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Question: Write a report on Digital Business Communication and Its Implementation. Answer: Digital Communication Strategy and Its Implementation Strategies in business communication vary from one organization to the other. Contemporary firms thrive because of business communication. This proposal presents a digital communication plan for a marketing department in a multinational corporation. It highlights the pros and cons of each external communication, which targets consumers. The agenda for the plan is to increase sales, improve efficiency in the marketing department and create a positive corporate brand(Kaplan Haenlein, 2011). In doing so, the proposal stipulates that the strategy shall lead to customer satisfaction as well as the fulfilment of the organizations CSR practices. The proposal covers an integrative strategy that captures organizational strategies in the local and global market environment. It includes social media platforms, mobile communication, direct marketing and affiliate marketing. Multimedia advertising in the digital world today features videos, images, web content, chats, and events among others. It provides a platform for communication mix covering advertising, personal interaction, Public relations, discount promotion, direct marketing and events. This proposal discusses digital marketing functions namely: Direct Marketing via emails Networking through social media Product promotion through website Brand awareness through Youtube Sales improvement through mobile communication Background of the organization Cadbury UK has been selling chocolates for over 200 years. The British brand has obtained global status to become the second largest in the confectionery industry. It has a variety of marketing communication strategies, which start from its packaging to digital communication. Using digital communication is effective because it caters for the multicultural and multilevel needs that Cadbury possesses. Direct Marketing via emails Emails are great for official communication. Today, brands use this media to inform new and loyal customers about new products, events and planned activities. This approach builds customer loyalty, gives direct contact and personalised response. However, this has challenges in privacy and it limits access to more consumers. Networking through social media Social media communication provides for brand awareness and business networking through various links. Its objective is to influence consumer choices(Lee Kotler, 2011). New brands have an opportunity to communicate their services from reputable brands to a multitude. Affiliate marketing links connects businesses to consumers through recommendations. Sharing and connecting businesses also give consumers a chance to give feedback. Cadburys UK has customer review segments where the users give their views on its products. Its website connects to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and email portals. However, it is prone to attack from malicious competitors. Product promotion through websites Cadbury has personalised chocolates segment of its web page is attractive(Cadbury, 2017). It encourages customer participation in the creative development of the products. The platform connects customers to sales and nutritional informations for value addition. It is disadvantageous because of the costs, cybercrime and bad publicity. Brand awareness through Youtube Cadbury uses Youtube to share recipes and confectionery ideas to its clients. Customers can also learn about the brand history from its videos. This connects the brand to customers in foreign locations like Africa and Asia where the chocolate culture is different. Although it is a good way of sharing brand information, it is also less credible and the system faces risks of content manipulation. Sales improvement through mobile communication Telephone communication is one of the direct marketing tactics. In the digital era, mobile advertising is convenient because the brand is able to deliver products within a location. This improves sales as customers purchase and place delivery requests for friends and family. The table below shows a 12-week plan for the marketing strategy Digital Communication Approach Objective Expected Outcome Timeline Social Media Customer experience Customer interaction/loyalty Brand awareness Week 1 Emails Direct marketing Business to business communication Week 2 Mobile communication Target marketing Market research Week 4 Website Networking B2B Week 6 You Tube PR Brand information Week 8 Sales Promotions Sales promotions Increased sales Week 12 Figure 1: Digital marketing time plan Therefore, the integrated approach may require many activities for different functions but there is proof of its success(Kim Ko, 2012). Digital marketing improves the customer perception because it communicates the brand elements using a creative and affordable model. It also facilitates for feedback from the consumer, competitors and stakeholders. Digital Communication Strategy for Cadburys Marketing Unit Introduction Digital marketing communication approaches forms part of strategic planning in business(Chaffey, 2017). The most important aspect of digital communication is its effect in achieving the stipulated objectives. Complex organizations like the Multi-National Corporations need an integrated approach that is able to capture all its activities. The McKinsey 7S model formulates its plan using Strategy, Skills, Staff, Structure, Systems, Shared Values and Style(Drew, 2014). These form the structural basis for this digital marketing communication strategy. This method is ideal because it copes with the dynamism of the business environment. Technology solutions provide innovative solutions that change with times. The cost factor is also important for Cadbury because offline advertising strategies like print and TV cost billions of dollars. Electronic communication in marketing is also specific and suitable for the target market. An effective, reliable and affordable method facilitates for chang e management and it keeps the brand ahead of its competition. Shramms Model of communication integrates the types of communication across Cadbury multinational set up giving the brand and consumers a chance to interact in circular communication(Businesstopia, 2017). It encourages mass communication through multimedia platforms. Business brands like Cadbury also find digital media resourceful because of analytics and consumer research. However, the challenge with digital communication is in the market environment where competition is rife. Digital Business Communication and Mckinsey Model Customer experience is at the center stage of the multilevel digital communication. The adoption of strategy in digital communication remains focused on the customer. For example when Cadbury has a new product arising from its constant innovation, it needs a digital marketing plan, which seeks to fulfill the customer satisfaction agenda. Coordinating the social media, direct marketing and promotional discounts facilitate for the customer interaction(Eldelman Heller, 2015). In order for the digital marketing process to succeed, proper communication structures must be in place. The figure below gives an example. Figure 2: Mckinsey Model as the structural framework for implementation Customer experience In this segment, the multichannel experience used by Cadbury includes social media platforms for a wider experience. Customers who like sharing photos can access images of Cadbury products and creative recipes on Instagram. The twitter platform connects the brand to both consumers and competitor brands and Facebook customers can associate with the brand through likes and followership. This enhances brand loyalty while capturing the attention of new customers(Kim Ko, 2012). Some of the challenges that the brand should expect to face include malicious mudslings, content manipulation by competitors and difficulty managing open ideas(Macnamara Zerfass, 2012). Product and Service Innovation The website is an idea place to introduce a new product because it connects to other platforms including emails, social media and affiliates. Creativity in the food industry is because of competition. Cadburys constant innovation calls for regular communication with the consumer hence the need for a reliable approach(Beske, et al., 2014). The internet links easily go viral to spread new information within the shortest time. A successful launch with videos, images and written content shared across the globe bears more fruit for the organization. Sales and marketing and Distribution The best communication has an objective of bearing much fruit in returns and it saves time. Digital communication is cheaper for both customers and internal needs. However, its execution determines the success factors. Websites, emails, and mobile tools have a fast mode of relaying information to the stakeholders. When it comes to marketing, these provide target communication. The use of attractive images, color, graphics and content attracts the right kind of consumers. Sales promotions done by Cadbury are ideal for the business-to-consumer functions. Cadbury as a producer also has business-to-business interactions with the distributors. Communication in this case may have less colorful content but detailed written information(Swani, et al., 2014). Figure 3: Cadbury B2B advertising for retail stores (adopted from, (Corry, 2014) Risk Optimization and Corporate Control E-commerce has risks that digital communication has a risk optimization plan in which it gives customers insights on products. Any issue of concern about Cadbury as a brand requires positive PR to counter the negative PR. Its presence on Pinterest and Google Plus gives more support to the functions and activities of the organization such as mergers, acquisitions and new products(Moeller, 2012). Digital communication in risk management comes in handy during the planning stage, management and response(Coombs, 2014). E-networks provide an opportunity for Cadbury to reveal its intention as a PR strategy. This is necessary when the brand seeks to heighten customer expectation, counter competitor actions, or clarify concerns about its products or brand image. Conclusion Brand communication is part of an organizations internal strategies. Cadbury is a cross-national brand with a high reputation across the globe. Part of its success is due to effective management of its processes. Digital communication is a best practice that modern organizations such as Cadbury use for different reasons. Each digital tool used for communicating with stakeholders has its pros and cons. Most consumers interact on social media for fun and sharing information but brands take advantage of then traffic online for business. Cadbury has plans for communicating with consumers and distribution points. The choice of communication plan considers the cost, and design of the strategy. Constant innovation of Cadbury products imply that the brand needs to update the consumer on what is new and what is old. The use of appropriate systems delivers the message effectively. Bibliography Beske, P., Land, A. Seuring, S., 2014. Sustainable supply chain management practices and dynamic capabilities in the food industry: A critical analysis of the literature. INternational Journal of Production Economics, Volume 152, pp. 131-143. Businesstopia, 2017. Shramm's Model of Communication. [Online] Available at: https://www.businesstopia.net/communication/schramms-model-communication [Accessed 15 August 2017]. 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