The world is rapidly shifting from traditional to digital and South Africans are relying more on digital content. With the advancement of technology and its role in everyday life, it is key for organisations to have digital marketing skills in their marketing mix. So says, co-founder of the Vega School of Brand Leadership’s co-founder, Dr Carla Enslin.
Digital marketing’s main objective is to promote brands through various forms of digital media and it’s embodied by an extensive selection of service, product and brand marketing tactics, which primarily use the Internet as a core promotional medium, in addition to mobile and traditional TV and radio.
Research published in 2014 by PriceWaterhouseCoopers predicts that digital adverts will lead the way for global media growth in the next four years, accounting for 33% of total advertising revenue. The report says this growth will not just be about the application of digital technology, but will also require companies to adopt a “digital mindset” to build the right behaviours, advancing from a digital strategy to a business strategy fit for a digital age. According to the 2014 MasterCard Digital Index, South Africa's digital economy is the most developed in Africa and one of the fastest growing in the world. Clearly, no local company can ignore or underestimate this avenue in its marketing strategy as means to reach expanding online communities.
At Vega the content of our courses acknowledges that tomorrow’s brand leaders will be part of an international marketing arena and that their future endeavours will be influenced by international trends. We want to ensure that in the world of work, our students are able to compete on an equal footing with their counterparts in tech-savvy countries like the USA. Although a rapidly increasing number of companies are recognising the importance of digital marketing, many lack the latest knowledge and expertise in this arena and have not yet properly formulated a comprehensive digital marketing plan.
Making a success of business in today’s exacting climate is a tough challenge and having a full complement of executive business skills is practically non-negotiable. Today audiences consume a significant amount of digital content on a daily basis through their mobile phones, tablets and computers. Companies that have not yet recognised this in their marketing mix need to adapt fast. We believe it is very possible that digital media could completely replace more traditional forms of marketing in the not-too-distant future.
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