Digital Marketing

In an ever-changing world, consumer needs and expectations are rapidly evolving. And digital marketing organizations must understand these shifts, and respond quickly to them. BCG helps companies develop the human and technical capabilities that foster speed, precision, and growth.

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Digital channels are essential social and economic infrastructure. COVID-19 accelerated this trend, as consumers moved online at an unprecedented rate and digital became—as it will remain—a critical enabler of business continuity. Not surprisingly, CMOs are under increasing pressure to boost the performance of their digital marketing strategy and capabilities.

The key is to be built for the future, leveraging the right mix of human and technical enablers: the skills, processes, marketing analytics, KPIs, and ways of working that create value and growth. With so many pieces to fit together, finding the ideal framework for digital marketing might seem like an impossible goal. But it can be done.

By taking a bionic approach, we help identify, develop, and implement all the components for digital marketing transformation. Our digital marketing consultants work with clients to define outcomes—and build an agile, integrated, sustainable digital marketing framework for achieving them. We can do this because our expertise spans the breadth of strategy, technology, and digital optimization:

Digital Marketing Strategy

Mastering digital marketing and personalization means reaching the right customer with the right message through the right channel. This raises tough questions: How do we target customers effectively? How do we segment our customer base? How do we leverage digital marketing trends? We help companies uncover the answers—and develop an end-to-end digital marketing strategy.

Marketing Technology

The vast array of technical enablers offers many possibilities—but a lot of ways to get it wrong. We match companies with the tools that boost their capabilities in the ways that matter most. We help clients decide when to build, buy, or rent. And we ensure that their marketing technology stack is never more complex—or costly—than it needs to be.

First-party data

Companies collect an unprecedented amount of data directly from their customers: transaction histories, online browsing behavior, loyalty program activity—the list goes on. This revolution in first-party data enables more personalized and more compelling marketing, but only when companies use the data in responsible and innovative ways. Our digital marketing consultants—working with technologists, scientists, programmers, engineers, and designers from BCG X—help clients develop the use cases, data governance, tech platforms, and ways of working that let them access, integrate, and unleash first-person data. So they can create both trust and value.

Vendor Evaluation

With thousands of providers in the marketing technology space, companies can quickly feel lost as they look for the right partners. We serve as a conduit between clients and vendors—something we’ve long done in our nonmarketing engagements as well. We constantly evaluate what is available, as well as the provider landscape, to identify the right vendor for the situation.

Acceleration and Optimization

Marketers must adapt to rapidly shifting customer behavior and expectations. We work with companies to develop the processes and ways of working that foster speed and responsiveness. We bring a test-and-learn approach to marketing—so businesses can incorporate feedback and make changes quickly—while instilling an agile mindset.

A Foundation for growth

Digital marketing will always be an evolving discipline. We lay the foundation for continual improvement: developing the platforms, skills, and governance that support marketing personalization and data-driven marketing. We also deploy best-in-class measurement, so CMOs can gauge how their marketing initiatives are performing and know where to focus to maximize returns.

Client Success in Digital Marketing

We partner with the world’s leading brands on all facets of digital marketing, with a particular focus on data-driven marketing and marketing analytics. Some of our recent collaborations include:

Global retail convenience company. We helped lead an end-to-end marketing transformation for one of the world’s largest convenience retailers to achieve $200 million in-year growth—on a path toward more than $1 billion in annual impact. Our digital marketing consulting experts redefined marketing execution through over 100 pilots in all channels and shaped a vision for a new retail media division. And we fully integrated an agile-squad model to upskill their teams for sustained impact.
Global automaker. We helped a leading automobile manufacturer transform—and take control of—its digital marketing by building internal capabilities and adopting an agile, test-and-learn approach. Our digital marketing consultants worked with the company to launch more than 40 pilots in six months, upskill its teams, and create a 40-person digital lab.

Our Digital Marketing Tools and Solutions

BCG’s digital marketing consultants have tackled challenges across industries. We combine experience in traditional marketing with deep knowledge of the models, technologies, and platforms that support—and shape—digital marketing strategy. We also leverage proprietary BCG tools:
Partnership

SIIA CODiE Award: Best Artificial Intelligence Driven Technology Solution, 2023 - Growth AI by BCG X

BCG won the CODiE Award for Best Artificial Intelligence Driven Technology Solution for its tool Growth AI by BCG X. Growth AI’s holistic suite of AI offerings maximizes the growth potential of consumer packaged goods companies by supporting data-driven decisions across and within standard commercial functions, including pricing and promotion, marketing allocation, product, and more.
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Explore Our Insights on Digital Marketing

Meet Our Digital Marketing Consulting Experts

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Nicolas de Bellefonds

Managing Director & Senior Partner
Paris

Managing Director & Senior Partner

Mark Abraham

Managing Director & Senior Partner
Seattle

India People Chair, and APAC Leader, Marketing, Sales and Pricing Practice

Nimisha Jain

India People Chair, and APAC Leader, Marketing, Sales and Pricing Practice
New Delhi

CMO, Managing Director & Partner

Jessica Apotheker

CMO, Managing Director & Partner
Paris

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