Digital Media Strategies: Content, Ethics & Sustainability

Posted on Dec 30, 2025 in Marketing

Introduction to Digital Media

Digital media refers to any form of content that is created, shared, or consumed using digital technology. Examples and platforms include: Starbucks, ISB, Instagram, Facebook, IKEA, and Spotify.

Content Marketing

Content marketing involves creating and sharing online material (such as videos, blogs, and social media posts) that does not explicitly promote a brand but is intended to stimulate interest in its products and services. Because content marketing is all about storytelling—and humans have told stories for as long as they could speak—our attention goes to those who tell great stories. The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing; the best brands build connections with their users.

Examples

• Couple Renault — Brand loyalty: They highlight the car’s new design and features while celebrating the model’s long history to create nostalgia and reinforce brand loyalty.
• Lidl Raccoon: A Christmas commercial by Lidl featuring a raccoon that rescues a lost toy and delivers it to a child so it can be under the tree.

Campaign Example — Nike 2026

For this campaign, the brand Nike will use a content marketing idea for 2026 called “Everyday Confidence”. This campaign focuses on self-confidence and mental well-being, especially for young people, rather than focusing only on sports or competition.

Step 1 — Who are you trying to reach?

The target audience is teenagers and young adults aged 16 to 25. This group spends a lot of time on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Many feel pressure about appearance, school performance, and social life. Nike wants to reach people who need motivation and support—not only athletes but everyday young people who want to feel more confident in daily life.

Step 2 — What are your objectives?

Main objectives:

• Increase brand awareness.
• Build emotional connection with the audience and show Nike supports mental health and self-belief.
• Grow Nike’s social media community and increase engagement.
• Improve brand perception by showing Nike cares about people’s feelings and real-life challenges, not only performance.

Step 3 — What kind of content will you use?

Nike will create short motivational videos showing real stories of young people talking about their fears, insecurities, and how they overcame them. There will also be a social media challenge where users share a short video or post about a moment when they felt proud of themselves using the hashtag #EverydayConfidence. Nike can also create interactive content, such as polls, Q&A sessions, and live talks with psychologists, athletes, and influencers who speak honestly about mental health.

Step 4 — What digital channels will you use?

Main channels:

• TikTok and Instagram for short emotional and inspiring videos.
• YouTube for longer videos and mini-documentaries.
• Nike website with a special campaign page containing tips, exercises, and resources about confidence and mental well-being.
• Partner websites and collaborations with content creators to spread the message.

Step 5 — How will you measure your success?

Metrics include:

• Video views, likes, comments, and shares.
• Number of times the hashtag #EverydayConfidence is used.
• Growth in followers on social media pages and traffic to the campaign page.
• Online surveys to measure changes in brand perception and audience response to the campaign.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the “Everyday Confidence” campaign uses storytelling and emotional connection to build trust and loyalty. By following the five steps of the content marketing strategy, Nike can create meaningful content that helps young people feel seen and supported while strengthening the brand’s positive image in 2026.

Social Media Content

Social media content includes materials, documents, photographs, graphics, and other information that is created, posted, distributed, or transmitted using social media sites.

Types of Social Media Content

• Content marketing: tutorials, UGC (user-generated content), entertainment.
• Product promotion, social commerce, influencer marketing.

What kind of social media content gets the most engagement? Short-form videos.

How long do we spend on social media per day? 1 hour 56 minutes (approx.).

What do brands want to achieve by using social media? Raise brand awareness.

Video Marketing

Video marketing is when brands or individuals use video to promote a brand, drive sales, raise awareness of products or services, or engage customers.

Types of Video Marketing

• Brand story videos: Aim to build trust and loyalty (example: NIKE).
• Demo videos: 69% of consumers prefer to watch a video to learn about a product or service (example: APPLE).
• How-to videos: 86% of YouTube viewers regularly turn to the platform to learn something new.
• UGC videos: Brands encourage customers to create videos to build authenticity and community.
• Live videos: Real-time videos on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook where brands interact directly with their audience.

Video Marketing Facts & Best Practices

• 91% of brands use video as a marketing tool.
• Main objective for brands using video: video engagement.
• Average person watches about 19 hours of video per week.
• Recommended video length: 30–60 seconds for short content; platform-specific recommendations below.
• 91% of people have watched a video to learn about a product or service.
• Most effective video channel for brands: YouTube (78%).

Recommended Lengths for Different Platforms

• TikTok: 10 seconds.
• Instagram: 15 seconds for Stories; 1 minute for videos and Reels.
• X (formerly Twitter): 45 seconds.
• Facebook: 1 minute.
• YouTube: 2 minutes (for short-form), longer for in-depth content.

Our brain processes video up to 60,000 times faster than text. Video evokes emotion better than text or images alone (joy, surprise, excitement). Studies show the average viewer retains 95% of a message when they watch it, while reading retains about 10%.

Great Brand Videos

• Product focus: Apple AirPods reducing noise.
• Social impact: Patagonia.
• Brand loyalty: John Lewis.
• Environmental activism: Greenpeace.

Podcasting

A podcast is an audio program similar to a radio show that people can download or stream online. Podcasts are on-demand—you can listen anytime, anywhere. They cover a wide variety of topics, from education and news to entertainment and storytelling.

Types of Podcasts

• Storytelling: Focus on true stories, often produced by journalists or investigative creators. Murder mystery podcasts are a popular example.
• Interview: Host interviews a notable guest; often includes celebrities or subject-matter experts.
• Conversational: Panel discussions about a specific topic, such as sport, history, science, or music.
• Solo: Single-host podcasts, fiction or nonfiction, relying on the host to engage listeners.
• News: Provide updates on current events, offer analysis, or break down complex topics into digestible segments. Podcasts are a very effective form of content marketing.

Digital Ethics

Digital ethics concerns the moral decisions we make when using and designing technology.

How Digital Technologies Threaten Society

• Misinformation / Disinformation:
  • Misinformation: False or misleading information shared without intent to deceive; the spreader may believe it’s true.
  • Disinformation: False information deliberately created and spread to deceive or manipulate people.

  Impacts:

  • Public confusion: Fake news spreads faster than facts.
  • Political manipulation: Used to influence elections and public policy.
  • Trust erosion: Reduces trust in media, governments, and institutions.
  • Social division: Fuels polarization by reinforcing biases.
  • Financial harm: Hoaxes and scams can create economic consequences.
• Addictive technologies: Digital tools and platforms designed to capture and sustain attention for extended periods, often leading to compulsive use.

  Impacts:

  • Mental health issues: Increased anxiety, depression, and stress due to overuse of social media.
  • Reduced attention span: Constant notifications and infinite scrolling make deep focus harder.
  • Social isolation & relationship strain: Screen time can replace face-to-face interaction.
• Artificial intelligence (AI): Machines or software that simulate human intelligence to perform tasks such as learning, problem solving, decision making, and pattern recognition.

  Impacts:

  • Job displacement: Automation can replace human workers in many sectors.
  • Bias & discrimination: Algorithms can reinforce social biases, causing unfair outcomes.
  • Misinformation & deepfakes: AI-generated fake news and media make content verification harder.
  • Privacy & surveillance concerns: AI-driven tracking and facial recognition raise ethical issues.
  • Ethical & existential risks.

Climate Change

The greenhouse effect occurs when gases in the atmosphere trap some of the sun’s heat, keeping the Earth warm. When these gases increase too much, they trap extra heat and make the planet warmer than it should be.

What will climate change do to the world?

• Flooding
• Drought
• Wildfires
• Sea level rise
• Collapse or severe damage to ocean ecosystems
• Up to 1 million species of animals may go extinct
• By 2050, an estimated 200 million climate refugees

Everything started accelerating with the Industrial Revolution.

Where do greenhouse gases come from?

1. Electricity & heat
2. Agriculture and land use
3. Industry
4. Transportation
5. Other energy sources
6. Food waste
7. Buildings

Top emitter countries (by contribution)

1. China
2. United States
3. India
4. Russia
5. Japan
6. Germany
7. Canada
8. South Korea
9. Iran
10. United Kingdom

The first carbon footprint calculator was created by British Petroleum; critics argue it distracted from the role of fossil fuel companies.

Who will suffer most?

• Somalia
• Madagascar
• Ethiopia
• Sudan
• The Congo
• Nigeria
• Afghanistan
• China
• Myanmar
• India

Sustainability in Digital

Sustainability refers to doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community, or society as a whole.

How can we make businesses more sustainable?

Materials

• Bamboo: Extremely strong and one of the fastest-growing plants; it can grow ~91 cm per day. Its speedy regeneration makes it highly renewable. Harvested bamboo can regenerate from its cut stem, reducing resources spent on replanting.

Supply Chains

• Circular supply chain: Encourages manufacturers and sellers to take discarded materials and remake them for resale instead of using a linear “take-make-dispose” model. This reduces waste and costs.

Energy

• Renewable energy: Use solar, wind, geothermal, etc., to generate power. It is less harmful for the environment and can reduce energy bills while contributing to the local economy.

People

• Sustainability is also about people: employees, stakeholders, and everyone in a business’s supply chain. Companies must ensure people benefit from business processes, including those at the beginning of the supply chain.

Connection Between Sustainability and Digital

If the internet were a country, it would be one of the largest emitters of carbon emissions. Sustainability and digital are connected because digital tools can help reduce waste, save energy, and make processes more efficient. Technology also provides better data to make smarter, more sustainable decisions.

Sustainable Brands

• Fairphone
• Ecosia
• Olio
• Abillion

Digital Around the World

Internet penetration is the percentage of a country’s population that has access to and uses the internet.

Reasons for Lack of Internet Access

• Infrastructure challenges: Lack of fiber-optic cables, towers, and reliable electricity in rural areas.
• High costs: Internet data remains expensive relative to income levels.
• Government restrictions: Some governments limit access to certain sites or impose heavy regulations on online content.
• Digital literacy gaps: Lower computer literacy slows adoption, especially among older generations.
• Language barriers: Limited local-language digital content makes the internet less relevant or accessible.
• Cultural and social factors: In some regions, internet use is gender-restricted, limiting access for women and marginalized groups.

Reasons for Growth in Internet Access

• Lower smartphone costs: Affordable smartphone brands (e.g., Xiaomi, Tecno) make mobile internet more accessible.
• Improved infrastructure: Expansion of fiber-optic networks and undersea cables (e.g., Starlink).
• Government initiatives: Programs like India’s Digital India and Rwanda’s smart city projects boost connectivity.
• Increased digital literacy efforts: NGOs and tech companies invest in digital education and online skills training.
• Social media as incentive: Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok motivate internet adoption.

Restrictions and Censorship

North Korea

• State control: The government maintains strict control over information to prevent exposure to outside influences.
• Censorship: Citizens can access only a closed intranet called “Kwangmyong,” which contains state-approved content.
• Political ideology: The regime fears that access to global media could challenge its authority and propaganda.
• Limited infrastructure: The country lacks the digital infrastructure to support widespread internet use.
• Punishments: Unauthorized internet access is considered a serious crime with harsh penalties.

China

• China operates one of the most sophisticated internet censorship systems in the world, known as “The Great Firewall.”
• Western platforms like Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are blocked.
• Domestic alternatives are encouraged and monitored by the government.