Creative without strategy is
called 'art.' Creative with strategy is called 'advertising.'
-
Jeff I. Richards
Revolutionizing how we view and respond to advertising
efforts, digital media convergence has created a platform where advertisers can
adapt and react to the flexibility and unpredictability of online consumers.
This essay will explore new media advertising largely focusing on online, as Spurgeon
(2008) suggests, the internet has become the most important development for advertising.
The significant impact of digital media convergence for the advertising
industry is particularly evident in its new
forms, strategies and future prospects. As Dwyer (2010) argues, the new
media reality is a multimedia one, which has had a substantial impact on the
practice of advertising and its transfer into a predominantly online space.
Revolutionizing the forms
of advertising, digital media convergence has joint the efforts of old and
new media by instigating a flow of content across multiple media platforms
(Jenkins 2006). This has allowed advertisers to interact with consumers in more
complex ways (Jenkins 2006) by customizing and creatively presenting information
for consumers (Bezjian-Avery 1998). Advertisers now have the ability to
manipulate media to suit their requirements, utilizing the benefits of new
media such as online spaces as opposed to being limited to traditional media
such as newspapers, TV and radio. This rapid migration of advertising from
print to online media has largely been driven by the impact of digital media
convergence on consumer lifestyle (Spurgeon 2008). New forms of advertising
through online spaces largely centred on Web 2.0 include social media sites
such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, as well as internet features including display,
search and classified advertising. As Spurgeon (2008) states, this has provided
new sources of opportunity for developing new revenue streams, particularly
through multimedia. Advertising agencies have been given a platform to interact
with their consumers and the consumers with the brand in a revolutionary way.
Increased audience engagement has been closely linked with the convergence
culture of the 21st century. As Sheehan and Morrison (2009) argue, advertisers
who continue to operate within a closed structure “limit their ability to
create messages that best connect with consumers and build their brands.” Innovative
forms of advertising highlighting the influence of new media include branded
content and the Madison and Vine trend. These reflect growth in new online,
media and entertainment forms and will be evaluated as strategies in the
following section.
The phenomenon of digital media convergence has had a
significant effect on the strategies
used by advertisers and their effect on consumers. YouTube has become a
testing ground for advertising content where advertisers can use the site as a
cheap alternative to testing viewer reaction, prior to more expensive publications.
Furthermore, the new media strategies of branded content, Madison and Vine and
product placement have all been highly effective in ‘cutting through the
clutter’ and breaking the resistance of consumers. Digital media convergence
joint with new media has offered advertisers clever, creative and
personalized techniques to reach the consumer. Madison and Vine advertising has
used half art, half commerce to creatively embed messages and brand image in
media flows and experiences that consumers would search for and engage
with (Spurgeon 2008). BMW recently employed this innovative, multimedia marketing
strategy in an advertising campaign which used short films to promote BMW
vehicles, reflecting a convergence of the advertising and film industry.
Through
this, advertisers have been able to engage with consumers in refreshing ways by
blurring the division between commerce and art (Spurgeon 2008). This form of
digital media convergence advertising has been controversial as advertising
agencies produce advertorial information on one end and full blown content
production at the other (Spurgeon 2008). Another example of a clever advertising
strategy utilizing the benefits of new media and digital media convergence is
branded entertainment. Advertisers have begun to use podcasts, games and live
events as media for brand promotion, creating mutually beneficial alliances with entertainment companies. An example of this is the virtual community Habbo
Hotel, which promoted the hip-hop band Gorillaz by allowing them to undertake
virtual concerts online. As Spurgeon (2008) argues, "this form of multimedia advertising
demonstrates the creative potential of proliferating channels, network devices
and increasingly profuse bandwidth to engage the consumers of most value to
advertisers."
Conclusively, these examples highlight the implications and future prospects
digital media convergence has had on the advertising industry through new
media. The convergence culture and new media of the 21st century has
revolutionized how advertisers engage and interact with their consumers,
through a more efficient, far reaching and creative manner. As Spurgeon (2008)
claims, both national and local advertisers were dissatisfied with the uncertain
performance of old media, and have now been given dynamic and efficient ways of
reaching “increasingly distracted and disinterested consumers.” This more
effective form of advertising has resulted in a win-win-win situation where the advertiser is able to connect with their target market, the
user fulfills their search and the service provider achieves the revenue that is associated
(Spurgeon 2008). New media advertising has increased advertiser confidence, particularly
in internet advertising, and has economically benefited areas such as news,
entertainment and sporting pages that previously struggled to sell to
advertisers (Spurgeon 2008). This new practice of advertising has although resulted
in considerable challenges for advertisers, as agencies increasingly compete to
reach consumers whose ability to remove and limit advertising feed increases. A lack of brand image attached with online
advertising and credibility among consumers has also augmented, as consumers
increasingly rely on word of mouth and peer reviews for goods and services (Sheehan
and Morrison 2009)(Bezjian-Avery 1998). Nonetheless, digital media convergence
in the wider scope has had a significantly beneficial impact on new media advertising,
predominantly in engaging and reaching larger yet more dispersed target
markets.
The phenomenon of digital media convergence has
substantially impacted the advertising practice of the 21st century.
New media, convergence culture and multimedia practices have provided
advertisers with a platform where they can effectively engage and communicate
with the flexibility and unpredictability of consumers. The most important
developments for new media advertising can be seen through its revolutionized forms, creative strategies
and future prospects, all of which highlight the significant improvements and
benefits digital media convergence has provided for advertising agencies,
consumers and service providers.
For more information: http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/advertising/advertising-trends-digital-convergence/
References
Dwyer, T. (2010) Media Convergence, McGraw Hill. Berkshire,
pp.8
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence Culture, New York
University Press.
Spurgeon, C.
(2008) Advertising and New Media, Oxon, Routledge, pp. 24-45
Sheehan, K and Morrison, D. (2009) Beyond convergence:
Confluence culture and the role of the advertising agency in a changing world in
First Monday Vol 14No 3 - http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2239/2121
Bezjian-Avery, A. (1998) New media interactive
advertising vs. traditional advertising. Journal of advertising research,
38, 23.
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