Situation Analysis of Digital Marketing in Developing Countries - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal: Digital Marketing Table of Contents Introduction 3 Literature Review (Background) 3 Research Questions 6 Research Objectives 6 Research Methodology 6 Research Design 6 Research Philosophy 6 Research Approach 7 Research Strategy 7 Data Collection 8 Ethical Considerations 9 Reference List 10 Appendix 12 Introduction The digital marketing has marked the new era of technology where the firms use modern communication technology to modify their existing marketing strategies. The digital marketing is often used by the companies to create a robust marketing communication which is supposed to be more interactive with the target audiences (Ryan, 2014). The companies are constantly looking forward to create new ways to communicate with the consumers so as to create a stronger impact on their purchasing decision. This is mostly conducted by creating a strong brand recall and by breaking the clutter in the perceptions. This research proposal is based on the concept of digital marketing and how it has impacted the marketing strategies of the companies. This proposal will provide an overall view of the way the research work will be conducted in this field of digital marketing and how it has impacted the market environment in the developing countries, particularly in the West African region. Literature Review (Background) Smith (2012) has mentioned that the advent of technology all around the world has changed the way the people live their lives. Technology has changed the way we interact with each other, how we perceive information and operate the daily functions of our everyday life. Technology has also changed the way the companies operate and how they run their businesses. According to Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2012), the communication has evolved greatly over the past decade. The rise in popularity of the internet is one of the major milestones crossed by technological advancements that have allowed the people to instantly connect to almost anyone anywhere in the world. Internet and global connectivity has also evolved over the years with the development of social media. Charlesworth (2014) have mentioned that the internet is rapidly spreading to almost all the corners of the world, which was once considered as technologically handicapped. This as a result has created a wide platform for the people to communicate with each other. The increase in the internet usage has also created new window of opportunities for the marketers to communicate with their target customers. Wertime and Fenwick (2011) have mentioned that the customers spend most of their leisure time in the internet; therefore it has become a vital platform for the marketers to implement their promotional activities. It has also been mentioned that the digital marketing is more efficient than the traditional marketing techniques which is more costly than the digital marketing. According to Stone and Woodcock (2014), traditional marketing communication medium like the newspaper, television commercials and outdoor print media are more costly than the digital marketing tools. The concept of digital marketing is a broad term which encompasses several aspects of marketing activities, all of which eventually leads to top of the mind brand recall. The central idea of any marketing communication strategy is to influence the purchase decision of the customers in favour of the company, so that the customers show higher preference to a certain brand over that of the rest (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2012). Digital marketing techniques make it easier for the firms to achieve this goal by bringing the customers and the marketers closer. It allows the marketers to easily target its audience and create an interactive marketing communication where the target audience is chosen based on their personal preferences and likings (Järvinen and Karjaluoto, 2015). Zahay (2014) further added that unlike the traditional marketing where the exposure of a marketing communication is made over a wide range of audience, the digital marketing allows the marketers to streamline their exposure to the desired target group only. According to Ärvinen et al (2012) the digital marketing tools can be segregated in to several segments based on the way it communicates with the target audiences. (Jobber and Ellis-Chadwick, 2012) mentioned that email and text messages were probably the first forms of digital tools to be used for marketing communication. Owing to the rise of internet usage and increase in the clutter in these forms of communications, the marketers tried to seek out for a more interactive way to communicate with the customers. The popular search engine services run at a business model which is solely run by the revenue earned through advertisements. The search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. are the most popularly used among the internet users (Wertime and Fenwick, 2011). The marketers can choose to show advertisements based on the search topic of the customers, thereby allowing them to display relevant advertisements to the customers regarding products or services on which they are interested in. The search engine based advertisements are one of the most efficient digital marketing techniques where relevant ads are displayed to relevant customers only. This as a result increases the chance of attracting the attention of the customers. Charlesworth (2014) further added that the social media advertisements are also quite effective owing the massive use of social media services like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. These social media websites are also dependent on the revenues generated from the advertisements posted by the marketers. Digital marketing via social media also allows the marketers to post advertisements based on the likings of the customers. Moreover, the social media platform also allows them to directly communicate with the customers and address their issues and queries. This as a result leads to development of a close connection between the seller and the buyer. Unlike traditional marketing where in order to communicate with the customers, the marketers have to rely on telephone calls and face to face communication, which may not either be a viable solution or may not be physically possible. According to Ryan (2014) the banner ads and video advertisements of YouTube and other video sharing websites are also quite effective in drawing the attention of the customers. Posting advertisements on popular websites help to create strong brand awareness among the consumers. (Järvinen and Karjaluoto, 2015) also mentioned that the rapid growth of smartphones have also created new opportunity for the marketers to communicate with the customers. Several smartphone applications are advertisement supported which as a result helps the marketers reach out to the customers in a more efficient way. Moreover, smartphones are also carried by the users most of the time and are now more frequently used than personal computers to surf the internet. This as a result allows the companies to communicate with the target customers more easily. Zahay (2014) opined that digital marketing also allows the marketers to closely monitor the effectiveness of the advertisements. It allows the marketer to redirect the customers to the online purchase website directly after clicking on the ads. Therefore any purchase made by the customer after being redirected can easily be tracked back to the advertisement, thereby facilitating a close monitoring service for the marketers. Charlesworth (2014) mentioned that the interest availability and adoption of smartphones and social media is spreading rapidly to almost all parts of the world, including both developed as well as developing countries. The rise of E-commerce in the developing countries has also enhanced the need of digital marketing. From the literature review, it can be stated that the digital marketing has proved to be an effective marketing tool in the contemporary business market environment and is rapidly growing with the development of internet and related technology. Research Questions The research question forms the backbone of a research work, on which the entire study is based on. The research question of this study is as follows: How does the impact of digital marketing affect the economy within developing countries? What opportunities does digital marketing bring to developing countries? The research questions are based on the impact of the digital marketing on the economic condition of the developing countries and it is also concerned with the opportunities created by it and how it can be leveraged. Research Objectives The research questions can be answered by meeting the following research objectives: Conduct an evaluation of digital marketing within developed countries across the past 10 years and understand trends of evolution that have happened and likely to repeat within developing countries in the next 10 years. To find out the opportunities that will by the digital marketing in the near future. Research Methodology The research methodology gives a clear overview of how the research work will be conducted and what are the processes and approach that will be taken. It gives an idea regarding the data collection methods used in the research along with the types of analytical tools used. The methodology also helps to understand how the researcher has answered the research questions and met the research objectives (Somekh and Lewin, 2011). Research Design The research design is concerned about the various ways the researcher will attempt to answer the research questions. The research design can be broken down to research philosophy, research approach and research strategies, etc (Crowther and Lancaster, 2012). Research Philosophy The research philosophy is based on the perception of the researcher, depending on which the research philosophy has been chosen. The research philosophy can be categorized under positivism, realism and interpretivism. The positivism philosophy is based on the factual nature of the research work. The data that have sufficient evidence to be authentic and can be easily evaluated, are worth using for the research work. Any information which cannot be proved to be fact is not considered in this approach (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2009). The positivist nature of the study also allows the researcher to achieve accurate findings that can be easily developed into theories. The realism philosophy is based on the notion that the theoretical statement and the real life incidents often differ (Cooper and Schindler, 2010). Therefore, a research based on realism mostly contains information regarding real life scenarios and how it can affect the existing theories. Finally, the interpretivism allows the researcher to implement his own interpretation and present his own perspective towards a particular topic of interest. The researcher offers sufficient proof to justify his perspective (Bryman and Bell, 2011). This research work will be based on the positivism philosophy where the impact of digital marketing on the national economy will be studied. The factual data will be gathered which will help to increase the authenticity of the research. Research Approach Based on the way the researcher has taken the steps to conduct the research work, there can be two research approaches – deductive and inductive. The deductive approach is considered to be a ‘top-down’ approach. The researcher tries to find a confirmation if the observation is in line with the theory. On the other hand, in case of the inductive approach, which is considered as a ‘bottom-up’ approach, the researcher tries to develop a theory based on his observations (Bergh and Ketchen, 2009). In this research work, the study will be based on the inductive approach where an attempt will be taken to develop a theory that relates digital marketing and the national economic condition. Research Strategy The research strategy indicates type of data that the researcher has used to conduct the research work, depending on which it can be based on quantitative or qualitative data obtained from primary or secondary sources. The primary research work is based on the data gathered from primary sources such as survey or conducting interview. The primary data is gathered directly from the respondents by recording their responses (Roger, 2009). The secondary data on the other hand is gathered from previously published data like in books or journals or websites. Based on the nature of the data the research work can also be segregated in to quantitative or qualitative type. The quantitative data is numerical in nature, which can undergo calculation. The quantitative data needs to be analysed in order to extract the required information to answer the research questions (Myers, 2013). This research work will be conducted by gathering quantitative data from primary sources and qualitative data from secondary sources. The secondary data collected on the utility and advantages of the digital marketing will help to create a strong background on which the validity of the primary data can be tested (Saunders and Lewis, 2012). Working on both the primary and secondary data will also help in creating wider area study that will increase the relevance of the research work. Data Collection The data collection can be considered to be the most vital part of the research methodology that helps to gather the data required to conduct the research work. Data can be gathered by employing several methods such as observation, interviews, surveys, case studies, financial statements, books, journals, websites, etc. The primary data will be collected from a sample group. The sampling process will be conducted by using a convenience sampling. The convenience sampling allows the researcher to gather data from respondents which are easier for the researcher to reach. The respondents of the sample group will belong to the developing countries. The data will be gathered via online questionnaire that will be distributed through email and social media (refer Appendix 1). The questions will ask for their responses regarding the influence of digital marketing on the purchase behaviour of the consumers. This purchasing pattern will then be correlated with the economy of the nation. The questions will be closed ended and will contain likert scale, where the responses of the participants will be recorded in quantitative form. These data will then be analyzed by using statistical tools like Excel or SPSS to extract the required information. The secondary data will help to find a correlation between the economic status of the developed countries and purchasing behaviour of the customers under the impact of digital marketing. It will be collected from several books, journal articles and credible websites. The correlation between the impact of digital marketing and the economic status of the developing countries will then be established. This pattern will be used to find if the same trend exists in the developing countries as well, particularly in the West African region. Ethical Considerations Every research work faces certain ethical issues which need to be overcome by the researcher in order to develop a relevant research work (De Vaus, 2001). The research work will be conducted while keeping in mind the rules and regulations of the university and it have also been kept in mind that there is no plagiarism involved. The research will be carried out without any external help except for the occasional guidance of the module tutor. It will be ensured that the data has been collected in an ethical manner so that no data have been manipulated to fit the desired results. Secondary data will be collected from credible sources only so that authenticity and relevance of the data is maintained. It will also be ensured that the secondary data collected are not older than 20 years so that it is justified regarding its relevance. The primary data will also be collected in an ethical manner and the respondents will not be forced to provide data against their will. Reference List Ärvinen, J., Tollinen, A., Karjaluoto, H., and Jayawardhena, C., 2012. Digital and Social Media Marketing Usage in B2B Industrial Section. Marketing Management Journal, 22(2). Bergh, D. and Ketchen, D. J., 2009. Research methodology in Strategy and Management. 1st ed. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. Bryman, A. and Bell, E., 2011. Business Research Methodology. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press. Chaffey, D., and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2012. Digital Marketing: Strategy.Implementation and Practice. New York: Pearson. Charlesworth, A., 2014. Digital marketing: A practical approach. London: Routledge. Cooper, D. and Schindler, P. S., 2010. Business Research Methods. 11th ed. London: McGraw-Hill. Crowther, D. and Lancaster, G., 2012. Research Methods. 2nd ed. London: Routledge. De Vaus, D. A., 2001. Research design in social research. London: Sage Publications. Järvinen, J. and Karjaluoto, H., 2015. The use of Web analytics for digital marketing performance measurement. Industrial Marketing Management. Jobber, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2012. Principles and practice of marketing. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Myers, M. D., 2013. Qualitative research in business and management. London: Sage Publications Roger, T., 2009. Survey methodology. 6th ed. New York: Wiley. Ryan, D., 2014. Understanding digital marketing: marketing strategies for engaging the digital generation. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Saunders, M. and Lewis, P., 2012. Doing Research in Business & Management. An Essential Guide to Planning Your Project. New York: Pearson Education. Saunders, M. N., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A., 2009. Research methods for business students, 4th ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Smith, K., 2012. Longitudinal study of digital marketing strategies targeting Millennials. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29(2), pp. 86-92. Somekh, B. and Lewin, C., 2011. Theory and Methods in Social Research. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications Stone, M. D., and Woodcock, N. D., 2014. Interactive, direct and digital marketing: A future that depends on better use of business intelligence. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8(1), pp. 4-17. Wertime, K., and Fenwick, I., 2011. DigiMarketing: The essential guide to new media and digital marketing. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Zahay, D., 2014. Beyond interactive marketing. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8(4). Appendix (I) Questionnaire Name: (optional) 1) Age group: 2) Less than 12 12-18 18-24 24-40 40 and above 3) Are you aware of the concept of digital marketing? Yes No 4) People are more influenced by the Digital marketing traditional media. Highly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Highly Disagree 5) Digital marketing influences you more in buying a particular product. Highly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Highly Disagree 6) Digital marketing is growing at a rapid pace. Highly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Highly Disagree 7) Digital marketing has increased the overall expenditure of the customers. Highly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Highly Disagree 8) You are interested in receiving digital marketing communications. Highly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Highly Disagree 9) Digital marketing is helping you to make your purchase decision easier. Highly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Highly Disagree 10) If you would own a business, then you would prioritize digital marketing over traditional media. Highly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Highly Disagree Read More