The saying goes…..

Over the last 7 weeks, we have covered a wide range of interesting topics. Two that stand out for me and which I will use within my working life are:
- The power of storytelling and the use of native advertising. I write case studies as part of my job role and using this form of writing/advertising will support and develop them.
- Digital culture, the changing customer journey and how consumers are making purchasing decisions through a range of blended online and offline channels (Omnichannel). In my current job role, this will help me to evaluate how potential clients are purchasing and therefore ensure that we use the correct channels to reach them.

Self-assessment
During week one, I completed a self-test, where I reflected on my digital literacy skills. Subsequently in week seven, I revisited this activity and re-evaluated scores. The topics which I found most interesting and I feel most confident about, scored well, whereas in areas where the score was lower, my development will continue. I have discovered that I am a lurker in the digital environment, tending to read articles, but rarely commenting or posting.

I have found critical blog writing challenging and this is something I plan to continue developing. Reading fellow student blogs has helped me to review my own style of writing and I have found comments left by fellow students on my posts, to be useful and informative. Whilst commenting on other students’ blogs, my confidence has developed in this area. Within my comments, I have tried to be critical and add value by adding links and asking questions to stimulate discussion.
Contributing to various discussions during the module, has helped to consolidate and clarify my thoughts on those topics, helping me to further my knowledge and assist with my understanding.
One of my blog posts was written about in-depth personal profiling and the growth of behavioural targeted marketing. I found this topic interesting but concerning, particularly the filter bubble. The example of Cambridge Analytica highlighted the importance of data being kept and manged securely and that companies do have a social and moral responsibility to keep clients’ data safe. Having this knowledge, will allow me to take a more balanced view of the information that I retrieve from the internet.
My other blog post covered the rise of Augmented Reality (AR) within marketing, the opportunities that it creates and also challenges this technology faces. I found this topic interesting and will watch with interest how AR develops over the coming years.
What I shall take away…..
The study of the changing digital marketing landscape will allow me to develop and adapt to change as it happens over the next few years. I have gained much knowledge around digital marketing and the ethical considerations that need to be observed.
I have developed my critical thinking and writing skills over the past 7 weeks and I feel that this will help me in my dissertation.
The importance of building your own personal brand on social media and why you need to have a stand out profile, which will attract potential future employers. I will continue to develop my professional profiles and update them regularly.
In a rapidly changing digital environment, the next few years are going to be exciting.
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