Friday, August 31, 2012

Advertising Convergence Essay



     Advertising & New Media Convergence 


  Advertising has been apart of our society for over a century. In the beginning, people could browse new merchandise and household items in newspapers and posters. Some more controversial than others, but the product was being brought to peoples’ attention and they in turn were affected by it. Looking back at old ads, we can see how different life was back then and how it shaped society. Today, there are significant amounts of advertizing as well as the ways in which we view it all.
      Advertising has been reconstructed and reworked over time. Technology has made it easier for us to view ads and media. Phones may be the most advanced way to view media in this day and age. In the reader, an article titled “Worship at the Altar of Convergence: A New Paradigm for Understanding Media Change”, the author mentions that finding a simple phone just to make calls doesn’t exist anymore, because “No body wants them.”(Jenkins, 2006) They have apps for music, movies, games, and many more. Phones have become the must-have device for most people. With phones today, we can watch TV shows, browse the internet, and connect with our friends, not only with texting, but also with apps for Facebook and Twitter.

      Having the internet in the palm of our hands has made advertising more noticeable. Twitter constantly has a “promoted” tweet with announcements for a new show or an ad for a new soft drink. Facebook has ads all along the side bar as well. When downloading free games on an iPhone, there are pop up ads all the time. Even using Youtube on our phones there are mandatory ads we must watch in order to view the video we selected. However, according to some, the “predictions for global mobile ‘ad-spend’ in 2011 will still represent only about 2 percent of world-wide advertising expenditure.” (Wilken and Sinclair, 2009)

      The phone has been a huge media convergence over the last decade. Not only does it keep us connected to one another, but also it is a big source of entertainment. Media companies know this. “Convergence requires media companies to rethink old assumptions about what it means to consume media, assumptions that shape both the programming and marketing decisions.” (Jenkins, 2006)

Companies are aware that technology is growing and people want information as soon as they can get it. In the United States, there was a cell phone commercial about having the fastest phone. In the commercial, someone was on their phone while people would come up to them asking if they heard about this or that. The person would respond saying, “That was so fifteen seconds ago.” This went on for the duration of the commercial, and many more commercials like that followed.  The cell phone company’s ad made it appear that they had the fastest services so we’d never be left behind when it came to getting information.


Advertising companies know that people use their phones the majority of the time. They want us, as customers of a mobile company, to know their product. “There is a growing friction with other interested parties, all of whom want greater direct access to mobile consumers… Content providers, advertisers, and their agencies… are all taking steps to better position themselves for a greater share of the global mobile media market pie.” (Wilkin and Sinclair, 2009) Companies are redirecting their focus on the mobile video market by making deals with one another so that their products can be seen while people are on their phones.

In a Forbes article, “How Google is Driving Mobile Market Growth”, it talks about how Google is being pushed by advertising customers to bring video to mobile. Youtube is becoming more profitable and people are uploading million of videos a day. Advertising companies want Google to “accelerate the development of video on mobile.” (Columbus, 2012) Even Google is changing the way it works.

With the constant change in technology, it’s easy to see why companies try to get their names out their in a better, more efficient way. We might not always notice these ads, but we subconsciously remember them. It’s safe to assume most people don’t just use their phones to call one another anymore. It has been a source of information for us all, and a way advertising companies can bring their products to the palm of our hands.





References: 

Columbus, Louis. "How Google Is Driving Mobile Video Market Growth."      Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 27 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 Aug. 2012.      <http://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2012/08/27/h      w-google-is      driving-mobile-video-market-growth/>.

Wilken, Rowan, and John Sinclair. "Waiting for the Kiss of      Life: Mobile Media      and Advertising." Convergence (2009):n. pag. Sage. Web. 30 Aug. 2012.

Jenkins, N. (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. NY      University Press



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