The need for socio-economic development of the Russian Federation and increasing its competitiveness in the world market made it expedient to digitally transform production and social processes. There are problems along this path: from the lack of a clear understanding of the essence of the digital economy to the underdevelopment of digital competencies among economic entities, and sometimes the intuitive rejection of digital transformations. The purpose of the study is a comprehensive review of the theoretical and applied aspects of the problems of the digital economy. The object of the study is the digital economy. To achieve this goal, we used the methods of comparative analysis and generalization. The author considered theoretical ideas about the digital economy, its features, tools, problems of its application on the example of online advertising. The article substantiates the need for the active use of digital marketing by organizations in the service and tourism sectors. The author of the article gives recommendations on the areas of using digital marketing and improving the effectiveness of digital marketing events.