Digital media
convergence has had an immense impact on advertising and new media. Digital
media convergence can be defined as “the process whereby new technologies are
accommodated by existing media and communication industries and cultures”
(Dwyer). As Dwyer has effectively stated, industries use new technology to
advertise their products to consumers. Similarly, new media such as the
Internet, mobile technology and the integration of products in music videos all
demonstrate the quintessential effect media convergence has had on modern
society.
The Internet
serves as a successful platform for effective advertising by industries. The
best example of successful advertising is on the web-hosting site YouTube.
YouTube utilizes the popularity of videos and adds advertisements in the form
of banners embedded within videos or on the sidebar next to the videos, at the industries
expense. “Advertising is the second potential source of income on the Web”
(Biagi). This type of advertising by YouTube allows users to simply click the
advertisement and get redirected to the website displaying the product, whereas
before the popularity of the Internet, newspapers and billboards were the
popular medium for advertising. This drew implications as individuals who saw
advertisements on newspapers and billboards had to manually write it down or
remember it for later which can be lost and forgotten, whereas advertising on
the Internet such as YouTube integrates what newspapers and billboards advertise and provide direct links to products. Also, new media
such as Internet Protocol TV (IPTV) demonstrates the combination of new methods
of television over Internet Protocol and such developments have caused content
responders to provide users with “on demand approaches”(Dwyer).
Also, videos
that become “viral”, meaning they have circulated rapidly across the Internet,
also demonstrate the efficiency of digital media convergence and advertising.
Videos such as the “Old Spice” advertisements provide comedic humour towards
their advertising and as a result, the Old Spice videos get viewed and shared
through email and social media websites. This mass viewing, tied in with the
speed in which it is shared, significantly demonstrates how digital media
convergence has provided a positive outcome to modern society in relation to new media and advertising.
The comedic Old Spice advertisements
Moreover, “search marketing” (Biagi) is utilized by search engines such as Google,
Yahoo and Bing which places relating advertisements in the form of banners or
hyperlinks to that of the search inquiry of the user, such that if a user
searches for guitars, guitar related product hyperlinks will become evident on
the sidebars of the search engine. This
form of advertising effectively demonstrates how advertising has successfully
combined together with the Internet to utilize effective marketing.
An example of "search marketing"
In addition
to this, mobile advertising has also become a new medium for advertising. Mobile
advertising used to only consist of Short Message Service (SMS) where users
would be sent an SMS informing them of new available products, however as mobile
technology and internet access combined, the “third generation (3G) mobile
phone standards, included the ability to access wider range of ‘multimedia’
services” (Wilken and Sinclair). This is
an example of “mediatizing” where users experience media convergence wirelessly
(Dwyer) and is being utilized by Google Maps for mobile devices. Google Maps
allows the user to search for establishments of leisure on mobile devices and
can easily access the website and location of the establishments for the
convenience of the user.
Google maps on mobile devices allows users to view directions and reviews of leisure establishments.
The incorporation of maps into a new form of medium now allows easy access to locations, but
pictures of products, reviews and contact details for the establishment, a
powerful and convenient form of advertising. As a result of this, advertising
products could now become easily accessible through mobile phones as compared
to advertising counterparts such as newspapers and billboards and is a symbolic
representation of how “new media increases the versatility of human actions”
(Dwyer). Although mobile advertising and 3G is indeed an adequate form of how digital
media convergence has propelled advertising and new media, problems have arisen
due to this type of technology. Financially, advertising industries provide a
threat to mobile carriers and the levels of content they can control, which can
be related to industrial convergence where competitive advantage is “a key
element for e-commerce” (Dwyer) and as Pfanner, who has sufficiently supported
this claim by stating that there is a “war between the web world and the
wireless world for control of the mobile advertising revenue”. Consequently,
mobile advertising such as 3G is an impressive example of how digital media
convergence has become present in modern society, however implications such as
financial ownership demonstrate the constraints of mobile advertising.
Furthermore,
another innovative way industries have utilized digital media convergence is
incorporating brands subtly in music videos. This form of advertising has been
present for many years, although, is much more present in modern music videos. An
example of how industries are utilizing this form of advertising is in the
music video “Billionaire” by Travis McCoy. The Mini Cooper seen throughout the
music video was purposely placed to aid in the advertisement of the motor company
Mini to help sell their product, the Mini Cooper.
The Mini Cooper used in Travis McCoy's "Billionaire"
Similarly, Rio Caraeff who is
the chief executive of the popular music video YouTube network VeVo, stated
that the “company aimed to enable product placements in videos” and “works as a
conduit between the world’s largest music companies and brand marketers”.
Compilation of Product Placement in numerous Music Videos
Caraeff acknowledges the success of product advertising in modern music videos and
utilizes this success to progress online advertising as new medium. With this,
it is evident that there is a strong link with how advertising and new media
has become successful in recent years, due to digital media convergence.
In the final
analysis, digital media convergence has had a representative effect on new
media and advertisements. This is evident through the combining and progress of
the Internet and media, mobile technology such as 3G and the integration of
products in music videos.
References:
Biagi, S (2011) ‘Media Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media’ 10th edn, Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc, Boston, USA. pp 194 – 200
Dwyer, T (2010) ‘Media Convergence’, McGraw Hill, Berkshire. pp 1-23
Sinclair,
John and Wilken, Rowan (2009) 'Waiting for the kiss of life : mobile media and
advertising' Convergence: the journal of research into new media, vol 15
no 5 pp 427 – 445 http://con.sagepub.com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/content/15/4/427.full.pdf+html
Images:
Google Search Results Example (2009), Viewed on August 2012 http://www.businessmarketingblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/google-search-results-example-1024x683.png
YouTube Links:
Product Placement in Music Videos, April 16 2006, Viewed on August 2012 < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo2nEMjchq8 >YouTube Links:
Terry Crews - Crazy Old Spice Commercials, March 3 2012, Viewed on August 2012 < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCl5uyn5K7k >
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