what is digital marketing
Digital Marketing Explained: Real Examples from Top Brands This blog on digital marketing comes at a time when digital strategies are no longer optional for businesses—they’re essential. In fact, with 52% of global shoppers buying online at least once a week and 69% of digital media consumption in the U.S. happening on smartphones, the digital landscape has become the primary battleground for customer attention. What is digital marketing exactly, and why does it continue to gain traction? According to recent reports, the content marketing industry alone is projected to reach $107 billion by 2026, while the top five marketing channels delivering the biggest ROI in 2024 all involve digital marketing. Additionally, 80% of marketers considered their content marketing strategies very successful in 2022, highlighting the effectiveness of well-executed digital campaigns. In this article, we’ll explore real examples from top brands across eight different types of digital marketing. We’ll also examine how successful companies build their strategies and look at emerging trends that will shape the future of marketing. Whether you’re new to digital marketing or looking to refine your approach, these insights and examples will help you develop more effective campaigns for your business. What is digital marketing and why it matters Digital marketing uses websites, apps, social media, search engines, and other digital channels to promote products and services. Unlike traditional advertising, it creates a two-way street for businesses to connect with audiences across multiple touchpoints throughout their buying journey. Definition and scope of digital marketing Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts using electronic devices and digital technology to communicate with consumers. This includes: Search engines and websites Social media platforms Email and mobile apps Text messaging and web-based advertising Furthermore, digital marketing isn’t limited to just internet-based activities. It also covers traditional digital media like TV commercials, radio spots, digital billboards, and SMS marketing. This broad approach allows businesses to create consistent messaging across all channels while leveraging each platform’s unique strengths. Difference between digital and online marketing Though often used interchangeably, these terms have subtle but important differences. Digital marketing is the umbrella term covering both online and offline digital channels. Online marketing (sometimes called internet marketing) specifically refers to marketing conducted exclusively via the internet. Specifically, online marketing is a subset of digital marketing, focused solely on internet-based activities like SEO, social media campaigns, and website promotions. Digital marketing extends beyond this to include non-internet platforms such as digital billboards and on-demand television advertising. Why digital marketing is essential today Digital marketing has become indispensable for modern businesses for several compelling reasons. Consequently, by 2026, the industry is expected to be worth INR 66339.91 billion worldwide. Digital strategies provide global reach without geographical limitations, unlike traditional marketing channels. Moreover, businesses can effectively target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors through data collection. Cost-efficiency is another major advantage—digital marketing generally requires less investment than traditional methods while delivering higher returns. According to eMarketer, online shopping will comprise 20.1% of all global retail sales by 2024, up from 18.8% in 2021. Perhaps most importantly, digital marketing offers measurable results. Unlike traditional marketing, businesses can track performance in real-time, collect valuable customer behavior data, and make data-driven decisions to optimize their marketing strategies. 8 types of digital marketing with real brand examples Looking at successful companies reveals how they leverage different digital marketing approaches to connect with audiences. Let’s explore eight major types through real-world examples that demonstrate their effectiveness. 1. Content marketing – Airbnb’s travel stories Content marketing focuses on creating valuable content that attracts and engages a defined audience. Airbnb mastered this through their storytelling approach, sharing inspiring host and traveler stories via blogs, videos, and their magazine. This strategy helped build deeper emotional connections with audiences by highlighting the human aspect of travel rather than just accommodations. 2. SEO – Canva’s blog strategy Canva drives an impressive 270 million monthly organic visits through strategic SEO. Their approach includes content clusters with 3,800+ interlinked pages on topics like color theory, generating 2 million monthly visits from that section alone. By creating landing pages optimized for search intent and organizing content into directories, Canva dominates search results for design-related terms. 3. Social media marketing – Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke Social media marketing builds brand awareness and establishes trust with audiences. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign personalized bottles with popular names, encouraging people to share photos using #ShareACoke. The campaign generated over 500,000 shared photos across social platforms, increasing Coke’s category share by 4% and consumption among young adults by 7%. 4. Email marketing – Spotify’s personalized playlists Email marketing remains highly effective for engaging consumers. Spotify excels by sending personalized playlist recommendations tailored to individual listening habits. Their personalization team carefully names playlists like “Discover Weekly” and “Release Radar” to communicate what’s inside while helping users decide if they want to listen. 5. PPC advertising – Amazon’s Google Ads campaigns Pay-per-click advertising allows businesses to pay only when users click their ads. Amazon strategically bids on keywords related to products they sell, appearing in Google search results when users look for specific items. This approach is effective because it targets users with clear purchase intent, making it a cost-effective method for driving sales. 6. Influencer marketing – Nike’s athlete partnerships Nike’s influencer strategy extends beyond celebrities to include a creator community of approximately 22,000 influencers. Their partnerships with athletes like LeBron James (signed for INR 7594.24 million before playing an NBA game) have helped them become the top fashion brand for influencer marketing in 2024, garnering 84,300 social mentions and 257 million engagements. 7. Affiliate marketing – Bluehost’s blogger program Bluehost’s affiliate program pays bloggers INR 5484.73+ for each qualified sale when visitors use their referral links to purchase hosting services. With a 30-day cookie window, affiliates earn even if customers return later to complete purchases. This program has become particularly popular among WordPress bloggers, helping Bluehost acquire new customers through trusted recommendations. 8. Video marketing – Dollar Shave Club’s viral launch Dollar Shave Club’s launch video demonstrates video marketing’s power. Their 90-second video cost just INR 379712.03 to produce but went viral