INSIGHTS INTO DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK IN MODERN ORGANIZATIONS

Abstract

The article offers insights into theoretical and applied issues related to digital marketing concept development in the works of foreign and national scholars. It is observed that in most cases digital marketing is primarily viewed as a marketing communication tool but not as an independent element of marketing management in the online environment. This research offers etymology justification to the concepts of digital marketing, Internet marketing, online marketing and digital marketing, since yet there is no clear definition of a digital marketing concept in the international and domestic academic literature (most often it is referred to as equivalent to e-commerce, e-business or e-trade). The paper suggests a digital marketing management framework to be used by businesses in the context of digitalization. It is emphasized that a focus of digital marketing management should be placed towards meeting the online customers’ needs and expectations which ultimately translates into added value of organization's goods or services and contributes to building competitive advantages, eliminating potential conflicts of interest. This paper presents a set of digital marketing tools that integrates the principles of Internet marketing modeling (designed by an outstanding American marketer R. F. Wilson) based on the approach of including an Internet platform element into the P3-Place – a classic marketing mix which enables companies to select an optimal Internet platform within their interaction patterns of communication with target segments. According to the research findings, the digital marketing mix covers the following four classical tools, such as "Product", "Price", "Place" (Distribution), and "Promotion". It is also noted that the Distribution tool includes an Internet platform element. A special emphasis is put that each of the digital marketing mix instruments is adapted to the needs of target audiences. The study argues that the added Internet platform element embedded into the Distribution component is critical in managing digital marketing, since the application of the classic marketing mix in the virtual environment is associated with the choice of optimal Internet platforms for searching and communicating with target audiences of consumers.