CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The evolution of digital marketing is inextricably linked to the advancement of technology. Ray Tomlinson sent the first email in 1971, and his technology laid the groundwork for users to send and receive information through other machines ( Nielsen 2016). However, the year 1990 is more often recognized as the beginning of digital marketing because it was then that the Archie search engine was built as an index for FTP sites. Computer storage capacity was already large enough in the 1980s to store large volumes of customer data. Companies began to choose internet approaches like database marketing over limited list brokers.
These databases allowed businesses to keep better track of their clients’ information, altering the buyer-seller relationship.
Digital marketing is a type of marketing that uses internet and online-based digital technology to advertise products and services, such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media and platforms (Techopedia 2018). Its evolution in the 1990s and 2000s revolutionized the way brands and businesses utilize technology to sell themselves. Digital marketing campaigns have become more common as digital platforms have become more integrated into marketing plans and everyday life, and as people increasingly use digital devices instead of visiting physical stores, using a combination of search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, influencer marketing, content automation, campaign marketing, and data-driven marketing.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
One of the primary goals of modern digital marketing is to increase brand awareness, or the degree to which customers and the general public are aware of and recognize a specific brand. Because of its impact on brand perception and consumer decision-making, increasing brand awareness is critical in digital marketing and marketing in general. It’s worth noting, though, that many firms and brands rely on digital marketing to promote their products on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp, and others. If a firm that has created an online presence and reputation can no longer access any of its social media accounts, it almost always means that they are on the danger of losing their niche. The Nigerian government banned Twitter from operating in the country indefinitely on June 4, 2021, after the social media platform deleted tweets from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari warning the Igbo-dominated south eastern region of the country of a potential repeat of the 1967 Biafran Civil War (CNN 2021). The removal of the President’s tweets was cited as a factor in the decision, but it was ultimately based on “a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real-world violent consequences,” according to the Nigerian government. Despite the fact that Amnesty International, the British and Canadian embassies in Nigeria, as well as the Swedish Embassy in Nigeria, have all protested the ban. According to organizations such as the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), the impact of this ban is likely to affect brands and businesses that use digital marketing, negatively affecting customer engagement, brand awareness, and profitability, while new startup brands may go extinct in the long run if nothing is done. As a result, this report presents a thorough evaluation of the impact of Twitter’s restriction on digital marketing.
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The major goal of this research is to look into the impact of Twitter’s prohibition on digital marketing. The study’s goal is to find out more about
Determine the impact of the Twitter ban on companies and businesses in Nigeria that use digital marketing.
Examine the extent to which company products were promoted via digital marketing on their Twitter account prior to the Nigerian Twitter ban.
Examine the extent to which brand recognition and brand specialty were developed through digital marketing on their Twitter handle prior to the Nigerian Twitter ban.
Examine whether the latest Twitter ban will have an impact on the revenue and profitability of digital marketing in Nigeria.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings and theoretical aspects of this work will be relevant to major business brands and businesses who operate online via digital marketing, as this study depicts the nature of the Twitter ban effect on digital marketing as well as the significant roles played by this sector under study. More importantly, the study will be extremely beneficial to students, researchers, and other anyone who may be interested in gathering or doing research on the subject at hand.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of the investigation is limited to the investigation of Twitter’s restriction on digital marketing. As a result, the research is limited to GoTV Lagos.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The following are some of the study’s limitations:
Finance: Due to the researcher’s financial difficulties, a bigger sample size, which would have allowed the study to reach a larger territory, has become impossible; as a result, this work is limited to only Lagos state GoTV centers.
Time: It’s not surprising that the researcher’s time was limited, as this posed a direct threat to the thorough coverage sought in this report. The researcher intended to interview all employees of the selected GoTV outlets, however due to the researcher’s multiple activities, which include academics, work schedules, and other social events, it became difficult to explain the goal.
Respondents’ attitudes: The majority of workers fail to collect the surveys, and those that do pay close attention to filling out and returning them, while others do not return them at all. Others were less cooperative, and may have offered untrustworthy information out of fear of being exposed, despite the researcher’s assurance that all material would be kept in strict confidence and used solely for educational purposes.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Twitter is a microblogging and social networking website based in the United States that allows users to send and receive messages known as “tweets.” Unregistered users can only view tweets, while registered users can post, like, and retweet them.
Twitter Ban: This is the official halt in the operation of Twitter, as mandated by the Federal Government of Nigeria on June 5th, 2021, until the owners of the social network meet the government’s newly established requirements.
Digital marketing is a type of marketing that uses internet and online-based digital technology to advertise products and services, such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and other digital media and platforms.
Brand awareness is a marketing phrase that refers to the degree to which a product’s name is recognized by consumers. Brand recognition is an important stage in advertising a new product or revitalizing an old one. In an ideal world, brand awareness would include the traits that set the product apart from the competition.
REFERENCE
American Marketing Association (AMA 2019) “The Four Faces of Digital Marketing”. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
Nigeria bans Twitter when the corporation deletes President Buhari’s message, according to CNN (2021). On the 5th of June 2021, I was able to get a hold of some information
Nielsen (Nielsen) (10 March 2016). “In Canada, digital advertising is on the rise, necessitating more sophisticated measures of success.” Nielsen, Nielsen, Nielsen. Retrieved on the 25th of March, 2016.
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