MAS110 Sem 2 2012

Digital media convergence: Advertising & New Media

After the “digital revolution” influenced all aspects of traditional media the main impact was on the consumer and their new ability to search for many different experiences. Now with people becoming less “brand loyal” and more influenced by word of mouth and recommendations, “traditional media advertising” is elapsing.

Jenkins defines digital convergence as “flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of audiences”. (Jenkins 2006) Convergence is a defining reality of twenty-first century digital media. Traditional media industries, such as paper, magazines and TV, struggle to deal with the shock of the new media – a proliferation of competing platforms, a reconfiguration of audiences, and a digital context in which media products can be shared, copied and remixed by millions. (Wittkower D. E. 2010)

The process of digitising media, which in turn assists in convergence, impacted on three main areas of the media. Media creation: where all tools and resources for content production are now available to the consumer (MAS110 Lecture), enforcing the idea that the consumer is no longer the customer but more so the product. The second, Media consumption: more people, using a range of devices, can now more easily access content. (MAS110 Lecture) For example laptops and computing devices allowing, “free streaming” TV shows. This opens up the media spectrum for all consumers. And the final most important being the innovation of internet which falls under Media Distribution: internet connectivity and infrastructures means that content can be easily distributed (MAS110 Lecture) and even more so now with consumers grasping digital media devices such as the tablet and smart phones.

Engaged activities in new media are rife such as posting photos on Flickr on our mobiles, posting mashed-up videos on YouTube, collaborating on music play lists at Spotify, writing book reviews at Amazon, correcting mistakes in Wikipedia and sharing links on Twitter. We can archive our lives in real time through blogs, through photo and video sharing websites, through status updates and tweets. “We can digitize everything that matters to us – our past, our work, our interests, our loved ones. We can archive how these develop, as they develop”. (Wittkower D. E. (2010)).

What happens when all of these converge and what kinds of things are converging? At the first level, we can think of the coming together of the so-called “three C’s of convergent media – content, computing and communications”. (Miekle G. R and Young S.S (2012) Apple’s iPhone, which is not a phone so much as a state-of-the-art touch-screen computer that will also make phone calls if you really want it to, is a good example of this aspect of convergence.

In 2006 a commentator stated that “The mobile phone is still very much “a mass medium waiting for the kiss of life” (“Mobile Marketing Pitfalls”, 2006). That is to say, it is a “sleeper” advertising medium, like Sleeping Beauty, an emerging advertising market with an enormous potential, which is still far from being realized. (O’Shea, 2007b) Some years on the Prince has arrived as the phenomenon of digital media convergence, the “coming together” of technologies for media consumption, production, and distribution. (Jenkins 2006)

Forward thinking marketers were realising there are better ways in which smart ads can be implemented. To them the ultimate medium for smart ads would be a device that would enable advertisers to target specific individuals and send or show them their supposedly relevant ads anytime of the day at anyplace. The device that fits this criterion is the mobile phone. Even the big players such as Apple and Google recognised the new playing field and proceeded to set up iAd and AdMob respectively.

From Adidas to Zohan (movie), AdMob has run hundreds of successful mobile advertising campaigns for major brands

The mobile phone was described by advertisers as the “next great conduit between consumers and advertisers”. (Wilken, R. and Sinclair, J. 'Waiting for the Kiss of Life'). Whilst it seems simple enough that advertisers propose their advertisements and the mobile services produce these on their product, an issue arises that means extensive analysis and examination goes into deciding the lucky advertisement. The criterion in which this analysis follows is made to satisfy the “ecosystem” theory. The key features of this system are the relationships between the mobile operators, the advertisers, the content providers, and the handset manufacturers. All of which aim to benefit their own market but in doing so must benefit the consumer. (Wilken, R. and Sinclair, J. 'Waiting for the Kiss of Life')

It’s Free but comes at a Cost. Popups.

All advertising agencies are encouraged and motivated to utilize the opportunity to advertise in such an immediate and one on one way but at the same time are extremely sensitive about alienating consumers by inundating them with unwanted advertising appeals: this is where agencies step lightly as they do not want to risk losing their clients, the companies do not want to brand or product backlash, and the mobile operators do not want a consumer revolt and migration to their competitors.

For the consumer, fear of spam, in combination with the widely held judgment that the mobile device is arguably the most private medium there is’ (Deign, 2006 34) is the reason for consumer to be reluctant in accepting mobile advertising messages.

Consumers are most of the time the victim of unconscious advertisement exposure. As soon as any mobile device is activated, 100% of the time, either a contact number or email address is required. They are automatically vulnerable to uncontrollable advertisement notifications. When given the option to deactivate the on going unwanted notifications, the consumer must run through a process that exposes them or detours them through a website, call center/sms system.

Today with the Internet being a prime example of converged media within the mobile phone, it has become increasingly popular in advertising. It is now considered “a portal” (Wilken, R. and Sinclair, J. 'Waiting for the Kiss of Life') to the mobile internet and thus connects advertisers and providers more directly with consumers and this can be done through various forms of technology. E.g. Geo-tagging. A good example is the power of the “check-in” on facebook. In order to “check-in” you must be on a mobile device. Not until recent times, high corporate companies realized the promotional benefits involved with “check-in”. E.g. Hungry Jacks fast food has introduced a “check-in for a cheese burger” campaign. The idea is simple. A “check-in” at Hungry Jacks is all it takes for redemption of a free cheeseburger. To the consumer this is an easy process leading to a reasonable reward but to Hungry Jacks it is a small price to pay for huge advertising benefits. Constant exposition of “Hungary Jacks” flooding news feed after news feed on facebook is advertising heaven with over 921,301,880 facebook users.

The business and culture of our digital lives, from the L.A. Times

Advertising on mobile phones up 128% in last 2 years, study says

June 7, 2011

To conclude, evolution of the smart phone in media creations, consumption and distribution is just a representative of the transformation change resulting from the digital revolution. The world’s swift advances in the technological sector both advertising and new media are apt to continuous change. Focuses on practical media are now being rather for-seen and instead the need to please consumers with desirable mediums, features and something are becoming a priority.

References

Unit References:

- Jenkins, H., 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. s.l.:New York, New York University Press

Friday, September 14, 2012

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