DIGITAL MARKETING AS A SOURCE OF COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: CASE STUDY OF SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Nowadays, marketing in the digital environment is very important for every company. The reason is that internet use has more than doubled in the last decade, and this shift has significantly affected the way customers buy products and communicate with companies. Digital marketing is like any other type of marketing -it is a way to connect with current customers and influence potential customers. It is very important, especially when there are already many products and services on the market with really high competition. The main difference between online and traditional marketing is that the company can better connect with customers and influence them online. Based on the above mentioned, the paper's main aim is to analyze the application of digital marketing in the selected Slovak brand and its perception by Slovak consumers, propose recommendations for a more effective application of digital marketing in this company. It includes providing the theoretical background and analysis of digital marketing from the viewpoint of Slovak and foreign authors. The important secondary data source was scientific research, annual company reports, statistical databases, and published professional publications. To find out the perception of digital marketing from the perspective of Slovak consumers, a questionnaire survey was conducted. The questionnaire survey aimed to find out the opinions, attitudes, and satisfaction of consumers with the selected Slovak brand. To determine the sample size, the base file representing a number of people older than 18 was obtained from the demographic statistics of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. General scientific methods (i.e., excerption, description, comparative analysis, deduction, and induction) were used for data processing and mathematical and statistical methods to evaluate data from the survey using IBM SPSS Statistics software. To achieve the main goal of the paper, based on the theoretical background and survey results, research hypotheses were formulated and subsequently verified. Finally, based on the analysis and results of the questionnaire survey, benefits of digital marketing are highlighted, such as gaining a competitive advantage, increasing customer loyalty, and overall increasing brand awareness.