Discuss the phenomenon of digital media convergence in relation to Advertising & New Media

Discuss the phenomenon of digital media convergence in relation to Advertising & New Media
Joshua Brogan
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Technological advancements from the beginning of this millennium have forced both producers of commercial products and advertisers to adapt or perish to the new media environment. While the last century was a comparatively easier period in which to market, there is a ready availability of media across multiple devices today, and the option to simply find something else to watch or listen to, creating a “new millennium market – individualised, differentiated and flexible” (Khamis, 2012). In addition, the rough stretch of Marketing’s “mid-life crisis” (Doyle, 1995) contributed towards the need to mature and adapt. This, in turn, makes the necessity of quality advertising vital. While print media is becoming harder to market oneself through, many are finding innovative ways to sell over a variety of new platforms, including ground-breaking online and cell-phone advertising and readjustments of former holdings, such as televisual and outdoor advertising. All reflect the need for growth in advertising in a period where media is available practically anywhere.

Today, advertising online, on television and on the street is so common that many have either become immune to the efforts of advertisers, or simply don’t realise that a product is being sold right before their eyes. Thus, the need for intelligent and compelling advertising has risen over the past decade, to ensure that the message intended is received. Many agencies or firms do so through the implementation of multiple media platforms. For example, in the weeks leading up the Commonwealth Bank campaign “Ode to Can”, bus benches and billboards were labelled minimally with the word “CAN’T” and a link that, when visited, was just as obscure. 

The "Can't" campaign website before the release

Although ambiguous advertising can often be challenging and frustrating for some consumers, causing disinterest, the vast nature with which the bank took at the concept led many to check back frequently to see just what was on offer. The firm behind the project, M&C Saatchi, understood that many consumers now interact with services like the Commonwealth Bank online, and created a campaign reflecting the need for marketing that caters the current media environment by stressing an online focus. Advertisers who still invest in print and outdoor media are fast coming around to this new necessity, echoed through numerous advertisements with a barcode that, when scanned with a phone, leads to more information about what is being advertised. Although online advertising has caused other forms to suffer, marketers that understand digital convergence have begun to integrate multiple platforms to a wider share of success.

Televisual marketing is a challenging format in which to compete, because the amount of programming available means advertisers have a severely limited time to hook the viewer. Thus, many are again resuming in-program advertising. Product placement is by no means a new concept, but is being incorporated in more inventive and clever ways than ever before to contest the wavering interest. “Mad Men”, AMC’s 60’s period drama about an advertising firm on Madison Avenue, features references and storylines focusing on products of both the time period and of their sponsors; in one episode, German beer manufacturer Heineken were a featured company on the program, and while broadcast, a single advertisement was played during breaks – a Heineken beer ad. 

Two examples of the way "Mad Men" slips product placement into episode - through the alcohol the characters drink

Other shows, like “Breaking Bad”, are less forward about their advertising but still promote products vigorously. In a recent episode, two characters purchasing new cars plays out much like an advertisement for Dodge and Chrysler. In an age when the internet will more often than not be the first place such a show is seen, advertising within the program gives the marketing a second life – not just on television, but also hours later on legal streaming sites and less reputable torrent services, increasing the scope of their advertisement often twofold or more. Such a distinction over multiple platforms echoes the way in which the convergence of media is being effectively utilized by advertisers. 

For advertisers, the smartphone culture of recent times been a revolution, and the functionality of 3G technology has “worked increasingly as a kind of mobile 'portal' to connect consumers with the internet and, by extension, advertisers and content providers” (Wilken and Sinclair, 2009, pp. 440). The iPhone has led the way in digital media convergence through its widely accessible features that have opened a variety of doors for consumers to interact with and receive media. For example, many television commercials now include a small prompt in a corner to “Shazam” a piece of music playing by using the popular Apple application. By doing so, the consumer is then offered not only a free download of said music, but also information on the product advertised and links to purchase. By combining both the offer of something free with easily accessible ways to spend their money, advertisers have broken down traditional and more challenging ways to market their products to consumers, and instead have utilised digital convergence to maximise connection with them.

The digitization and thus convergence of media and the internet phenomenon have exceeded any original expectations, and today rival any other media source, if not topping them. Online advertising consistently surpasses print and out-of-home advertising spending (Spurgeon, 2008, pp.25). Many free online services now implement advertising to create profit, yet equilibrium must be found between promoting frequently and not flooding users with advertisements so as to not turn them away. For example, Spotify and Youtube both apply advertisements at a steady rate, but for a fixed price paid monthly will offer to remove them. This guarantees that, even if they choose to keep the advertisements on, profit is certain, and due to the desire for digital content, and audience will always exist. The convergence of video onto a singular website, or the availability of a colossal library of music with but a few advertisements to endure demonstrates how effective advertising can be due to the convergence of digital media onto multiple platforms.

Advertising pulled out of its slump in the 1990’s and sits comfortably today amidst a growing technological environment. With further availability of media across phones, television and the internet, advertisers can continue to create a variety of new and innovative ways to sell and market products.

Bibliography: 

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Khamis, S. (2012) “Advertising and New Media”, MAS110 Introduction To Digital Media lecture, 22 August, Macquarie University, unpublished

Sauer, A. (2011) “Mad Men Fight Proves Product Placement Critics Wrong”, Brandchannel [online] Available at: <http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post
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Sinclair, J. and Wilken, R. (2009) “Waiting for the Kiss of Life: Mobile Media and Advertising” Convergence: The Journal of Research into New Media [e-journal] 15 (5) pp. 427-445. Available through: Sage Journals database [Accessed 20 August]

Spurgeon, C. (2008) "Advertising and New Media", Routledge, Oxon. pp. 24-45.