This report will firstly define digital marketing and identify the current trends within it, then I will look at the charitable organisation Sexpression and how digital marketing is seen within this organisation and how further use of digital marketing can help gather a wider audience. Furthermore, I will look at the conceptual overlaps between this organisation, digital marketing, my dissertation’s literature review and the findings and analysis from my dissertation as well. This is to find what is missing within this industry and find a way to use my academic research and create something which can benefit society.
What is the digital marketing industry?
Digital marketing, according to Chaffey, can be defined as ‘achieving marketing objectives through applying digital media, data and technology’ (2019, p.9). Digital marketing is ‘the use of digital media, technology and data to reach and interact with audiences using different digital devices and platforms, combined with traditional media achieve marketing objectives’ (Chaffey, 2019, p.41). A digital approach to marketing is ‘customer-centric … [and] considers the needs of a range of customers using techniques such as personas and customer scenarios to understand customer needs in a multichannel buying process. Tailoring to individual customers may be practical using personalisation techniques’ (Chaffey, 2019, p.41). This evolution of the industry means that successful agencies no longer have to limit themselves and focus on specific strategies, in its place, they can manage online traffic. Data insights create a greater understanding of interactivity with the customer and the marketing strategy.
I have chosen the digital marketing industry as I have a keen interest to pursue a career within this field. digital marketing is fundamental to future business development and allows for a creative outlet so that businesses can keep up with the ever-evolving markets. Advertising agencies have had to adapt to the digital world in order to remain relevant and this has meant that they have had to think in a transmedial way. Transmedia is an umbrella term for ‘a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience’ (Freeman and Gambarto, 2019, p.1). Advertising agencies using a transmedial approach by having adverts on social media, emails, leaflets, amongst many other media platforms; this strategy allows them to reach the largest audience possible.
Digital marketing is not only creative, it also uses data and analysis in order to understand the user, and more importantly, how they interact with the content displayed. Over time, ‘academics, practitioners and industry commentators have argued that marketing is undergoing a paradigmatic shift thanks to the availability of digital data’ (Cluley et al., 2020, p.28); data insights and behavioural research allow for a greater understanding of how many consumers will interact with the digital marketing strategy. Digital is no longer just seen as ‘another’ option to more ‘hardware’ versions of advertising such as billboards, posters and leaflets; it is now becoming an integral part of a successful brand strategy: ‘for marketing researchers in particular, digital technology has tremendous benefits. It allows them to capture rich data such as photos, videos and online messages and social media posts’ (Cluley et al., 2020, p.28). This type of marketing has some notable benefits; it is ‘a new medium for advertising and PR, a new channel for distributing products, opportunities for expansion into new markets, new ways of enhancing customer service, new ways of reducing costs by reducing the number of staff in order fulfilment’ (Cluley et al., 2020, p.42). However, I am conscious of the current situation going on globally which is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a significant impact on most industries and more specifically, education. Children have been sent home to slow the spread of the virus, this means they have not had access to in-classroom education, please see my advice on how to work from home.
The Organisation
The chosen organisation I will be focusing on is the charity Sexpression, who are a ‘near-peer independent UK charity’ (Sexpression, 2020); ‘near peer’ is a reference to the fact that all volunteers are university students and thus, are closer in age to young people than their teachers and parents. Sexpression aims to empower young people ‘to make decisions about relationships and sex by running informal and comprehensive RSE in the community’ (Sexpression, 2020). They adhere to the Department of Education’s statutory guidance on relationship and sex education (Sexpression, 2020). Everyone within this organisation is a volunteer, and Sexpression has several branches around the United Kingdom. These volunteers go to schools or universities and deliver lessons that are ‘tailor-made to your school and lesson requirements, accessible to all students and LGBT+ inclusive’ (Sexpression, 2020).
The inclusivity of all identities and sexualities is important because, according to Stonewall (2020), ‘one in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity’ and ‘four in five anti-LGBT hate crimes and incidents go un-reported with younger LGBT people particularly reluctant to go to the police’ (Stonewall, 2020). Two in five people who identify as transgender, have also, according to Stonewall experienced hate crime or incident because of their chosen gender identity in the last twelve months (Stonewall, 2020). Therefore, it is imperative that correct education is taught surrounding inclusivity and acceptance. A similar charitable organisation, Outspoken, deliver advice tailored for specific age groups and give ‘tips by topic’ (see image 1).
Image 1: screenshot from Outspoken's website.
The only difference between Outspoken and Sexpression is that Sexpression is made up of student volunteers and Outspoken are professionals with qualifications in several different disciplines, such as child studies and journalism. Sexpression delivers educational talks on: bodily changes, sex and the media, contraception and sexually transmitted infections, sexual orientation and gender identity, healthy relationships and abuse and sex and consent’ (Sexpression, 2020). This organisation has had great feedback; in the 2018-2019 academic year ‘93% of young people said that they agreed or strongly agreed that the session was delivered well’ (Sexpression, 2020). Furthermore, others stated that they strongly believe that they have learnt something and that the session made them feel better prepared for the topic presented to them, with most saying they would like future sessions from Sexpression (Sexpression, 2020).
Similar to many other businesses, Sexpression utilises digital marketing as it is an inexpensive way for this organisation to expand their outreach. They have a website and several social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, as well as an easy to navigate website.
Image 2: screenshot from Sexpression’s Twitter feed.
Sexpression have a small following on their Twitter feed (see image 2), on which they clearly target a specific audience and occasionally utilise hashtags. On Twitter, Instagram and Facebook people or businesses use hashtags. Keywords and hashtags give the user access to engage and participate in trending topics. For example, Sexpression used a hashtag in a specific tweet about 2020’s International Women’s Day, the hashtag being #IWD2020, this is so that other Twitter users could participate in tweets on the topic.
Image 3: screenshot from Sexpression’s Facebook page.
Image 4: screenshot from Sexpression’s Facebook page.
On Sexpression’s Facebook page they advertise their events (see image 3), as well as celebrating other branches. Image 4 shows their celebration of Sexpression BSU; the Bath Spa University branch of Sexpression. Similarly, to their Twitter, Sexpression also has a rather small following on Facebook, however, the small following does not limit the organisations success as their work exceeds the digital landscape. Image 6 illustrates the advertisements and achievements of this branch of Sexpression at Bath Spa University on the University’s Sexpression Instagram account (see images 5 and 7). This particular branch began in August 2019 and have been very active in the University’s community, appearing at fresher’s fairs and hosting a ‘spooky sex pub quiz’ for Halloween. Alongside this they are consistently promoting Sexpression’s core values about raising awareness for sex inclusivity, and as seen below, cervical cancer awareness, which is an ongoing issue within society, raising awareness about cervical cancer screenings is very important as one in three skip cervical screenings. Using the hashtags #cervicalcancerawareness and #smearcampaign (see image 7), the digital marketing industry is large, and businesses need to utilise the digital marketing industry as a free and easy to use. If done correctly it can boost brand recognition and consumers, although there is a significant lack of following and using simple techniques like hashtags could really boost their online awareness. However, those who are an ambassador for Sexpression have to be students, most of which study full time, so it is understandable how they would not have the ability to create a larger following.
Image 5: Screenshot from Bath Spa University’s Sexpression branch Instagram account.
Image 6: Screenshot from Bath Spa University’s Sexpression branch Instagram account.
Image 7: Screenshot from Bath Spa University’s Sexpression branch Instagram account.
There are many conceptual overlaps between the academic research and debates explored in the literature review chapter of my dissertation and Sexpression as an organisation. The literature review focused on teen films and referenced sex education as there is a component of teen films that has the potential to be educational. As discussed in the literature review, Pearce (2003) questions whether or not the teen film American Pie (1999) could be a sex manual; as an organisation that abides by the Department of Education’s advice I would argue that Sexpression would disagree with Pearce because of the fact that there are many topics not discussed and as it is so out-dated. American Pie was released nearly twenty years ago and although it was ahead of its time at the release date, with particular reference to using the internet and live streaming, it has missed out many things that the Department of Education advises adolescents in the UK to know about. However, Pearce (2003) argues that American Pie demonstrates important topics such as; female desire, non-hegemonic masculinity, as well as both male and female masturbation. Sexpression educates teens about ‘sex and the media’; with specific reference to ‘the influence and realism of pornography, influence of media (including social media) on body image and self-esteem’ (Sexpression, 2020). However, American Pie is still relevant as the protagonists of the film often talk about pornography, particularly adult magazines. Furthermore, self-esteem is an unconscious reference in the film; the stars of American Pie are not stereotypically attractive but are representing a different type of teenager than traditionally shown in media. Pearce argues that American Pie, ‘while by no means is a programmatic sex education manual, [it] plays an important part in providing lessons in sex and romance to young male audiences in shaping them as responsible, caring partners’ (2006).
Sexpression uses mass media including; Instagram, Facebook and their own website to inform users about what they do; this form of digital marketing is rather useful as it will reach the correct audience with the use of keyword searches. Brown and Keller (2000) considered whether or not mass media could be used as an inexpensive way of educating about sex and concluded that there were several positives and negatives. However, in their view, the negatives out-weigh the positives as they believe it is unlikely to happen as the media probably will not show healthy depictions of sexuality. Sexpression is very supportive of all genders and sexual identities as well as announcing on their email banner what their chosen personal pronouns are. For example, the Communications Director, Laina Cores, uses the pronouns She/Her, which helps to limit the amount of misgendering. Brown and Keller (2000) also argue that there is the potential that children could be ‘ambushed by unwanted, unhealthy sexual material or by predators’ (p.256).
An integral component of relationships and sex education is ‘being ready for sex and resisting sexual pressure’ (Sexpression, 2020). Watt (2006) notes that in teen films ‘losing one’s virginity is perhaps one of the most consistent themes’ (p.3) and research by Carpenter (2009, p.825) suggests that adolescents use teen films as a way to learn and fantasise about future virginity loss. Therefore, the role of relationships and sex education in wider media is important to consider as teachers need to be aware of the influence that media can have, whether it be positive or negative.
The academic concepts and debates from my literature review are evident within Sexpression as there is a significant amount of media surrounding sex education and sex references on screen. Educators need to be aware of this media as teens use teen films to educate themselves about sex (Carpenter, 2009) and with virginity loss being one of the most consistent themes within teen films there is the potential of ‘virtual peer pressure’ (Watt, 2006). In my own dissertation, I thought about the educational perspective and asked participants if they felt this perspective could be brought into the wider media. There is a potential for a huge benefit if sex education was more easily accessible and Sexpression focuses on enabling those who want to learn about sex education, through online classes, YouTube, quizzes, there is a plethora of ways that digital marketing, however, there is also a societal benefit, as those who are more aware of the things sex education teaches (i.e. a potential decrease in teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections).
When participants were asked whether or not mass media could be used as a healthy way of educating about sex, all agreed and as per my dissertation ‘highlighting the potential for mass media as a means for teens to learn about sex away from the classroom’. The benefit of being outside of the classroom is that there is the likelihood of more engagement away from peer pressure. My own research showed how the Netflix show Sex Education (2019-) was mentioned by participants as ‘tastefully and realistically detailed’. Interestingly, a participant mentioned the charity Sexpression saying ‘how they should utilise social media to share informative sexual health advice among those who need it most’. It should also be considered that 92% of parents, according to the Department of Education (2019), want schools to teach RSE. Furthermore, it has also been noted that 29% of teachers never had training in RSE (Department of Education, 2019), this is particularly concerning with guidance and regulation from the Department of Education being updated frequently there is the potential for children to not be educated properly, due to lack of experience and knowledge. However, now with children being educated at home or online due to the pandemic parents are relying on online resources such as; BBC bitesize, the maths factor and teach it primary.
Furthermore, there is the potential for sex education in mass media to have negative and adverse effects with a participant mentioning that ‘although in a lot of ways it could be bad, like applying pressure on teens to lose their virginities before they were ready’, this ‘virtual peer pressure’ could be beneficial to one person, but could also be negative to another. Media effects is a topic widely discussed by academics and it plays a key role within sex education. One participant in my study discussed how the ‘media has a massive influence on education and… [that] social media has the ability to influence… behaviour…. As a society we need to be careful about what we are putting out there… more specifically, the younger generation, to view. If we put the message [out there] that sex is healthy then we have the power to make it common practice’. There is a considerable amount of false information regarding relationships and sex and the truth should be on the internet to debunk these false claims, a YouTube channel called Buzzfeed often post videos titled; ‘women answer questions men are too afraid to ask’, ‘women answer the most googled questions about women’ and ‘men take a high school sex ed quiz’. Most of the questions centre around menstruation and female anatomy, although this is representative of a small American sample. However, I do think that there needs to be more information regarding the questions that are so commonly asked in regard to relationships and sex education, and I think that Sexpression does a good job at it. Furthermore, I do wish there was more online regarding ‘myths’ often seen within film and media and I aim to create a website, which will outline the myth and what then outline what the truth is. This website will also give information about the dangers of watching pornography as well as other useful advice. This website would also benefit Sexpression, because it can be used as a source of education and reference, I believe it would be a useful resource for adolescents and other educators as well as Sexpression. Overall, I would like this website to act as a ‘safe space’ for adolescents to read and learn about topics that concern them.
Reference List
Brown, J.D. and Keller, S.N. (2000) ‘Can the mass media be healthy sex educators?’, Family Planning Perspectives, 32(5), pp. 255-257.
Carpenter, L.M. (2009) ‘Virginity loss in reel/real life: using popular movies to navigate sexual initiation’, Sociological Forum, 24(4), pp. 804-827.
Cluley et al (2020) 'The changing role of the marketing researcher in the age of digital technology: Practitioner perspectives on the digitization of marketing research', International Journal of Marketing Research, 62 (1), pp.27-43.
Department of Education (2019) ‘Relationships education, relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education guidance’ Accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/805781/Relationships_Education__Relationships_and_Sex_Education__RSE__and_Health_Education.pdf (Accessed 28 March 2020).
Freeman, M. and Gambarto, R. R. (2019) 'The routledge companion to transmedia studies', Routledge, New York, pp.1-13.
Outspoken (2020) ‘Outspoken UK’, Accessed at: https://www.outspokeneducation.com/ (Accessed 28 March 2020)
Pearce, S. (2003) ‘As wholesome as: American Pie as a new millennium sex manual’, Westport, CT: Praeger, pp. 69-80.
Pearce, S. (2006) ‘Sex and the cinema: what American Pie teaches the young’, Sex Education, 6(4), pp. 367-376.
Sexpression (2020) ‘Sexpression UK’, Accessed at: https://sexpression.org.uk/ (Accessed 28 March 2020).
Stonewall (2020) ‘LGBT in Britain- hate crime and discrimination’, Accessed at: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/lgbt-britain-hate-crime-and-discrimination (Accessed 28 March 2020)
Watt, T. T. (2006) ‘From American Graffiti to American Pie: An Analysis of Thirty Years of Continuity and Change in the Portrayal of Adolescents in Teen Movies’, Conference Papers—American Sociological Association, pp. 1-28.
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