Use of Digital Media within Organisations - Case Study Example

? Project Case Study, Use of Digital Media within Organisations Introduction and Synopsis of Case The case I chose “Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Media”, illustrates the impact that the use of digital media has had on organisations over the years of implementation. In the analysis of how digital media impacts organisational activities and performance, I will start by giving a brief definition of digital media; Digital media is electronic content which is stored digitally and can be transmitted over the internet or any other computer networks (Messaris 2006). In the recent years, facing stiff competition in industries and the high need to cut costs while still maintaining efficiency in businesses has seen the rapid growth and development of digital solutions for businesses. A key area in which digital media has greatly been used by the various businesses is communication. Communication is a critical success factor in the business world and hence the development and improvement of digital media such as web videos, availability of e-books and social media have been key turnaround factors for business organisations. In the above mentioned case study involving virgin media, it is demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the use of digital media has a positive rather than negative impact on the performance of an organisation depending on the overall objective for the incorporation of digital media was. Here, the objectives of the study were to raise awareness of Virgin Media HD football packages through online mobile marketing and this was specifically targeting the users of iPhones. The brand basically wanted to use a new, innovative and creative mobile marketing form in a bid to get the attention of football fans browsing the Guardian mobile internet website. Virgin media was working I partnership with an advertising agency, 4th street advertising. The main objective that was to be achieved was to get the information on virgin media HD football channels to a specific target audience which was football fans who owned iPhones. This was done through the execution of a well laid out strategy that involved exposing the target audience to the advertising message and a clear action that encouraged the recipients to learn more about the products and services offered by virgin media. Additionally, the advertisement campaign provided value addition with a calendar sync option that enabled the users with a fixture list of all games to be televised of the English Premier League. The intended purpose was to improve customer loyalty and give then pride in being virgin customers. The banner bearing the campaign on the website was easy to use and access and it provided users with two calls-to-action. “Find out more about Virgin Media Football Packages” and “Sync televised games with calendar”. The call to action that allowed the audience to find out more about various other packages offered allowed the organisation to put across all or other products that the potential clients may not have been well aware of. The results obtained from the implementation of digital media in communicating to the target audience produced splendid results for Virgin Media. The creative execution drove high interactivity with the brand from the target audience. During the quarter to December after the launch of the digitized media in August, Virgin added over 100,000 Sky premium subscribers to reach a total of 725,000. As depicted clearly, clear and simple messages via digital media are a really positive way to communicate to potential customers. I chose to break down the in depth analysis of the effect of digital communication in this above briefly introduced scenario within in topics that depict every step of the process. Goal of Organisation The goal of Virgin media, according to the scenario, was to raise awareness of Virgin Media HD football packages that were in store for avid football fans via mobile advertising and targeting specifically iPhone users. The brand aimed to employ innovative and creative forms of mobile advertising to reach out to football fans that will be browsing the Guardian mobile internet site. It’s hence vividly clear that the set goals were very specific with as much detail possible on what the company aimed to achieve with the implementation of mobile advertising campaigns. Various research studies have shown that well defined goals and objectives of organisations are highly likely to be achieved as compared to vague, non- specific goals that give no specific desirable outcome of the organisation (Bird, 2007). This is because all the teams involved in the execution of the project are aware of the expected deliverable right from the inception of the project and hence can work in tandem towards that common goal. Moreover, the presence of well laid out objective highly reduces the time span that an organisation will take in achieving the objective since the execution team will have little room to make any mistakes and if any are made along the way, it’s going to be easier to identify and correct any faults in the execution process (Ryan & Jones, 2012). This is substantiated clearly in Virgin media’s scenario whose goals were very specific, this hence smoothened the implementation of the process and further, the efficient and effective output maximisation of the organisation. Strategy Employed to Accomplish Goal A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a long term or overall aim (Oxford dictionaries 2013). The strategy that was running behind the mobile campaign employed by virgin media in a bid to communicate to its existing and potential clients was to capture the users in the moment where they are bombarded with the advertising message and provided with clear action to follow with each message they are exposed to. First and foremost, Virgin media partnered with a mobile advertising agency, 4th screen media that would facilitate the execution of the digitised campaign. This was followed by 100 per cent takeover of the Guardian’s mobile internet site both of which were key steps into ensuring efficient and effective reach to the target audience. Additionally, as a customer loyalty incentive, the campaign provided value addition to the target audience with the calendar sync format. This provided the user with the fixture list of all Premier League Games that will be televised directly on their iPhones. The main purpose of this strategy was to put users into the mind-set that they can actually become Virgin Media customers. The strategic plan being a key step in an organisation’s efforts towards achieving a desired goal, should provide copious amount of detail on the specific steps and the specific procedures undertaken to ensure that the goals are met (Ryan & Jones 2012). Just like Virgin Media’s strategy in achieving it’s set goals was precise, it hence played a major role in assisting the organisation in achieving its desired deliverable with utmost efficiency. Measurable Success Factors The key measurable success factors in this case were the significant increase in the subscribers in a short time period following the launch of the advertising campaign. It could also be illustrated by the number of individuals who chose the “Sync with calendar” action even without subscribing to any of Virgin media’s channels. The organization successfully managed to acquire more than 100,000 new Sky premium subscribers hence reaching a total customer base of 725,000 in the first quarter following the launch. The critical success factors are elements that are necessary for a project to achieve its goals (May & Lake 2013). For Virgin Media to have achieved its goal successfully the organisation carefully carved out specific niche out of the market and hence had a very specific target market that they could customise the advertisements to. This was coupled up with the efficient execution plan that ensured that the digitized media reached as many as possible of the intended target audience. Conclusion and Analysis of End Results of Initiative In my opinion, the call to action in this case study was a major success and very effective in achieving the desired output by the organisation. The existing and potential clients were exposed effectively to the intended message and hence responses were positive with the organization achieving the major part of its objectives. From the customer point of view, the convenient and “cool” way to receive an advertisement broadcast is more likely to entice one into taking up the services being advertised. It also gives potential and existing customers a differentiated ‘feel’ of what it is like to be part of Virgin Media. This increases customer satisfaction and hence worth customer loyalty thus having a positive impact on the performance of the organisation in the long run. In conclusion, I found this case study to be highly informative and also engaging in what is turning out to be the new norm in organisations and the society at large. Digital media has radically changed the nature of communication in an organisational sense. It has specifically changed the way organisations communicate with their potential and existing clients. In our everyday life, we encounter some sort of digital media even subconsciously that is being used by various organisations to reach to the masses with what they have to offer. Although the forms of digital media used by organizations might not be the same, it’s clear that there is a distinct positive correlation between the use of digital media in communication to potential and existing customers and the subsequent organisational performance in the long run. In today’s world, where extreme efficiency and cost effectiveness are to key factors in gaining competitive edge over other firms, organisations should hence shift focus from traditional means of getting across to their customers and instead invest more on digital communication. Works Cited Messaris, P. (2006). Digital media: Transformations in human communication. New York: Lang. Ryan, D., & Jones, C. (2012). Understanding digital marketing: Marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page. May, K., & Lake, S. E. L. (2013). Digital media: Concepts & applications. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning. Bird, D. (2007). Commonsense direct & digital marketing. London [u.a.: Kogan Page. Read More