The Impact of Digital Transformation on Traditional Marketing

Digital is ruling the lives of people and companies in 2024. Digital transformation in marketing is an inevitable process for businesses that want to remain competitive. Why then so many organizations oppose large-scale digital transformation and not look in the direction of digital technologies?

This article will show you the relationship between marketing and digital transformation. Also, we’ll give examples of digital transformation in marketing. Let’s get deeper into the topic, shall we?

What is digital transformation?

On the surface, it’s quite a vague statement. Digital transformation. That sounds like something that can be interpreted differently by different people.

Truth is, no one definition would include all the aspects of digital transformation. It’s a multifaceted concept. But it’s an extremely important one too. Your marketing team should definitely understand all the depths of it to stay ahead of the curve. 

Let’s review some of the most popular and clear definitions of digital transformation. 

Per McKinsey, it’s “the rewiring of an organization, with the goal of creating value by continuously deploying tech at scale.”

Accenture defines digital transformation as “the process by which companies embed technologies across their businesses to drive fundamental change.”

IBM goes deeper saying that digital transformation uses “AI, automation, hybrid cloud and other digital technologies to leverage data and drive intelligent workflows, faster and smarter decision-making, and real-time response to market disruptions.”

It’s always about several key things: 

1) there should be a change

2) the change is done by implementing digital technology (digital signage, AI, automation, machine learning, digitization, cloud)

3) it drives positive, fundamental results (increase in sales, better decision-making, faster workflow, improved teamwork, facilitated operations)

What are the drivers of digital transformation?

Technology that helps businesses reach positive, fundamental results during the transformation is called the driver. 

Drivers of digital transformation are varied and the list is growing as the world’s technical capabilities grow. 

In the 90s it was the internet and all the internet-based services. In 2024 we’re talking about the AI revolution and the normalization of augmented reality solutions like VR and AR. 

The list of drivers of digital transformation in marketing includes: 

- screen technology (cloud-based digital signage)

- social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, etc.)

- the internet of things (IoT)

- cloud solutions

- artificial intelligence and automation tools 

- blockchain

Digital Transformation in Marketing

Marketing is among the most important parts of any business. When the company is undergoing a fundamental digital transformation, so does the marketing. It’s inevitable.

But what’s essential to understand here is that often businesses don’t see the full potential of digital solutions and keep marketing the traditional way without using the new exciting tools that are available. 

It’s also common to have a one-sided approach to digitalization when some parts of marketing are fully upgraded and others get stuck in the old ways. 

For example, a restaurant may have developed and regularly updated social media pages but lack the screens on-site to enhance engagement, promote the channels further, and drive user-generated content. 

When it comes to digital transformation, it’s important to “deal with change effectively,” as IBM writes. The process should be all-encompassing and take into account the modernization of the whole batch of legacy technologies and processes that your business may have instead of focusing on only certain parts.

How does signage technology help boost your digital transformation? 

Screens exist in two dimensions. They are objects of the physical world that serve as “portals” to the online. That’s an epitome for digital transformation and your marketing will win big time from deploying this technology. 

Not only cloud-based digital signage is extremely powerful, but it’s also a versatile tool that can fulfill various content goals at once. Moreover, displays are universal. They are as good at showing ads as PSAs and gathering feedback. 

In today’s business landscape, it’s all about the combination of effective communication and delivering the best customer experience possible. With the help of digital screens, you can easily ace both things.

Also, displays are gates into the next-gen technologies like AR and VR. For example, Kitcast is already implementing the AI content creation features into the next version of our app. The technology is very adaptable and future-proof. 

It’s about the scale too. Whether you’re running 10 or 1000 screens, digital signage has got you covered. It’s not about the number here, it’s about the marketing strategy and the content you choose to show. That’s on you. But the whole functioning of the network? That’s on us. With Kitcast you can be sure that your digital signage will be smooth and reliable.