re talking about or is being wilfully misleading about something cool in video games.
“But what about Nikeland in Roblox?” you might ask. Well, Roblox is not The Metaverse. Fortnite is not The Metaverse. Animal Crossing is not The Metaverse. Minecraft is not The Metaverse.
I’ll say it again for the people at the back, the metaverse does not exist. The things I’ve listed above are video games (well, all bar one of them). Great video games at that., with pre-existing communities of players of all ages and generational cohorts who are used to socializing, exploring and gaming together in the virtual online worlds where these games take place.’
Note that it was written in May 2022 … as you will be reading this after that date, I wonder how accurate it was when published.
From September 2022 ... The “Meh”-taverse: Americans Not Sold on Virtual Worlds.
I agree with Bob Hoffman when he says about the metaverse: 'I was wrong when I said "nobody's interested in the damn thing except the press." There is another group of dimwits who are interested... marketers. Only marketers are stupid enough to be taken in by every shiny new object and throw money at creating empty idiotic metaverse worlds and stores just to prove how hip they are'.
OK, I'm going to say it - I got this right in the book ... Mark Zuckerberg Quietly Buries the Metaverse. And am I sorry for all the organizations that spent a fortune on any aspect of marketing in the Metaverse? What do you think? :)
3.6 DIGITAL MARKETING OBJECTIVES
I have included Corporate vs. Business Unit Strategy as I think marketing students will benefit from it – but the reason it is here is that it will help students appreciate where digital fits at this level [spoiler; it doesn’t].
Can you achieve long and short at the same time? Usually, no is about marketing in general – but you should see its relevance to my views on strategic digital marketing ... and
Brand-building ads boost short-term sales, and now you can prove it is more on the subject from the same author.