Digital Advertising, the 'Golden Boy' of the Marketing Industry.

Abstract

As a result of the ever-evolving nature of digital advertising, its significance in a comprehensive marketing landscape, the lack of understanding of digital as an advertising channel and the uncertainty which exists as to the extent with which digital is a suitable channel for South African brands to engage consumers, South African brands seem to find themselves in a mindset of wait and see when it comes to fully incorporating digital marketing into their overall marketing strategy. As a result, South African brands tend to resort to traditional advertising mediums – radio, television, billboards and even pamphlets, etc. – to make up the bulk of their marketing budget. This often being at the cost of the results, which could have been derived should such brands have chosen to effectively integrate digital media into their overall marketing strategy in order to optimize consumer engagement – being a key objective of all forms of media. This report will therefore investigate why digital advertising is the most optimal form of media to generate physical consumer engagement for South African brands.