Wednesday, October 29, 2008

New Ways to Advertise

The market is trying to steer the consumers away from the thought that a recession might be forthcoming. Advertising is trying to put on a happy face for the consumer to keep up the buying game. But in light of the current economy, media spending is being cut to the bone by most brands to try to weather the projected oncoming storm. Business will continue on and the holidays are fast approaching which typically brings out more consumer exchanges.

So where will the advertisers turn to generate exposure?

We are all familiar with advertising because we are accustomed to the seemingly constant barrage of information from products or services from any number of avenues including television, radio, magazines, newspapers, billboards, Internet, etc. Anywhere there is access to visual, audio, or printed information; it is fair game for advertisements. (Photo)

Marketing on the Internet has exploded and will likely grow even larger in the coming years. Strategies for advertising on the Internet are still in their growing stages, but many agencies have acquired the technical capabilities to operate effectively using a variety of forms such as pop ups (which I hate!), pop unders, flash, banner, pay per click, adsense, and email advertisements (AKA spam).

With the popularity of TiVo and other DVR capabilities, television viewers can record programs for later viewing and typically fast forward through the commercials making them less viable. Plus, more and more people are using the Internet to watch their favorite television shows via YouTube, Hulu, and others. This trend makes traditional advertising have less of an impact on our society.

There is also a growing trend of niche or targeted ads which focus on a specific audience. In the past, advertising was approached in a ‘blanket’ manner to market to the mass audience which is a hit-and-miss approach. Focusing on smaller targeted groups makes the advertisements carry more relevance to the viewers. This type of advertising is more effective even though it reaches smaller audiences.

Interactive Phone-Small Screen-Big Opportunities!

Yes, the iPhone is here and is the hot ticket item to buy even in our worried economy. Advertising on the iPhone is the next big trend that will cast its shadow over television commercials. “There are 405 million mobile internet users worldwide, according to Internet research firm eMarketer, and within four years this number is expected to double. Google mobile ads allow you to target this large and growing audience while they're on the go.” (Oct. 2008.)

Google Mobile Ads look like typical desktop web pages, only smaller. All mobile image ads are keyword-targeted and link to a mobile web page. Only one image per mobile page is advertised to provide better visual connection for the mobile viewer. It is based on the pay-per-click method that Google has used for years. “Contextual targeting keeps ads relevant, and with only one mobile image ad shown per page, you can uninhibitedly browse mobile websites while clicking only on the ads that interest you.” (Oct. 2008.)

By using Google Mobile Ads, advertisers have the options to track impressions and clicks, target by language and mobile carrier, provide call to action links, and more. (To learn more, read the mobile ads FAQ in the Google AdWords Help Center.)

As more brands become aware of the expanding shift that iPhones are providing, they will undoubtedly follow the consumers pace to utilize this budding technology structure. Brands will see the need to become compatible with the smaller screens to promote themselves.

MoboVivo is a company that is specific to i-users of today, be it iPhone, iPod, and other portable devices. It is made specifically for people on the go. MoboVivo distributes TV shows, movies, and music specially made for use on these mobile devices. But it also works on desktops and laptops as well. MoboVivo states they have licenses for this content to be viewed on their site. They offer a delivery program which allows users to buy the program via the iPhone. An email will then provide the download link.


Those of you who Twitter can appreciate this next iPhone experience. Twinkle is the iPhone Twitter experience with a twist. Twinkle lets you use the iPhone’s location feature to add location data that can also seek “near me” that will show comments from people within a certain distance of your location. No doubt someone innovative will think up a way to use this to advertise. Maybe restaurants could promote their daily specials when the location data is triggered or stores in a certain area could advertise their great value for the day… or whatever. It seems endless. (Photo).


I do not mind advertising. Someone must promote the widget or I will not know it exists. If I do not know it exists, how will I know if I want it or not… BUT it could easily get out of control. For instance, these political ads are outta control. I will be glad once they have ran their course.

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