sus ainabili y
Edi o ial
Digi al Ma ke ing o Sus ainable G ow h: Business
Models and Online Campaigns Using
Sus ainable S a egies
Jose Ramon Sau a 1,* , Ped o Palos-Sanchez 2and Bea iz Rod íguez He áez 1
1Depa men o Business Economics, Facul y o Social Sciences and Law, Rey Juan Ca los Uni e si y,
Paseo A ille os s/n, 28032 Mad id, Spain; bea iz. [email p o ec ed]
2
Depa men o Financial Economy and Ope a ions Managemen , Uni e si y o Se ille, 41018 Se ille, Spain;
[email p o ec ed]
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Recei ed: 27 Janua y 2020; Accep ed: 29 Janua y 2020; Published: 30 Janua y 2020
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Abs ac :
In ecen yea s, digi al ma ke ing has ans o med he way in which companies communica e
wi h hei cus ome s a ound he wo ld. The inc ease in he use o social ne wo ks and how use s
communica e wi h companies on he In e ne has gi en ise o new business models based on he
bidi ec ionali y o communica ion be ween companies and In e ne use s. Digi al ma ke ing, new
business models, online ad e ising campaigns, and o he digi al s a egies ha e ga he ed use
opinions and commen s h ough his new online channel. In his way, companies ha e s a ed o
see he digi al ecosys em as no only hei p esen , bu also as hei u u e. F om his long- e m
pe spec i e, companies a e conce ned abou sus ainabili y and he g ow h o hei business models.
The e a e new business models on he In e ne ha suppo social causes, new pla o ms aimed a
suppo ing social and sus ainable p ojec s, and digi al ad e ising campaigns p omo ing sus ainabili y.
The o e a ching aim o his Special Issue was o analyze he de elopmen o hese new s a egies as
well as hei in luence on he sus ainabili y o digi al ma ke ing s a egies. The e o e, we aimed o
analyze how companies adop hese new echnologies in a digi al en i onmen ha is inc easingly
conce ned wi h he sus ainabili y o business models and ac ions on he In e ne .
Keywo ds:
sus ainable digi al ma ke ing s a egies; sus ainable business models; sus ainable
managemen ; social ne wo k analysis o sus ainabili y
1. In oduc ion
This Special Issue e iews s a egies o he sus ainable de elopmen o companies, wi h a
pa icula ocus on digi al ma ke ing analysis. Wi hin his digi al ecosys em, he e a e di e en online
campaigns and sus ainable business models ha ha e appea ed in ecen decades as he basis o new
digi al ma ke ing s a egies [
1
]. In gene al, hese new echniques o he exploi a ion o esou ces and
digi al business models a e based on he collec ion and ex ac ion o da a om di e en sou ces o
in o ma ion on he In e ne such as use -gene a ed con en (UGC) o con en de i ed om digi al
s a egies such as he Elec onic Wo d o Mou h (eWOM) [2].
In his ela ion, he con ibu ions o his Special Issue ha e di e en a eas o specializa ion wi hin
he indica ed s a egies o he sus ainable de elopmen o companies in digi al en i onmen s. In he
i s place, digi al business models a e s udied o unde s and how hei iabili y and p o i abili y a e
some imes based on he good use o he in o ma ion ha companies ob ain om he In e ne and he
analysis o hei s a egies [3].
In addi ion, di e en digi al ma ke ing echniques a e conside ed in o de o e alua e he impac
o hei de elopmen bo h a he business le el, in e ms o depa men al o ganiza ion o iden i ica ion
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 1003; doi:10.3390/su12031003 www.mdpi.com/jou nal/sus ainabili y
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 1003 2 o 5
o in e nal p oblems, and om he poin o iew o he online epu a ion o companies as pa o he
bene i o he use and de elopmen o hese s a egies in en i onmen s such as specialized pla o ms,
elec onic comme ce, o social ne wo ks [4].
Con ibu ions o his Special Issue also analyze he di e en s a egies ca ego ized wi hin he
knowledge-based analysis. These da a-based s a egies add alue o he pe o mance analysis o
digi al ma ke ing s a egies ha companies de elop on he In e ne [
5
]. Knowledge-based s a egies
ocus on he analysis o da a gene a ed by digi al ac ions. In his espec , we iden i ied some echniques
linked o online sus ainable s a egies such as da a mining, sen imen analysis, ex ual analysis, Big
Da a analysis, social ne wo k analysis, and so o h [6,7].
We also iden i ied he a ea o social media analy ics ocused on he analysis o use beha io
in specialized social ne wo ks on speci ic opics and a speci ic imes; he e, he aim was o iden i y
key issues ela ed o he sus ainabili y o companies and he s a egic de elopmen o hei digi al
ac ics [8,9].
The analysis o his esea ch a ea highligh s he impo ance o s udying digi al echniques o
s a egies linked o he concep s o digi al beha io and neu oma ke ing [
5
,
10
]. Bo h concep s a e
ela ed o he unde s anding o he links be ween he eelings and eac ions o use s who enjoy he
con en designed and published by companies in digi al en i onmen s o inc ease use engagemen [
11
].
Finally, we also conside ed in o ma ion sys ems and cus ome managemen sys ems o he
co ec implemen a ion o he analysis o all hese s a egies, since mos o hese sys ems gene a e da a
ha can be used o ob ain pa e ns o iden i y unlikely associa ions [12].
Nex , each con ibu ion o his Special Issue summa izes i s main con ibu ions o he li e a u e wi h
espec o sus ainable s a egies on he In e ne in digi al business models, digi al ma ke ing echniques,
knowledge-based analysis echniques, social media analy ics, digi al beha io and neu oma ke ing as
well as cus ome ela ionship managemen sys ems. Finally, he conclusions a e p esen ed ega ding
he success o he g ow h o companies in hei digi al s a egies and hei links wi h sus ainabili y in
digi al business models.
2. Digi al Business Models
Unde he in luence o new echnologies and he de elopmen o he In e ne , in he las se e al
yea s, new business models ocused on he use o sus ainable s a egies wi hin hei co po a e
social iden i y and ma ke ing s a egies ha e s a ed o appea [
13
]. Wi h he de elopmen o hese
echnologies, he concep o sus ainabili y has acqui ed links no only wi h he en i onmen , bu also
wi h sus ainable de elopmen , ypes o esou ces used by companies as well as he echnologies and
ools used by companies [14,15].
The In e ne has become a ool o he sus ainable g ow h o many companies; now, hese
companies ha e o adap hei business models o allow hei p oduc and se ice sales 24 h, se en
days a week as well as o enable global shipmen s o he use o s a egies o e-comme ce ha ha e
become inc easingly mo e ambi ious and global [16].
These new business models a e based on how In e ne use s beha e in social ne wo ks, which
also in ol es he analysis o use -gene a ed con en and he ools hose use s employ [17].
3. Digi al Ma ke ing Techniques
This Special Issue has iden i ied ha he e a e many digi al ma ke ing echniques ha can be linked
o he sus ainabili y s a egies o companies. Howe e , he challenge is o make use s pe cei e ha he
companies hemsel es a e de eloping hese s a egies in a sus ainable way and launch messages ha
a e posi i e and gene a e posi i e eelings in use s who su he In e ne [18].
The digi al ma ke ing s a egies mos used by companies a e hose ela ed o sea ch engine
op imiza ion, sea ch engine ma ke ing, social media ma ke ing, p og amma ic ad e ising, and
in luence ma ke ing, among o he s [
6
]. Digi al ma ke ing echniques a e inc easingly being used ha
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 1003 3 o 5
a e complemen ed by algo i hms ha analyze he eelings ha use s ha e ega ding how companies
sha e hei messages o e he In e ne [7].
The e is no doub ha digi al ma ke ing echniques mus also p o ide a message o suppo o
sus ainabili y, he en i onmen , and he success o business models in a sus ainable way because, he e
is he key o use s o pe cei e ha companies a e doing sus ainable ac ions o e ime [19].
4. Knowledge-Based Analysis Techniques
UGC has become he basic da a sou ce o he analysis o da abases gene a ed by social/digi al
pla o ms and sea ch engine use s [
8
,
17
]. Acco dingly, esea che s and companies ha e s a ed o
apply a ious UGC-analysis echniques o in es iga e sus ainabili y and sus ainable de elopmen .
Such echniques include ex ual analysis, sen imen analysis, o da a mining; hese echniques
ha e been widely used o iden i y indica o s and a iables ha can help companies imp o e hei
business models and In e ne s a egies [7,12].
Due o he employmen o hese echniques, ex ensi e amoun s o da a can be analyzed o iden i y
pa e ns ha make sense and es ablish unlikely ela ionships be ween he con en gene a ed by use s
and he objec i es ha companies ha e o achie e success in a sus ainable way. Undoub edly, he
a ea known as knowledge-based analysis is aking an inc easingly global pe spec i e ha s ongly
suppo s he analysis o issues ela ed o en i onmen al sus ainabili y and In e ne esou ces [8].
5. Social Media Analy ics
Likewise, social ne wo ks ha e become he pla o m o ecosys em whe e use s exchange opinions
and commen s on a ious opics o in e es [
19
]. Acco dingly, social ne wo ks can be meaning ully
used o iden i y opics on digi al pla o ms ( opic-modeling), ca ego ize hese opics in o ca ego ies o
indica o s, and hen link hem o he ype o use ha companies make o hem [9].
A he same ime, social ne wo ks also se e as mee ing poin s o many equal use s who suppo
a common cause and who use social pla o ms o sha e hei hough s wi h o he use s.
Acco dingly, as demons a ed by nume ous s udies, i is meaning ul o in es iga e such
use -gene a ed con en based on ele an indica o s such as hash ags on Twi e [
11
]. The samples
used in such analyses help iden i y key conce ns o use s in social ne wo ks; in addi ion, hey also
help es ablish whe he e-sus ainabili y o sus ainable de elopmen o he s a egies ha companies
p omo e has an impac on use loyal y owa d a b and o in luence use pe cep ions o sus ainable
elemen s used in he manu ac u e o a p oduc o se ice [15].
6. Digi al Beha io and Neu oma ke ing
In a digi al ecosys em, in o de o analyze how use s ela e o each o he , a key poin o unde s and
use beha io is o explo e he ole o bidi ec ional in o ma ion be ween companies and use s [2].
In his espec , s udying digi al beha io and neu oma ke ing is essen ial o a deepe
unde s anding o how use s pe cei e sus ainable s a egies and en i onmen ally- iendly business
models adop ed by companies [5].
Neu oma ke ing is used no only o analyze he digi al beha io o use s, bu also o c ea e
hypo heses as o how use s hink and make decisions on he In e ne . Rele an echniques can be used
o unde s and whe e use s look as well as analyze he mic o-exp essions o use aces o hei beha io
in digi al ecosys ems, o example, by analyzing impulses o eac ions o speci ic con en [
8
]. Based on
he esul s o such analysis, companies can be e unde s and hei online use s, and he e o e imp o e
hei messages and communica ion aimed a p omo ing and suppo ing sus ainable causes [1].
7. Cus ome Rela ionship Managemen Sys ems
In a digi al ecosys em whe e new channels o in o ma ion and dis ibu ion o digi al con en appea
e e y day, applied in o ma ion sys ems ha e come o play a undamen al ole in da a managemen
Sus ainabili y 2020,12, 1003 4 o 5
and adminis a ion. These da abases a e he esul o use beha io and engagemen in esponse o
companies’ online p omo ion and social communica ion s a egies [12].
In his con ex , i is ob ious ha sa ing and he sus ainabili y o he esou ces ha companies use o
analyze, collec , and download da a a e suppo ed by he use o ools ha enable da a managemen [
16
].
Acco dingly, new business models can inc ease he p o i abili y o hei s a egies by, o example,
educing he numbe o employees wo king on (o algo i hms employed o ) da a analysis [20].
8. Conclusions
In he las se e al decades, he e m ‘sus ainabili y’ has g own exponen ially o encompass
di e en mul idisciplina y a eas in he ield o business. Wi h he e olu ion o he In e ne and new
digi al business models, sus ainabili y has come o play a undamen al ole in he posi ioning s a egies
and digi al epu a ion o companies [21,22].
The communica ion o companies wi h use s h ough he In e ne using he UGC o eWOM has
become a i al ac o o he de elopmen and suppo o social s a egies and ac ions ha companies
wan o sp ead online. The da a gene a ed as a esul o hese s a egies ha e been used o es ablish
and analyze indica o s o a iables, which, om an explo a o y poin o iew, add alue, iden i y
ends and pa e ns, and inc ease he alue o know-how o companies ha ha e adop ed new digi al
business models.
The unde s anding o use beha io , emo ions, and eac ions o he messages o he companies,
oge he wi h app op ia e managemen o he da a gene a ed as a esul o hese ac ions, has
s eng hened companies’ business s a egies and managemen as well as da a collec ion and analysis.
Th ough he employmen o hese new s a egies, companies can p omo e hei sus ainable
s a egies and in o m use s abou such p omo ions o sus ainable ac i i ies.
In summa y, oday, digi al ma ke ing—as he ideal channel o unde s and how use s beha e and
in e ac wi h companies h ough he In e ne —has become a undamen al piece o he dissemina ion
and communica ion o sus ainable ac ions pe o med by companies. Da a, da a managemen , and
objec i i y o sus ainable messages launched by companies a e key o he success and g ow h o new
digi al business models based on sus ainable de elopmen .
Au ho Con ibu ions:
J.R.S., P.P.-S., and B.R.H. concei ed and designed he edi o ial; J.R.S., P.P.-S., and B.R.H.
analyzed he esul s and w o e he pape . All au ho s ha e ead and ag eed o he published e sion o
he manusc ip .
Funding: This esea ch ecei ed no ex e nal unding.
Con lic s o In e es : The au ho s decla e no con lic s o in e es .
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