Keywords

Digital Marketing, Digital Media, Marketing, Promotions, Digital Advertising.

Introduction

The digital advertising industry has grown exponentially to ?400Bn by 2023, according to BasuRoy T, May 2024. Digital marketing can be defined as selling or promoting the product or services through digital means, like mobile phones, internet, etc. One aspect of this is promotion-which is done through various channels, like social media, search engine optimization or through influences.

The roots of digital marketing can be traced back to 1981 when International Business Machines (IBM) introduced the first personal computer. Around this time, channel net soft advertising group pioneered digital marketing by incorporating digital tools into advertising campaigns. This marked the beginning of promotional efforts for example, reader reply cards,’ (which were featured in articles) and offered consumers a floppy disk containing multimedia content as part of the advertising campaign. The illustration shows the evolution and history of ‘digital marketing.’ (Schwarzl et al., 2015) (Figure 1).

Materials and Methods

Digital marketing encapsulates a variety of tools and strategies designed to promote products and services using the Internet. Compared to traditional marketing, it offers a broader scope of marketing techniques due to the online platforms and mechanisms. Digital marketing evolves rapidly, requiring a solid foundation in critical thinking, decision-making and innovation. The internet serves as a factor in simplifying and accelerating tasks. In today's world, digital marketing has taken on a dominant role, gradually replacing traditional marketing methods.

Jordan Turner, in March 2024, in Gartner article wrote about 3 impending technological shifts, which they called Gartner hype cycles for digital marketing. These shifts include the accelerated speed of AI adoption, additional obstacles due to Privacy concerns and super apps are making an entrance. We all know the impact the large language models are having. The trend is slowly shifting towards more specialized machine-trained models for executing various selling processes. Customer Data Platforms (CDP), enabled marketers to showcase the product, service across various social channels, are entering into the maturity phase, conversational marketing, like chatbots are replacing humans in call centers, Privacy enhancing computation is becoming popular, which incorporates privacy features, enabling effortless communication, while safeguarding privacy. The latest trend of influencer marketing platforms is growing, Extended Reality (XR)-like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are becoming increasing real for corporations (Kotler et al., 2017).

Online Marketing in India

According to the latest (August, 2024) PR release of TRAI (Telecom Authority of India), India had approximately 1200 million telephone subscribers, representing about 85.4% tele density (132% Urban and 59% Rural). Out of this, about 903 million were Mobile phone internet users, the digital marketing landscape is experiencing rapid growth, with industry experts noting that this expansion is reaching a critical point. In India, cash on delivery remains the most popular payment method, accounting for 65% of e-retail transactions, according to an article by Chhapia Hemali, Times of India, in Feb 2024. Given the country's dynamic economic growth, the digital marketing sector is expected to see significant career opportunities and expansion.

The impact of online marketing trends on advertising and promotional activities has been profound. Changes in communication tools over the past year have also contributed to this growth. Previously, internet access was limited to the affluent; however, the middle class now has widespread internet access. The advent of the internet and 5G technology has significantly transformed the marketing landscape for both consumers and businesses (Satinder, 2015).

Recent surveys indicate the following about the digital marketing industry in India:
Statista predicts that, as of third quarter 2023, 35.2% of internet users discovered a brand through digital means. Also, 30.5% of internet users surveyed used search engine to discover a brand.

Brand Equity. Com, on their survey on the state of digital marketing in India, between 2023-24, estimates that, an exponential growth in digital ad spending from ?31500 Cr in 2023 to ?41000 Cr in 2024. Of the industries adopting this trend, 60% come from e-commerce and FMCG (IPSOS and Brand Equity, 2023).

In 2024, the Gartner Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) survey pointed out that a substantial chunk of total advertising will be spent on digital channels, though the growth of allocation will reduce than in earlier years. Presently digital means account for 57% of marketing budgets. Through this allocation, the CMO survey reports a scarcity in allocation, with only 24% of CMO’s reports adequate allocation. (Gartner, 2024).

In her article on impact of e-commerce on Indian rural market, Dr. Kanica Sharma, highlights the barriers of e-commerce in rural India, due to barriers in English proficiency among the users and lack of digital skills. She also highlighted those limitations hindered rural population to participate in the economic opportunities in e-marketplace. However, she reported gradual and unidirectional progress (Chaffey et al., 2019).

Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this study includes:
•Obj 1: Analysis the role of digital marketing in the Indian context.
•Obj 2: Identify the various factors-initiatives influencing the growth of this marketing field.
•Obj 3: To examine the perspectives of two key stakeholders, consumers, companies, regarding theexpansion of digital marketing.

Hypotheses of the Study
The hypotheses for this study are:
•H1: The growth of digital marketing is positively correlated with increased internet usage.
•H2: Like traditional marketing, there is a strong relationship between companies and consumers
•H3: The expansion of digital marketing is remarkable and essential in the current era ofglobalization.

Table 1

References

Schwarzl, S., & Grabowska, M. (2015). Online marketing strategies: The future is here. Journal of International Business, 11(2), 13-27.

[Google Scholar]

Kotler, P., Kartajaya, H., & Setiawan, I. (2017). Do traditional ao digital. Rio de janeiro: Sextante.

[Google Scholar]

Satinder, N. (2015). A study on internet marketing in India: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Management Studies, 7(1), 34-42.

Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019). Digital marketing. Pearson UK.

[Google Scholar]

Kotler, P. (1999). Kotler on marketing: How to create, win and dominate markets. Simon and Schuster. Yurovsky, pros and cons of internet marketing, Marketing Insights, 22, 145- 159.

[Google Scholar]

Evans, D., Bratton, S., & McKee, J. (2021). Social media marketing. AG Printing and Publishing.

[Google Scholar]

Gangeshwar, D. K. (2013). E-commerce or internet marketing: A business review from the Indian context. Asian Journal of Management Research, 3(2), 345-357.

Tuten, T. L. (2023). Social media marketing. Sage Publications Limited.

Rathore, A. S., Pant, M., & Sharma, C. (2017). Emerging trends in digital marketing in India. Indian Journal of Marketing Research, 12(4), 75-82.

Alves, H., Fernandes, C., & Raposo, M. (2016). Social media marketing: A literature review and implications. Psychology & Marketing, 33(12), 1029-1038.

[Google Scholar]

Kapoor, P., Mehta, R., Kumar, V., & Bhatia, S. (2018). Social media’s role in marketing in India. Social Media Studies, 14(3), 91-108.

Gupta, R., Verma, A., & Singh, T. (2022). AI-driven marketing strategies in India: A study of data analytics and personalization. Journal of Digital Marketing Trends, 5(1), 55-63.

Bansal, M., Patel, N., & Sinha, A. (2019). Indian e-commerce sector’s influence on digital marketing evolution. Journal of E-Commerce and Digital Marketing, 2(2), 102-120.

Sinha, A., & Dey, M. (2021). Digital divide and its challenges in India’s digital marketing. Indian Journal of Marketing Research, 15(2), 88-96.

Sen, R., & Singhal, L. (2020). Influencer marketing’s impact on Indian consumers. Marketing and Consumer Behavior Journal, 7(1), 29-37.

Agarwal, K., & Joshi, P. (2023). The role of augmented reality in enhancing digital marketing experiences in India. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 19(3), 112-125.

Sharma, D., & Patel, R. (2023). Evolution of digital payment systems and their impact on consumer trust in India. Journal of Financial Services and Marketing, 27(2), 145-161.

Verma, S., & Goyal, A. (2024). Leveraging AI for hyper-personalized customer engagement in Indian e-commerce. Journal of Digital Marketing and AI, 6(1), 32-48.

Khan, N., & Sethi, P. (2022). The growing importance of voice search optimization in India’s digital marketing landscape. Asian Journal of Marketing, 14(4), 101-115.

Brown, D., & Hayes, N. (2008). Influencer marketing. Routledge.

[Google Scholar]

Menon, V., & Reddy, S. (2023). The effectiveness of influencer collaborations for brand building among Gen Z in India. Journal of Consumer Research, 38(1), 89-106.

Chopra, L., & Singh, T. (2024). Data privacy concerns in digital marketing: Implications of India’s new data protection regulations. Journal of Marketing and Law, 9(2), 67-79.

Leung, F. F., Gu, F. F., & Palmatier, R. W. (2022). Online influencer marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50(2), 226-251.

[Crossref] [Google Scholar]

Rao, A., & Mukherjee, R. (2024). Exploring the role of AI in predictive analytics and customer segmentation in Indian retail. International Journal of AI and Retail, 3(1), 22-39.

Bose, A., & Saini, M. (2023). Sustainability in digital marketing: Consumer perception and brand responsibility in India. Indian Journal of Marketing, 21(3), 57-70.

Das, P., & Narang, V. (2022). Regional language content and its impact on digital advertising in India. Media and Cultural Studies Journal, 8(2), 98-111.

Malhotra, R., & Iyer, S. (2024). Chatbots and customer service: Enhancing customer engagement in Indian e-commerce. Journal of Technology and Marketing, 17(1), 42-56.

Chhapia Hemali (2024), Cash on Delivery Remains a Preferred Mode of Payment Among Consumers, Times of India.

[Google Scholar]

Ipsos, & ET Brand Equity. (2023). The state of digital marketing: ET Brand Equity and Ipsos special report. Economic Times Brand Equity.

Gartner. (2024). 2024 CMO spend survey: Marketing budgets and priorities. Gartner Research.

Sharma, K. (2023). Role of e-commerce in rural economic development. International Journal of Innovations & Research Analysis, 3(4), 132-135.

Basu Roy, T. (2024). Digital population in India as of January 2023, by type. Statista.