Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust

R V INSTITUTE OF
MANAGEMENT
CA-17, 36th Cross, 26th Main, 4th T Block,
Jayanagar, Bangalore 560 041

IV SEMISTER
4.3.3
DIGITAL MARKETING
MINI PROJECT ON

Digital Marketing and Digital India

NAME :

SHARATH KUMAR

CLASS AND SECTION:

IV SEM SECTION A

REGISTOR NUMBER:

141GCMD111

NAME OF THE FACULTY:

MR. N NAGASUBBA REDDY

MARKS OBTAINED:

Introduction
Social media marketing is the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social
media sites. Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that

attracts attention and encourages readers to share it across their social networks. The resulting
electronic word of mouth (eWoM) refers to any statement consumers share via the Internet
(e.g., web sites, social networks, instant messages, news feeds) about an event, product,
service, brand or company. When the underlying message spreads from user to user and
presumably resonates because it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as
opposed to the brand or company itself, this form of marketing results in earned media rather
than paid media.

Social media platforms

Social Networking Websites
Social networking websites allow individuals and businesses to interact with one another and
build relationships and communities online. When companies join these social channels,
consumers can interact with them directly.
That interaction can be more personal to users than traditional methods of outbound
marketing & advertising. Social networking sites act as word of mouth. Social networking
sites and blogs allow followers to retweet or repost comments made by others about a
product being promoted. By repeating the message, the user's connections are able to see the
message, therefore reaching more people. Because the information about the product is being
put out there and is getting repeated, more traffic is brought to the product/company.
Social networking websites are based on building virtual communities that allow consumers
to express their needs, wants and values, online. Social Media Marketing then connects these
consumers and audiences to businesses that share the same needs, wants and values.
Through social networking sites, companies can interact with individual followers. This
personal interaction can instill a feeling of loyalty into followers and potential customers.
Also, by choosing whom to follow on these sites, products can reach a very narrow target
audience.
Social networking sites also include a vast amount of information about what products and
services prospective clients might be interested in. Through the use of new Semantic Analysis
technologies, marketers can detect buying signals, such as content shared by people and

questions posted online. Understanding of buying signals can help sales people target relevant
prospects and marketers run micro-targeted campaigns.
In order to integrate Social Networks within their marketing strategies, companies have to
develop a marketing model. In a marketing model (SNeM2S) based on Social Networks is
provided. The model includes the following steps:

Selection of potential Social Networks to use;

Definition of a financial plan;
Definition of organizational structures to manage the Social Network in the market;
Selection of target;
Promotion of products and services;
Performance measures

Social Networking is used by 76% of businesses today. Business retailers have seen 133%
increases in their revenues from social media marketing.

Mobile phones
Mobile phone usage is beneficial for social media marketing because mobile phones have
social networking capabilities, allowing individuals immediate web browsing and access to
social networking sites. Mobile phones have grown at a rapid rate, fundamentally altering the
path-to-purchase process by allowing consumers to easily obtain pricing and product
information in real time and allowing companies to constantly remind and update their
followers. Many companies are now putting QR (Quick Response) codes along with products
for individuals to access the company website or online services with their smart-phones.
Retailers use QR codes to facilitate consumer interaction with brands by linking the code to
brand websites, promotions, product information, or any other mobile-enabled content.
Mobile devices and internet also influence the way consumers interact with media and has
many further implications for TV ratings, advertising, mobile commerce and more. Mobile
media consumption such as mobile audio streaming or mobile video are on the rise in the
United States, more than 100 million users are projected to access online video content via
mobile device. Mobile video revenue consists of pay-per-view downloads, advertising, and
subscriptions. As of 2013, worldwide mobile phone internet user penetration was 73.4%. In
2017, figures suggest that more than 90% of internet users will access online content through
their phones.
2

Strategies
There are two basic strategies for engaging the social media as marketing tools:
o The passive approach
Social media can be a useful source of market information and customer voice. Blogs,
content communities and forums are platforms where individuals share their reviews and
recommendations of brands, products and services. Businesses are able to tap and analyze the
customer voice generated in social media for marketing purposes; in this sense the social
media is an inexpensive source of market intelligence which can be used by marketers to
track problems and market opportunities. For example, the internet erupted with videos and
pictures of iphone 6 bend test which showed that the coveted phone would bend merely by
hand. The so-called bend gate controversy created confusion amongst customers who had
waited months for the launch of the latest rendition of the iPhone. However Apple promptly
issued a statement saying that the problem was extremely rare and that the company had
taken several steps to make the mobile device robust. Unlike traditional market research
methods such as surveys, focus groups and data mining which are time consuming and costly,
marketers can now utilize social media to obtain live information about consumer behavior.
This can be extremely useful in a highly dynamic market structure in which we now live.
o The active approach
Social media can be used not only as public relations and direct marketing tools but also as
communication channels (targeting specific audiences with social media influencers) and as
customer engagement tools. There are several examples of firms initiating some form of
online dialog with the public to foster relations with customers. According to Constantinides,
Lorenzo and Gmez Borja (2008) "Business executives like Jonathan Swartz, President and
CEO of Sun Microsystems, Steve Jobs CEO of Apple Computers, and McDonalds Vice
President Bob Langert post regularly in their CEO blogs, encouraging customers to interact
and freely express their feelings, ideas, suggestions or remarks about their postings, the
company or its products".Using customer influencers (for example popular bloggers) can be a
very efficient and cost-effective method to launch new products or services] Narendra Modi
current prime minister of India ranks only second after President Barack Obama in number of
fans on his official Facebook page at 21.8 million and counting. Modi employed social media
3

platforms to circumvent traditional media channels to reach out to the young and urban
population of India which is estimated to be 200 million. His appeal was further buttressed by
the recent crowd turnout at Madison square garden.

Engagement
In the context of the social web, engagement means that customers and stakeholders are
participants rather than viewers. Social media in business allows all consumers to express and
share an opinion or an idea somewhere along the businesss path to market. Each
participating customer becomes part of the marketing department, as other customers read
their comments or reviews. The engagement process is then fundamental to successful social
media marketing.
With the advent of social media marketing it has become increasingly important to gain
customer interest which can eventually be translated into buying behavior. New online
marketing concepts of engagement and loyalty have emerged which aim to build customer
participation and reputation. Engagement in social media for the purpose of your social media
strategy is divided into two parts:
1. Proactive posting of new content and conversations, as well as the sharing of content and
information from others
2. Reactive conversations with social media users responding to those who reach out to your
social media profiles through commenting or messaging
Traditional media is limited to one way interaction with customers or push and tell where
only specific information is given to the customer without any mechanism to obtain customer
feedback. On the other hand, social media is participative where customer are able to share
their views on brands, products and services. Traditional media gives the control of message
to the marketer whereas social media shifts the balance to the consumer.

Betty White
Social networking sites can have a large impact on the outcome of events. In 2010, a
Facebook campaign surfaced in the form of a petition. Users virtually signed a petition asking
NBC Universal to have actress Betty White host Saturday Night Live. Once signed, users
forwarded the petition to all of their followers. The petition went viral and on May 8, 2010,
Betty White hosted SNL.

2008 US presidential election

The 2008 US presidential campaign had a huge presence on social networking sites. Barack
Obama, a virtually unknown Democratic candidate, utilized 15 different social media
websites to form relationships with the millions of American citizens who utilize those
networks. His social networking profile pages were constantly being updated and interacting
with followers. By the end of his campaign, Obama had 5 million social media network
supporters (2.5 million on Facebook and 115,000 on Twitter). The use of social networking
sites in his marketing campaign gave Barack Obamas campaign access to e-mail addresses,
as posted on social network profile pages. This allowed the Democratic Party to launch email campaigns asking for votes and campaign donations.

Local businesses
Small businesses also use social networking sites as a promotional technique. Businesses can
follow individuals social networking site uses in the local area and advertise specials and
deals. These can be exclusive and in the form of get a free drink with a copy of this tweet.
This type of message encourages other locals to follow the business on the sites in order to

obtain the promotional deal. In the process, the business is getting seen and promoting itself
(brand visibility).
Kony 2012
A short film released on March 5, 2012, by humanitarian group Invisible Children, Inc. This
29 minute video aimed at making Joseph Kony, an Court fugitive, famous worldwide in order
to have support for his arrest by December 2012; the time when the campaign ends. The
video went viral within the first six days after its launch, reaching 100 million views on both
YouTube and Vimeo. According to research done by Visible Measures, the Kony 2012 short
film became the fastest growing video campaign, and most viral video, to reach 100 million
views in 6 days followed by Susan Boyle performance on Britains Got Talent that reached 70
million views in 6 days.

Nike #MakeItCount
In early 2012, Nike introduced its Make It Count social media campaign. The campaign
kickoff began YouTubers Casey Neistat and Max Joseph launching a YouTube video, where
they traveled 34,000 miles to visit 16 cities in 13 countries. They promoted the #makeitcount
hashtag, which millions of consumers shared via Twitter and Instagram by uploading photos
and sending tweets. The #MakeItCount YouTube video went viral and Nike saw an 18%
increase in profit in 2012, the year this product was released

Lay's-Do Us a Flavor
In 2012, Lays created an annual social media campaign that allowed fans to create their own
flavor for a $1 million prize for whatever flavor was voted the best. After 3.8 million
submissions from fans who participated, the top three choices were Cheesy Garlic Bread,
Chicken & Waffles, and Sriracha. The fans were now able to purchase the three flavors in
stores then cast their vote on Facebook or Twitter for the best flavor. Lays gained a 12%
increase in sales during the contest. Garlic Cheesy Bread was eventually named the winner of
the contest.

Purposes and Tactics

One of the main purposes in employing Social Media in marketing is as a communications
tool that makes the companies accessible to those interested in their product and make them
visible to those who have no knowledge of their products. These companies use social media
to create buzz, learn from and target customers. Its the only form of marketing that can finger
consumers at each and every stage of the consumer decision journey. Marketing through
social media has other benefits as well. Of the top 10 factors that correlate with a strong
Google organic search, seven are social media dependent. This means that if brands are less
or non active on social media, they tend to show up less on Google searches. While platforms
such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+ have a larger amount of monthly users, The visual
media sharing based mobile platforms however, garner a higher interaction rate in
comparison and have registered the fastest growth and have changed the ways in which
consumers engage with brand content. Instagram has an interaction rate of 1.46% with an
average of 130 million users monthly as opposed to Twitter which has a .03% interaction rate
with an average of 210 million monthly users. Unlike traditional media that are often costprohibitive to many companies, a social media strategy does not require astronomical
budgeting. To this end, companies make use of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube
and Instagram in order to reach audiences much wider than through the use of traditional
print/TV/radio advertisements alone at a fraction of the cost, as most social networking sites
can be used at no cost. This has changed the ways that companies approach interact with
customers, as a substantial percentage of consumer interactions are now being carried out
over online platforms with much higher visibility. Customers can now post reviews of
products and services, rate customer service and ask questions or voice concerns directly to
companies through social media platforms. Thus social media marketing is also used by
businesses in order to build relationships of trust with consumers. To this aim, companies
may also hire personnel to specifically handle these social media interactions, who usually
report under the title of online community managers. Handling these interactions in a
satisfactory manner can result in an increase of consumer trust.

Strategies of Digital Marketing

Twitter

Twitter allows companies to promote their products in short messages limited to 140
characters which appear on followers home pages. Messages can link to the products
website, Face book profile, photos, videos, etc. Twitter is also used by companies to provide
customer service. Some companies make support available 24/7 and answer promptly, thus
improving brand loyalty and appreciation.

Facebook
Facebook pages are far more detailed than Twitter accounts. They allow a product to provide
videos, photos, and longer descriptions, and testimonials as other followers can comment on
the product pages for others to see. Facebook can link back to the products Twitter page as
well as send out event reminders.A study from 2011 attributed 84% of "engagement" or
clicks to Likes that link back to Facebook advertising. By 2014 Facebook had restricted the
content published from businesses' and brands' pages. Adjustments in Facebook algorithms
have reduced the audience for non-paying business pages (that have at least 500,000 "Likes")
from 16% in 2012 down to 2% in February 2014.

Google
Google+, in addition to providing pages and some features of Facebook, is also able to
integrate with the Google search engine. Other Google products are also integrated, such as
Google Adwords and Google Maps. With the development of Google Personalized Search
and other location-based search services, Google+ allows for targeted advertising methods,
navigation services, and other forms of location-based marketing and promotion. Google+
can also be beneficial for other digital marketing campaigns, as well as social media
marketing. Google+ authorship was known to have a significant benefit on a website's search

engine optimisation, before the relationship was removed by Google. Google+ is one of the
fastest growing social media networks and can benefit almost any business.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn, a professional business-related networking site, allows companies to create
professional profiles for themselves as well as their business to network and meet others.
Through the use of widgets, members can promote their various social networking activities,
such as Twitter stream or blog entries of their product pages, onto their LinkedIn profile page.
LinkedIn provides its members the opportunity to generate sales leads and business partners.
Members can use Company Pages similar to Facebook pages to create an area that will
allow business owners to promote their products or services and be able to interact with their
customers. Due to spread of spam mail sent to job seeker, leading companies prefer to use
LinkedIn for employee's recruitment instead using different job portals. Additionally,
companies have voiced a preference for the amount of information that can be gleaned from
LinkedIn profile, versus a limited email.

Yelp
Yelp consists of a comprehensive online index of business profiles. Businesses are searchable
by location, similar to Yellow Pages. The website is operational in seven different countries,
including the United States and Canada. Business account holders are allowed to create,
share, and edit business profiles. They may post information such as the business location,
contact information, pictures, and service information.
9

Foursquare
Foursquare is a location based social networking website, where users can check into
locations via a Swarm app on their smartphones. Foursquare allows businesses to create a
page or create a new/claim an existing venue.

Instagram
In May 2014, Instagram had over 200 million users. The user engagement rate of Instagram
was 15 times higher than of Facebook and 25 times higher than that of Twitter. According to
Scott Galloway, the founder of L2 and a professor of marketing at New York Universitys
Stern School of Business, latest studies estimate that 93% of prestige brands have an active
presence on Instagram and include it in their marketing mix. When it comes to brands and
10

businesses, Instagram's goal is to help companies to reach their respective audiences through
captivating imagery in a rich, visual environment. Moreover, Instagram provides a platform
where user and company can communicate publicly and directly, making itself an ideal
platform for companies to connect with their current and potential customers.
Many brands are now heavily using this mobile app to boost their visual marketing strategy.
Instagram can be used to gain the necessary momentum needed to capture the attention of the
market segment that has an interest in the product offering or services. As Instagram is
supported by Apple and android system, it can be easily accessed by smart phone users.
Moreover, it can be accessed by Internet as well. Thus, the marketers see it as a potential
platform to expand their brands exposure to the public, especially the younger target group.
On top of this, marketers do not only use social media for traditional Internet advertising, but
they also encourage users to create attention for a certain brand. This generally create an
opportunity for greater brand exposure. Furthermore, marketers are also using the platform to
drive social shopping and inspire people to collect and share pictures of their favorite
products. Many big names have already jumped on board: Starbucks, MTV, Nike, Marc
Jacobs, Red Bull are a few examples of multinationals that adopted the mobile photo app
early.Instagram has proven itself a powerful platform for marketers to reach their customers
and prospects through sharing pictures and brief messages. According to a study by Simply
Measured, 71% of the worlds largest brands are now using Instagram as a marketing
channel. For companies, Instagram can be used as a tool to connect and communicate with
current and potential customers. The company can present a more personal picture of their
brand, and by doing so the company conveys a better and true picture of itself. The idea of
Instagram pictures lies on on-the-go, a sense that the event is happening right now, and that
adds another layer to the personal and accurate picture of the company. Another option
Instagram provides the opportunity for companies to reflect a true picture of the brand
through the perspective of the customers, for instance, using the user-generated contents
thought the hashtags encouragement. Other than the filters and hashtags functions, the
Instagrams 15-second videos and the recently added ability to send private messages
between users have opened new opportunities for brands to connect with customers in a new
extent, further promoting effective marketing on Instagram.

YouTube
11

YouTube is another popular avenue; advertisements are done in a way to suit the target
audience. The type of language used in the commercials and the ideas used to promote the
product reflect the audience's style and taste.Also, the ads on this platform are usually in sync
with the content of the video requested, this is another advantage YouTube brings for
advertisers. Certain ads are presented with certain videos since the content is relevant.
Promotional opportunities such as sponsoring a video is also possible on YouTube, "for
example, a user who searches for a YouTube video on dog training may be presented with a
sponsored video from a dog toy company in results along with other videos." YouTube also
enable publishers to earn money through its YouTube Partner Program.

Social Bookmarking Sites

Websites such as Delicious, Digg, Slashdot, diigo, stumbleupon and Reddit are popular social
bookmarking sites used in social media promotion. Each of these sites is dedicated to the
collection, curation, and organization of links to other websites. This process is
crowdsourced, allowing members to sort and prioritize links by relevance and general
category. Due to the large user bases of these websites, any link from one of them to another,
smaller website usually results in a flash crowd. In addition to user generated promotion,
these sites also offer advertisements within individual user communities and categories.
Because ads can be placed in designated communities with a very specific target audience
and demographic, they have far greater potential for traffic generation than ads selected
simply through cookie and browser history. Additionally, some of these websites have also
12

implemented measures to make ads more relevant to users by allowing users to vote on which
ones will be shown on pages they frequent. The ability to redirect large volumes of web
traffic and target specific, relevant audiences makes social bookmarking sites a valuable asset
for social media marketers.

Blogs
Platforms like LinkedIn create an environment for companies and clients to connect online.
Companies that recognize the need for information, originality, and accessibility employ
blogs to make their products popular and unique, and ultimately reach out to consumers who
are privy to social media. Blogs allow a product or company to provide longer descriptions of
products or services, can include testimonials and can link to and from other social network
and blog pages. Blogs can be updated frequently and are promotional techniques for keeping
customers, and also for acquiring followers and subscribers who can then be directed to
social network pages.Online communities can enable a business to reach the clients of other
businesses using the platform. To allow firms to measure their standing in the corporate
world, sites like Glassdoor enable employees to place evaluations of their companies Some
businesses opt out of integrating social media platforms into their traditional marketing
regimen. There are also specific corporate standards that apply when interacting online. To
maintain an advantage in a business-consumer relationship, businesses have to be aware of
four key assets that consumers maintain: information, involvement, community, and control.

Tumblr
Tumblr first launched ad products on May 29, 2012. Rather than relying on simple banner
ads, Tumblr requires advertisers to create a Tumblr blog so the content of those blogs can be
featured through the site. In one year, four native ad formats were created on web and mobile,
and had more than 100 brands advertising on Tumblr with 500 cumulative sponsored posts.
Ad formats

Sponsored Mobile Post Advertisements (Advertisers blog posts) will show up on

users Dashboard when the user is on a mobile device such as smartphones and tablets,
allowing them to like, reblog, and share the sponsored post.

13

Sponsored Web Post "Largest in-stream ad unit on the web" that catches the users

attention when looking at their Dashboard through their computer or laptop. It also allows the
viewers to like, reblog, and share it.

Sponsored Radar Radar picks up exceptional posts from the whole Tumblr

community based on their originality and creativity. It is placed on the right side next to the
Dashboard, and it typically earns 120 million daily impressions. Sponsored radar allows
advertisers to place their posts there to have an opportunity to earn new followers, Reblogs,
and Likes.

Sponsored Spotlight Spotlight is a directory of some of the popular blogs

throughout the community and a place where users can find new blogs to follow. Advertisers
can choose one category out of fifty categories that they can have their blog listed on there.
These posts can be one or more of the following: images, photo sets, animated GIFs, video,
audio, and text posts. For the users to differentiate the promoted posts to the regular users
posts, the promoted posts have a dollar symbol on the corner. On May 6, 2014 Tumblr
announced customization and theming on mobile apps for brands to advertise.

Introduction to Digital India

Digital India
Digital India is an initiative of the Government of India to ensure that government services
are made available to citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by
increasing internet connectivity. It was launched on 1 July 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi. The initiative includes plans to connect rural areas with high-speed internet networks.
Digital India has three core components. These include:

The creation of digital infrastructure

Delivering services digitally

Digital literacy

14

A two-way platform will be created where both the service providers and the consumers stand
to benefit. The scheme will be monitored and controlled by the Digital India Advisory group
which will be chaired by the Ministry of Communications and IT. It will be an interMinisterial initiative where all ministries and departments shall offer their own services to the
public Healthcare, Education,Judicial services etc. The Publicprivate partnership model
shall be adopted selectively. In addition, there are plans to restructure the National
Informatics Centre. This project is one among the top priority projects of the Modi
Administration.

Project
Broadband in 2.5 lakh villages, universal phone connectivity, Net Zero Imports by 2020,
400,000 Public Internet Access Points, Wi-fi in 2.5 lakh schools, all universities; Public wi-fi
hotspots for citizens, Digital Inclusion: 1.7 Cr trained for IT, Telecom and Electronics Jobs
Job creation: Direct 1.7 Cr. and Indirect at least 8.5 Cr. e-Governance & eServices: Across
government India to be leader in IT use in services health, education, banking Digitally
empowered citizens public cloud, internet access. The Government of India entity Bharat
Broadband Network Limited which executes the National Optical Fibre Network project will
be the custodian of Digital India (DI) project. BBNL had ordered United Telecoms Limited to
connect 250,000 villages through GPON to ensure FTTH based broadband. This will provide
the first basic setup to achieve towards Digital India and is expected to be completed by
2017. Optical fibre cables have been laid out in more than 68000 village panchayats.

15

Pillars
There are nine pillars of Digital India Programme.
1.

Broadband Highways

2.

Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity

3.

Public Internet Access Programme

4.

e-Governance Reforming Government through Technology

5.

eKranti - Electronic delivery of services

6.

Information for All

7.

Electronics Manufacturing

8.

IT for Jobs

9.

Early Harvest Programmes

Services
Some of the facilities which will be provided through this initiative are Digital Locker, eeduction, e-health, e-sign and national scholarship portal. As the part of Digital India, Indian
government planned to launch Botnet cleaning centers.

DigiLocker
Digital Locker facility will help citizens to digitally store their important documents like PAN
card, passport, mark sheets and degree certificates. Digital Locker will provide secure access
to Government issued documents. It uses authenticity services provided by Aadhaar. It is
aimed at eliminating the use of physical documents and enables sharing of verified electronic
documents across government agencies. Digital Locker provides a dedicated personal storage
space in the cloud to citizens, linked to citizens Aadhaar number. Digital Locker will reduce
the administrative overhead of government departments and agencies created due to paper
work.
16

Other Important Projects of DI

National Center for Flexible Electronics (NCFlexE): is an initiative of Government of India
to promote research and innovation in the emerging area of Flexible Electronics.BPO Policy
for All Round Development: BPO Policy has been approved to create at-least one BPO centre
in each North Eastern state and also in smaller / mofussil towns of other states.

Digital India Week

At the launch ceremony of Digital India Week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top CEOs
from India and abroad committed to invest Rs 4.5 lakh crore (~70 BUSD with 1 USD=Rs65)
towards this initiative. The CEOs said the investments would be utilitized towards making
smartphones and internet devices at an affordable price in India which would help generate
jobs in India as well as reduce the cost of importing them from abroad. Reliance Industries
Chairman Mukesh Ambani said his company would invest Rs 2.5 lakh crore across different
Digital India heads, which have the potential to create employment for over five lakh
people.He also announced setting up of the 'Jio Digital India Start Up Fund' to encourage
young entrepreneurs who are setting up businesses focused around the Digital India initiative.
Silicon Valley Tech Giants from Silicon Valley, San Jose, California expressed their support
for Digital India during PM Narendra Modi's visit in September 2015. Facebook's CEO,
Mark Zuckerberg, changed his DP in support of Digital India and started a chain on Facebook
and promised to work on WiFi Hotspots in rural India. Google committed to provide
broadband connectivity on 500 railway stations in India. Microsoft agreed to provide
broadband connectivity to five lakh villages in India and make India its cloud hub through
Indian data centres. Qualcomm announced an investment of $150 million in Indian startups.
The Digital India programme is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a
vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

17

The journey of e-Governance initiatives in India took a broader dimension in mid 90s for
wider sectoral applications with emphasis on citizen-centric services. Later on, many
States/UTs started various e-Governance projects. Though these e-Governance projects were
citizen-centric, they could make lesser than the desired impact. Government of India
launched National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) in 2006. 31 Mission Mode Projects covering
various domains were initiated. Despite the successful implementation of many eGovernance projects across the country, e-Governance as a whole has not been able to make
the desired impact and fulfil all its objectives. It has been felt that a lot more thrust is required
to ensure e-Governance in the country promote inclusive growth that covers electronic
services, products, devices and job opportunities. Moreover, electronic manufacturing in the
country needs to be strengthened. In order to transform the entire ecosystem of public
services through the use of information technology, the Government of India has launched the
Digital India programme with the vision to transform India into a digitally empowered
society and knowledge economy.

Vision Areas of Digital India

The Digital India programme is centred on three key vision areas:
Digital Infrastructure as a Core Utility to Every Citizen Governance and Services on Demand
Digital Empowerment of Citizens ,Digital Infrastructure as a Utility to Every Citizen,
Availability of high speed internet as a core utility for delivery of services to citizens, Cradle
to grave digital identity that is unique, lifelong, online and authenticable to every citizen,
Mobile phone & bank account enabling citizen participation in digital & financial space

18

Vision Area 1: Digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen

Infrastructure
A well connected nation is a prerequisite to a well served nation. Once the remotest of the
Indian villagers are digitally connected through broadband and high speed internet, then
delivery of electronic government services to every citizen, targeted social benefits, and
financial inclusion can be achieved in reality. One of the key areas on which the vision of
Digital India is centered is digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen.A key
component under this vision is high speed internet as a core utility to facilitate online delivery
of various services. It is planned to set up enabling infrastructure for digital identity, financial
inclusion and ensure easy availability of common services centers. It is also proposed to
provide citizens with digital lockers which would be sharable private spaces on a public
cloud, and where documents issued by Government departments and agencies could be stored
for easy online access. It is also planned to ensure that the cyberspace is made safe and
secure.
High-speed internet as a core utility
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have the potential of not only bridging
the great digital divide in the country (in terms of easy and effective access to ICTs) but also
of positively contributing to the growth of the economy, employment and productivity.The
emphasis is on providing high speed internet connectivity across the length and breadth of the
country by deploying ICT infrastructure, optical fibre, and last-mile connectivity options
offered by wireless technologies in a manner that is affordable, reliable and competitive.
The plan of action and timelines are as follows:
1

Focus Area Intended Outcome

Broadband for rural areas

Coverage for 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats (GPs) by 2016-17

Broadband for urban areas

Virtual Network Operators for service delivery;

Mandatory communication infrastructure in new urban settlements and buildings

19

National Information Infrastructure

Integration of all core ICT infrastructure built under National e-Governance Plan

(NeGP) for greater efficiency and synergy;

9

Nationwide coverage by March 2017

10

Universal access to mobile connectivity

11

Greater network penetration;

12

Coverage for 55,619 uncovered villages by 2018

13

Public Internet Access Programme under National Rural Internet Mission

14

Coverage for 2,50,000 GPs by 2016-17 through Common Services Centers (CSCs);

15

Recasting of 1,50,000 post offices as multi-service centres by 2015-16

Cradle-to-grave digital identity

The ideal identity is one that is unique, singularly sufficient, robust enough to disallow
duplicate and fake records, easily and digitally authenticable in an inexpensive manner, and
lifelong.Vision-Digital-IndiaAadhaar, a 12-digit individual identification number issued by
the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on behalf of the Government of India,
meets these requirements. It is essentially a paperless online anytime-anywhere identity
assigned to a resident to cover his/her entire lifetime. The verification of identity is done
online with the help of authentication devices which connect to UIDAIs Central Identity
Repository and return a yes or no response to the basic query, Is the person who he/she
claims to be?, based on the demographic and biometric data available with UIDAI. Aadhaar
can be used by any application which needs to establish the identity of a resident and/or
provide secure access for the resident to services/benefits/entitlements offered by the
application.

Participation in digital & financial space through mobiles & banking

Indian telecom sector is the worlds fastest growing telecom sector. The massive and growing
penetration of mobile phones in India, especially in rural areas, provides a ready and
20

widespread base for access to and delivery of public services electronically. Data access
through mobiles continues to gain popularity, and as on date, around 80 per cent of internet
users in India access internet through mobile devices. This holds great promise and potential
for e-governance in general and digital-cum-financial inclusion in particular.bankIn the
mobile space, DeitY has launched Mobile Seva, a revolutionary whole-of-government mobile
governance initiative, enabling government departments and agencies across the nation to
deliver public services to citizens and businesses through mobile devices across various
mobile-based channels such as SMS, USSD, mobile apps, and voice/ IVRS.In the financial
space, DeitY has collaborated with NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML) for
providing PayGov, a centralized platform for facilitating all government departments and
services to collect online payments from citizens for public services. PayGov offers an endto-end transactional experience for citizens who can opt from various payment options such
as Net Banking (65+ banks), debit cards, credit cards, cash cards/ prepaid cards/ wallets, and
NEFT/ RTGS, etc.The 'Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana' has been launched as a national
mission encompassing an integrated approach to bring about comprehensive financial
inclusion of all the households in the country. The plan envisages universal access to banking
facilities with at least one basic banking account per household, financial literacy, access to
credit, insurance and pension facility. It also envisages channeling all government benefits to
the beneficiaries bank accounts.

Easy access to a Common Service Centre (CSC)

Implemented under the NeGP formulated by DeitY, the CSCs are ICT-enabled front-end
service delivery points (kiosks) at the village level for delivery of government, financial,
social and private sector services in the areas of agriculture, health, education, entertainment,
banking, insurance, pension, utility payments, etc.CSCs operate within a public-privatepartnership (PPP) model and a 3-tier structure consisting of the CSC operator (known as the
Village Level Entrepreneur or VLE), the Service Centre Agency (SCA) for establishing CSCs
in a zone consisting of a few districts, and a State Designated Agency (SDA) for managing
the implementation in the State. CSCs enable government, private and social sector
organizations to align their social and commercial goals for the benefit of the rural population
in the remotest corners of the country through a combination of IT-based as well as non-ITbased services.The initial target was to establish 1,00,000 CSCs in 6,00,000 villages in the
21

ratio of one CSC for every 6 villages. As on date, more than 1,37,000 CSCs are operational
across the country. Under the proposed CSC 2.0 programme, it is planned to increase the
number of CSCs to 2,50,000 (covering all panchayats) to facilitate easier access to CSCs for
the citizens.
What is in it for the citizens?
Current scenario for a villager without easy access to a CSC

Inadequate access to government services and internet.

Changed scenario

Internet connectivity is available through the CSC.

The neighbourhood CSC is a convenient and friendly place to know and avail G2C

services, banking services (including loans) and also to learn about suitable agricultural
practices.

Several B2C services are available too in the CSC.

Family members can learn computer skills at the CSC and also undergo vocational

trainings for better family income.

Shareable private space on a public cloud

Easy and authentication-based access to a digital locker, i.e. a shareable private space on a
public cloud, can greatly facilitate paperless transactions. Citizens can digitally store
Government-issued digital documents and certificates and share them with various agencies
without having to submit or send physical documents or copies. Digital Locker to Citizens
A Game Changer

Current Scenario:

Citizens need to submit paper documents to avail government services.

How Digital India initiative will impact:

22

Government of India would provide a digital private space, i.e. Digital Locker, to

every citizen.

The Digital Locker would enable citizens to securely store all their important

documents and credential.

The electronic documents can be shared with public agencies or others without the

need to physically submit them.

Such a digital locker will greatly improve citizen convenience and usher in paperless

transactions across the entire ecosystem of public services.

In a situation of disaster, e.g. flood, storm, fire, etc, when citizens may loose paper

documents, documents in the digital repository would be accessible for them anytime,
anywhere to avail government or private services.
The digital locker would have a collection of repositories (digital repository) for issuing
authorities (issuer) to upload their documents (electronic document) in a standard format.
Personal locker provided to citizens would also act as a platform for storing the links (termed
as Document URI) for accessing the documents directly from these repositories. This
platform would enable the citizens to securely share their documents with the service
providers who can also directly access public documents from the issuing authority through
an authenticated route.

Safe and secure cyber-space

Cyberspace is where all online digital assets, protocols, identities etc. reside and interact and
transact. It is imperative that cyberspace be made safe and secure for all organizations and
users. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (ICERT/ CERT-In) of DeitY hosts a
comprehensive secure your PC portal at ( http://www.cert-in.org.in/secureyourpc.in/ (link is
external) SPC_colored_English/large/index.html ) with guidelines and measures for users
against risks and threats. Further, a National Coordination Centre on Cyber Security has been
proposed as one of the key projects under Digital India to provide safe and secure cyber
space.

Vision Area 2: Governance and services on demand

23

Over the years, a large number of initiatives have been undertaken by various State
Governments and Central Ministries to usher in an era of e-governance. Sustained efforts
have been made at multiple levels to improve the delivery of public services and simplify the
process of accessing them. E-governance in India has steadily evolved from computerization
of Government

Departments to initiatives that encapsulate the finer points of Governance, such as

citizen

centricity, service orientation and transparency.

The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was approved in 2006 to take a holistic view of egovernance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision. Around
this idea, a massive countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is
being developed, and large-scale digitization of records is taking place to enable easy and
reliable access over the internet. The ultimate objective was to make all government services
accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets, and
ensure efficiency, transparency, and reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise
the basic needs of the common man".Six elements are crucial for ensuring that governance
and services are made available on demand to all citizens and other stakeholders in the
country.Seamlessly integrated services across departments or jurisdictions

Safe
Access to some services often also involves documents, approvals and clearances from
authorities outside the department/ jurisdiction providing the service. Today, the focus is on
providing single-window access to such services so that the citizens and businesses save time
and effort across multiple departments or jurisdictions concerned. This is exemplified by the
e-Biz and e-Trade projects under the NeGP. In order to provide integrated services, DeitY has
notified e-governance standards (available at https://egovstandards.gov.in/ (link is external)).
Further, Open API and Open Source policies are also being finalized by DeitY. The API
policy sets out the Governments approach on the use of open APIs to promote software
interoperability for all e-governance applications and systems and provide access to data &
services for promoting participation of citizens and other stakeholders. Also, common
platforms like MeghRaj Cloud Platform, Mobile Seva, PayGov and eSangam have been
24

established by DeitY for the Departments and States for the purposes of interoperable and
integrated services.

Services available in real time from online & mobile platforms

mygovThe focus today is on designing e-Governance applications in such a way that the
related information, services and grievance-handling mechanism are accessible online on a
real time basis and across all types of access devices such as desktop computers, laptops,
tablets, mobiles, etc.To ensure provisioning of high speed broadband connectivity at
panchayat level, the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project is being implemented
by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). This aims to resolve the connectivity
issues by taking gigabit fibre to all the panchayats in the country.The Mobile Seva project of
DeitY is a highly successful project that provides a common national platform to all
Government departments and agencies at the central, state and local levels for providing
mobile based services and mobile apps. Over 1900 government departments and agencies
across the country are using the mobile platform for mobile enabled services. This initiative
has won the 2014 United Nations Public Service Award. Mobile Seva is a winner at United
Nations Public Service Awards (2014) under the category Promoting Whole-of-Government
Approaches in the Information Age. It is the only winner from India in 2014.Changing the
Life of Citizens through Internet & Mobile connectivity
Current scenario:

Difficulty in availing government services due to lack of internet connectivity.

Changed scenario:

Use of mobile phone or laptop would help in checking the status of entitlements, bank

account details, etc.

Access to internet and focus on digital literacy will also help citizens aspire for better

jobs and improved quality of life.

Text books will be available in the form of e-books which can be downloaded on

laptops.

Citizens may avail government and private services from home by accessing the

software applications through internet.

25

All citizen entitlements to be portable and available on the cloud

The flexibility, agility, cost effectiveness and transparency offered by the cloud technologies
should be considered while designing and hosting of applications. In order to utilize and
harness the benefits of Cloud Computing, Government of India has embarked upon an
ambitious initiative GI Cloud which has been named as MeghRaj. The focus of this
initiative is to accelerate delivery of e-services in the country while optimizing ICT spending
of the Government.The cloud platform can host online repositories for all possible
entitlements thereby providing a single source of truth. This includes areas like Public
Distribution System, BPL entitlements, social sector benefits, LPG and other subsidies, etc.
The platform can enable automated registration, maintenance and delivery of citizen
entitlements under several government schemes. This will provide delivery for these
entitlements on an anywhere, anytime basis. A citizen moving to a new place shall not lose
his/her entitlements and will not have to go through a lengthy process to register and supply
documents afresh to continue getting the benefits. The plan is to leverage the cloud platform
for addressing the portability issue towards ensuring continuity of citizen entitlements across
the entire country.A major milestone was achieved in October 2014 with the launch of
provident fund portability through the Universal Account Number (UAN). Employees now
need not worry about transferring the funds lying in their provident fund accounts when they
change their locations.

Digitally transformed services for improving ease of doing business

Starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property,
getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts,
resolving insolvency and other clearances etc. are the various experiences that define how
easy or difficult it is to do business in a country. Government services for businesses shall be
digitally transformed for improving Ease of Doing Business in the country.The existing
MMPs under the NeGP shall be strengthened using latest tools and technologies:The e-Biz
project provides integrated services across various central and state departments/ agencies
through a single window mechanism to all businesses and investors for setting up a
commercial enterprises,The e-Trade MMP facilitates foreign trade in India by promoting

26

effective and efficient delivery of services by various regulatory/ facilitating agencies

involved in foreign trade, to enable traders to avail online services from these agencies.

Making financial transactions electronic & cashless

Electronic payments and fund transfers have the advantage of targeted and direct delivery to
the intended beneficiaries without the involvement of middlemen who may otherwise subvert
the system. Similarly, online mechanisms for payment of fees for certain public services offer
a transparent, friendly and expeditious channel to citizens for payments. All financial
transactions above a threshold shall be made electronic & cashless.DeitY has created PayGov
India as a centralized payment gateway for all Government Departments and agencies in the
country. It is operated and maintained by NSDL Database Management Ltd (NDML), a
wholly owned subsidiary of National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL).PayGov India is
securely integrated with National and State Service Delivery Gateways (NSDG and SSDG) to
enable sharing of information across databases for efficient service delivery, and also with the
Mobile Services Delivery Gateway (MSDG) under Mobile Seva. The citizens can choose
from a host of e-payment options such as Net banking, credit card, debit card, prepaid/ cash
card/ wallet, Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and mobile wallet.

Leveraging Geospatial Information System (GIS) for decision support systems &
development
Various government services can be offered in a better way by proper use of GIS technology
in the e-governance applications. National Geospatial Information System (NGIS) is being
implemented to integrate geo-spatial data available with a number of organizations such as
Survey of India, National Informatics Centre (NIC), NRSA and Ministry of Earth Sciences
(MoES) to develop a GIS platform for e-Governance applications.This GIS platform will be
leveraged as a service for the benefit of various mission mode projects and other egovernance initiatives. NGIS can also be leveraged for monitoring the physical progress of
projects, disaster management and specialized needs of public safety agencies.
Vision Area 3: Digital empowerment of citizens
Empowerment

27

Digital connectivity is a great leveller. Cutting across demographic and socio-economic

segments, Indians are increasingly connecting and communicating with each other through
mobile phones and computers riding on digital networks. The Digital India programme itself
promises to transform India into a digitally empowered society by focusing on digital literacy,
digital resources, and collaborative digital platforms. This also places emphasis on universal
digital literacy and availability of digital resources/services in Indian languages.

Universal Digital Literacy

Digital Empowerment Digital literacy assumes paramount importance at an individual level
for truly and fully leveraging the potential the Digital India programme. It provides the
citizens the ability to fully exploit the digital technologies to empower themselves. It helps
them seek better livelihood opportunities and become economically secure.The focus today is
on making at least one person e-literate in every household. Core ICT infrastructure set up by
the central and state governments, such as CSCs, can play a critical role in taking digital
literacy to the remotest locations of the country. To ensure that all panchayats in the country
have high-speed connectivity, the Department of Telecom (DoT) has established Bharat
Broadband Network Ltd. (BBNL) to roll out the National Optical Fiber Network (NOFN).
BBNL will lay out the optic fiber cable terminating in each of the 2,50,000 gram panchayats
in the country, providing 100 Mbps link to be used as information highway by all the
stakeholders to ensure that digital inclusion reaches all villages across the country. This will
ensure digitization and connectivity of the local institutions, such as panchayat office,
schools, health centres, libraries, etc. The industry has also come forward to support the eliteracy goal through the National Digital Literacy Mission.
National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), an autonomous
society under DeitY, has identified more than 5000 facilitation centres across the country for
training on courses which will equip a person to undertake e-Governance transactions
through computers and other basic activities, like e-mail, browsing the internet, etc. NIELIT
has also signed MoUs with industry partners towards jointly conducting courses and online
examinations on digital literacy.
Current Status

28

The Apex Committee on the Digital India programme headed by the Cabinet Secretary and
the Digital India Advisory Group chaired by the Minister of Communications and
Information Techology has been constituted. The first meeting of the Apex Committee on the
Digital India programme was held on 26.11.2014. The second meeting of the Apex
Committee on the Digital India programme was held on 09.02.2015. The actions on decisons
made by the Apex Committee are being worked out.

Summary and Conclusion

Conclusion
Digital marketing is an umbrella term for the targeted, measurable, and interactive marketing
of products or services using digital technologies to reach and convert leads into
customers.The key objective are to promote brands, build preference and increase sales
through various digital marketing techniques. It is embodied by an extensive selection of
service, product and brand marketing tactics, which mainly use the Internet as a core
promotional medium, in addition to mobile and traditional TV and radio.
Digital marketing activities are search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing
(SEM) , content marketing, influencer marketing, content automation, campaign marketing,
and e-commerce marketing, social media marketing, social media optimisation, e-mail direct
marketing, display advertising, ebooks, optical disks and games, and any other form of
digital media. It also extends to non-Internet channels that provide digital media, such as
mobile phones (SMS and MMS), callback and on-hold mobile ring tones ,According to the
Digital Marketing Institute, Digital Marketing is the use of digital channels to promote or
market products and services to consumers and businesses.
The term 'digital marketing' was first used in the 1990s.In the 2000s and the 2010s, digital
marketing became more sophisticated as an effective way to create a relationship with the
consumer that has depth and relevance. While the term 'digital marketing' may not have been
used until the 1990s, digital marketing itself has roots to the mid-1980s when the SoftAd
Group, now ChannelNet, developed advertising campaigns for several major automobile
companies, wherein people would send in reader reply cards found in magazines and receive
in return floppy disks that contained multimedia content promoting various cars and offering
free test drives.The rapid evolution of digital media has created new opportunities and
29

avenues for advertising and marketing. Fueled by the proliferation of devices to access digital
media, this has led to the exponential growth of digital advertising.
In 2012 and 2013 statistics showed digital marketing remained a growing field. Digital media
growth is estimated at 4.5 trillion online ads served annually with digital media spend at 48%
growth in 2010. An increasing portion of advertising stems from businesses employing
Online Behavioural Advertising (OBA) to tailor advertising for Internet users. Though an
innovative resource, OBA raises concern with regards to consumer privacy and data
protection. Such implications are important considerations for responsible communications.
Digital marketing is often referred to as 'online marketing', 'internet marketing' or 'web
marketing'. The term 'digital marketing' has grown in popularity over time, particularly in
certain countries. In the USA 'online marketing' is still prevalent, in Italy is referred as 'web
marketing' but in the UK and worldwide, 'digital marketing' has become the most common
term, especially after the year 2013.

30