online essay

MAS110 - Online Essay: Discuss the phenomenon of digital media convergence in relation to advertising and new media

Rob Stilwell

42874661

Sarah Keith 

Since the commercialisation of the internet in 1995, technology and its popularity in society has grown globally at an uncanny pace. Some of the latest devices and applications have brought what would have previously been two or more separate devices or applications into one. The smart phone and contemporary social media websites such as Facebook both have brought many functions of different media devices into one. Digital media convergence is what this process has been described as, and it has, and continues to change and challenge many different industries today. With the introduction of new mediums for viewing content, one of the most significant industries that it has challenged has been the advertising industry. As a result of digital media convergence, advertisers have had to evolve in order to continuously reach their targeted customer. New strategies for connecting with the consumer have been required to be employed by advertisers in this modern society of constant technological progression. Discussed in this essay will be the phenomenon of digital media convergence and the challenges and opportunities it has presented to advertising.

Originally, with the mediums of television and radio to work with, advertisers knew that the consumer's attention would be forced upon their advertisement when it was broadcasted live at specific times. Also known to the advertiser were the programs the advertisements would be viewed in conjunction with. Knowing all these facts made it somewhat easy for advertisers to effectively penetrate their targeted consumer at the right time. Demonstrated in the following photo is an example of a perfect time for advertisers to penetrate the market of fast foods. Known to the advertiser would be the time that families are expected to be sitting down for dinner. Moreover, the advertisement could have been used in conjunction with a program such as Masterchef, of which will have already somewhat made the viewers hungry.

 

However the introduction of the internet provided immense new challenges as well as opportunities to advertisers, and they were required to rethink their marketing strategies in order to grasp the attention of the modern internet user. Not only has the internet medium become another accessible option for viewing content, but it is arguably in the process of taking over the older media of the press, television and radio. The internet medium has been recorded as the fastest ever growing medium and is not showing any signs of slowing down. In fact it is quite the opposite. With the introduction of social media as well as internet usage on mobile phones, the internet, particularly in Australia, is on a seemingly unbreakable rise. As consumers have increasingly spent more time viewing video online, advertisers have found ways to engage this audience with their branded videos (Southgate, Westoby and Page, 2010).

A new phenomenon that has arisen in the advertising industry in an attempt to account for the rapid changeover from television to internet is viral advertising. Viral advertising refers to the idea of the consumers spreading a particular advertisement themselves. Rather than displaying it in many different locations, advertisers create one video, or one image in the hope that it will be spread by impressed consumers. Thus this method proves to be far cheaper than original advertising on radio, television or in public spaces, however it does require more skill and clever ideas for catching the consumer's attention in order for it to be a successful form of advertising. The following video is an example of an adverting campaign from Volkswagen that proved to become incredibly popular among the public.

After just one year of being uploaded to YouTube, this video has received over 54 million views. It is a perfect demonstration of advertisers taking full advantage of societies' new found habits of watching video online, and slowly moving away from television. Viral advertising succeeds among modern users of the internet as it complements the actions of the consumer that new media has cultivated. For example, a consumer that was entertained by this advertisement would be able to email the video to a friend. This is exactly the result that the Volkswagen advertisers were looking for, and they undoubtedly succeeded in making their 2011 campaign viral. With the growing popularity of smart phones and tablets, the video market for advertisers can only grow larger.

Mobile media, in particular mobile phones, can now be seen and heard everywhere and form an intrinsic part of the daily lives of billions of people worldwide (Sinclair, J and Wilken, R, 2009). The introduction of tablets and smart phones to society has seen an immense rise the popularity of online video, as users of these devices may now access the internet anywhere within a country that provides '3G' internet conections. Users of these devices are also able to use search engines wherever they please and the use of search engines by users has provided a huge new market for advertisers. Spurgeon states in her 2008 journal article, 'The internet search engine is, perhaps, the single most important development for informational advertising since the time of the first paid newspaper advertisements or the telephone directory'. A recent and powerful discovery for advertisers has been for companies to collect search items from individual users, and using these items they have searched for within the search engine, provide advertisements to the user that relate to the searches made.

Over the time of the developments of these new media, audiences have fragmented and have never before been less confined. This concept has proved to be a significant challenge for the modern advertiser. However new techniques such as viral advertising as well as making use of search engines to acquire users tastes have been just some of the measures that advertisers have taken to. With the constant progression of technology in society, advertisers will need to be on their toes as consumers will tire and become ignorant of old and classic forms of advertising. The most successful forms of advertising will always make full use of the latest technology, as these new forms of advertising will prove most significant in attracting the attention of contemprary technologically advanced consumers.

Reference List

• ·        Sinclair, J and Wilken, R 2009 'Waiting for the kiss of life : mobile media and advertising' Convergence: the journal of research into new media, vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 427-445
• ·        Spurgeon, C 2008, 'From the 'Long Tail' to 'Madison and Vine'', Advertising and New Media, Oxon, Routledge, pp. 24-45
• ·        Southgate, D, Westoby, N, Page, G, 2010, 'Creative determinants of viral video viewing', International Journal of Advertising, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 349-368
• ·        DinnerTool, The Pros and Cons of Watching TV While You Eat, viewed 30 August 2012,  <http://www.dinnertool.com/pros-and-cons-watching-tv-while-you-eat>.

Media Convergence in Advertising and New Media - Bridget Langtry

Media Convergence within Advertising & New Media: the new age of product placement and "consumer sovereignty"

Throughout contemporary society, the rapid development of technology has led to the phenomenon of digital media convergence. This process is constantly evolving and progressing, spreading across multiple media platforms allowing for effortless communication and interaction across the globe. In particular, this accessibility to share and produce information to such wide audiences has allowed for the rise in power of advertising and new media over modern consumers. Traditional media forms of television have combined with newer forms such as music video and social media via the Internet to expose both the informed, and unaware consumer to a multitude of marketing strategies in a way that has never been dreamed of before, allowing for advertising to shape and sustain the media that we consume. Within this discussion of media convergence I will specifically explore the growth of “consumer sovereignty” and the role of branded content as a prominent factor towards the success and dominance of the modern advertising world upon consumers.

In order to draw relationship between media convergence and advertising, it is important to have a strong understanding of the concept of media convergence. As stated by Dwyer, media convergence is the “ process whereby new technologies are accommodated by existing media and communication industries and cultures. The fact that the term is used to describe this adaptation, merging together and transitioning process, is an indication that the ongoing confrontation of old and new technologies is complex and multilayered” (Dwyer 2010).  In recent years, the emergence of the social network across Internet and mobile devices has become a prominent and highly accessible source of communication between consumers. There is an increasing number of ways for consumers to share and distribute information, creating effortless communication in the modern world. A notable example of this accessibility and opportunity for communication is evident through the social networking of the U.S government. The Whitehouse currently communicates to global consumers via nine different platforms over the Internet alone – their official website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Flickr, Vimeo, LinkedIn and iTunes. Through this example we can draw similarities to understand that this revolution in opportunity, has allowed for dynamic, entertaining and less obtrusive ways for advertisers to reach the modern consumer.

“Consumer sovereignty” is a significant notion of advertising that has emerged through the occurrence media convergence. This notion recognizes that the “buyer” or consumer determines what is sold in the marketplace, which is commonly through interaction via the Internet. In a world of consumer sovereignty, the consumer is king and their technological communication across a global level is the driving force behind a product’s success. The viral video campaign is a particular strategy within consumer sovereignty where advertisers aim to create usually a humorous and entertaining advertisement, which is then shared via social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  These sites are used as a sort of ‘launch pad’, relying on the active consumer to share and simultaneously market their brand through their interaction with other consumers. Even more importantly, the viral video campaign cuts large marketing costs for brands as they do not rely on television airtime or specifically targeted Internet space to gain consumer attention. Instead they rely on the popularity and inevitable interaction of consumers to spread recognition for them.

In 2010, U.S men’s hygiene and grooming brand, Old Spice, made perhaps one of the most memorable viral video campaigns to date. The company used YouTube to launch a very humorous and dynamic thirty-second advertisement for their body wash starring former NFL player Isaiah Mustafa. Following its launch quickly attracted millions of viewers and the advertisement took the social media world by storm. The sharing and interaction with the brand and video brought Old Spice immediate success, as consumers world-wide could now make instant recognition of the brand, bringing along associations and entertainment and humor with it to create a strong and positive advertiser and consumer relationship. Furthermore, in her discussion of brand engagement, Morrison states “Allowing consumers to interact with content allows new levels of creativity and engagement as people create their own stories where brands play a role: either as a facilitator or an actual character” (Morrison 2009). Thus demonstrating further demonstrating how the marketability and global power of the brand is increased.

Although, these viral video campaigns can serve as an excellent marketing technique for companies, it is also a difficult strategy to successfully adopt. Advertisers creating a viral video campaign for Smartwater starring Jennifer Aniston particularly recognized this notion, where particular marketing techniques such as cute animals and dancing babies were addressed and used in their ad, aiming to create the ultimate viral video campaign, which can be seen opposite.

Considering these issues addressed in the Smartwater campaign, it is important to note that not every brand can so successfully break through the monotony and typical mold of uninspired advertisements to reach the swaying attention of consumers. Thus the introduction of product placement has also proven as a successful strategy to indirectly market their products, whilst counteracting the avoidance issue, as consumers can now view television online to skip past the influx of advertising in modern television. Product placement is referred to as “an advertising technique, in which a brand name product is inserted into a scene of a television show or movie.” (Ho Yu 2006). 

As evident in the above video, Lady Gaga’s music video has merged with advertising to successfully market multiple brands such as VirginMobile, Plentyoffish.com and Ray-Ban, without drawing obvious attention to the products like a direct television advertisement would. The incorporation of these brands into the music video of an international pop superstar increases their desirability to consumers and creates positive associations with the brands. Social media sites like YouTube and Facebook emerging through media convergence further facilitate the spread of branded content and brand recognition, as these music videos can easily be shared via various social networking sites, demonstrating the effectiveness and high exposure of consumers to product placement.     

Thus it is evident that through the process of technological media convergence and the interaction of consumers within social media that advertisers are now able to market products to consumers more successfully than ever before, giving them an ultimate position of power within the realm of media.

Bridget Langtry - 42442079

Reference List:

Dwyer, T 2010, Media Convergence, McGraw Hill, Berkshire, pp. 1-23.

Ho Yu, C 2006, 'Ethical Issue of Product Placement and Manipulation', In-film Advertising: Brand Positing Strategy, 31st January, pp. 2-14, viewed 9 June 2012 <https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:NdHCOgEzCW4J:www.creative-wisdom.com/education/hps/placement.pdf+creative+wisdom+product+placement&hl=en&gl=au&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjj0a7s3hzIvdLqHNZTXMujO29R2BoET73Lj7oCiUICd8nYJAZhNicTJthLskBELg-WjLo9SEY9LywP5NzRJRE5pP7hQjnHWYZJPKqOEfGhG0991x9Qu7J7wsFiNk2ebw99u-vY&sig=AHIEtbQaCkTD4pwe5ZGNwGNVd_3_oZaKBw>

Jenkins, H 2006, Convergence Culture, New York, New York University Press, pp 1-24.

Morrison, D & Sheehan, K 2009 ‘Beyond convergence: Confluence culture and the role of the advertising agency in a changing world’ in First Monday, vol. 14 no. 3, viewed 29 August 2012, <http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2239/2121>

Understanding convergence culture 2012, viewed 30 August 2012, <http://anightsatthemovies.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/understanding-convergence-culture/>

Media Convergence in Music Videos Online

Music Videos Online

Devices around the world are accomplishing more and more tasks as the year’s progress. A mobile isn’t strictly a mobile phone anymore but rather a web browser, mp3 player, television, radio, and planner and pretty much anything someone may need in their work or leisure time. It’s become a phenomenon that has taken control of the media and modern technology. While society doesn’t need a television that’s also a phone and a calendar, advertising can allow it to become something that will be desired. Divergence has allowed for one object to have many purposes. Music videos online are a prominent example of such divergence but not to be shed in a negative light.

Online streaming has, in a way, overshadowed broadcasting, especially in the beginning of this new decade. While the television and radio play a large role in the everyday life of most westernised people, the growing importance of streaming is slowly taking the limelight. YouTube alone has completely changed the way the world views information and shares thoughts, skills and just about anything that can be placed in video format that is legal. It allowed for anything to be spread by the ‘word of mouth’ (Hilderbrand 2007, p. 28) which brings forward the importance of the music video spectrum within online streaming. 

Over the years, music has allowed for musicians with a fan base of a few thousands to shoot to the millions. For example, musicians like OK Go, Sick Puppies and Lucky Date used and/or shot to stardom and recognition by simply abusing the idea that YouTube was a site made and viewed by the people. OK Go’s hit ‘Here It Goes Again’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA) allowed for a video of four adults running on hired treadmills in a fairly choreographed manner. This depicted ways in which music videos were more than just good looking women dancing around musicians lip syncing but rather a way to catch and withhold the audience’s attention either through humour or curiosity. Another example may be Lucky Date. While not entirely well known around mainstream media, he is an electronic producer whom started by simply making YouTube tutorials on how to use a music production software. This caught the attention of thousands of YouTubers as this quickly pushed him to gain recognition within the field of electronic music. One tutorial video alone has gather over 300 000 views (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggsHn-hwph0&feature=plcp). These are only a minor amount of examples to indicate the phenomenon that is online music videos.

Evidently, the internet was not something accessed by people in the eighties and seventies thus preventing music videos to be broadcasted on any other platforms than televisions. One of the most revolutionary steps in the music industry is MTV, a channel that revolved around music videos. It expanded over the music on the radio and dawned a new age in media as it took music to a whole new media form. ‘Video Killer the Radio Star’ by The Buggles, is a world renown song that depicted the change in which music was heading and ‘the ambitions of a company who wanted to significantly influence popular culture’ (Vidyarthi 2010). Skip ahead to around 2004 to 2005 where MySpace and YouTube grew to popularity and the music video industry faced the rising power of convergent media. Streaming is now the norm of spreading music abilities as it allows the audience to choose one’s popularity rather than the mass media industries.

This, on the other hand, does not mean that industries like MTV do not abuse the idea of online music video streaming. YouTube has introduced its own version of MTV by joining with ‘Vevo,’ a music streaming site. By accompanying the internet streaming market, it has gathered 50 million visitors monthly (Vidyarthi 2010). Simply explained, it became a range of YouTube channels dedicated to specific musicians owned by record labels. It also uses its popularity to promote other musicians. For example, http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/401/vevo1.jpg/sr=1 shows the way Nelly Futardo’s song ‘Say it Right’ can be used to advertise Pink’s new song thus simply gathering thousands of more views for their channel. This also correlates well with the idea that videos with a high view count will gather money along the way. YouTube has become a method of self controlled advertising with a monetary reward. When a video gains a certain amount of views, YouTube will give the owner of the video money. This promotes the music video streaming in an impactful way as musicians do not need to rely on record labels to make a living but rather the attention of their fans.

While there are evident positives that can be gathered by the importance of divergent media and how music has revolved around it, there are many noted negatives. The way in which individuals can access media so easily has greatly impacted how broadcasting facilitates. Paul Graham states that television networks have had to respond to the internet’s popularity by grudgingly placing their ‘stuff’ online (2009). While television stations wish to have their audience access their entertainment over a television, it is now necessary for them to accept the idea that the internet is now a ‘primary medium’ (Graham 2009). This has greatly affected channels like MTV as a high percentage of the music is practically accessed online while the channel predominately plays television shows. It’s the irony of having the title ‘Music Television’ when music is such a rarity on the channel. Thus indicating that, while broadcasting won’t die anytime soon, it has to accept the idea that the internet is an instantly accessed, conventional norm of society.

In summation, convergence has been portrayed negatively over the years and while it does have predominant draw backs for the media, it cannot be ignored that it is the future of viewing and obtaining information and entertainment. That being said, it does not mean broadcasting will deplete as ‘old media never die’ (Jenkins 2006) just the way in which we obtain it. The music video industry alone is a dictator of how far convergence has proceeded. Streaming music videos not only have provided a new norm in entertainment but has also reconceptualised in what a music video actually is.  

Reference List

Graham P 2009, Why TV Lost, http://www.paulgraham.com/convergence.html, Accessed 30 August 2012

Hilderbrand, L. (2007) 'Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright
Converge', Film Quarterly, Vol 61, pp 48-57

Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence Culture, New York, New York University Press, pp 1-24.

Vidyarthi N 2010, A Brief History Of MTV, Vevo, YouTube and the Online Music Video - SocialTimes. http://socialtimes.com/mtv-vevo-youtube-online-music-video-history_b23698, Accessed 27 August 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

Jack Brooks- The benefits of digital media convergence in Advertising

Jack Brooks

42862655

MAS110- Assessment One- Essay

The phenomenon of digital media convergence within Advertising as a result of new media and the latest technologies have greatly benefitted the industry. As various companies produce campaigns to market a brand’s product it is clear the way in which these viral mediums aid the traditional advertising strategies. Through study of Virgin’s Fair Go Bro! campaign and the Gruen Planet’s dissection of the industry, the benefits of social media and the Internet as a tool for the industry are clear. Yet, new media’s such as social media and the power the consumer has within today’s advertising highlights some of the detriments digital media convergence can have. Ultimately, these detriments are outweighed by the benefits digital media convergence has had on the industry due to the new media inserted into advertising.

This phenomenon is extremely clear through the convergence of new media’s in advertising. Advertising companies no longer use single advertisements to market their product, but use a “… viral campaign… in the hope that consumers would ‘actively propel them through social networks’” (Spurgeon, 2008: 40). Khamis further reiterates the effectiveness of these viral campaigns; in the way advertisers can reach larger publicity through social media websites and their ability to cut costs spent in promotional advertising (2012). Gruen Planet’s 29^th August 2012 episode discussed the successfulness of Virgin’s viral campaign Fair Go Bro! starring Brad Pitt’s brother Doug. Anderson stated that Pitt “…flew in last week for three day media blitz; he did interviews with four TV shows, thirteen radio shows, five magazines, four newspapers and fifteen websites. According to media monitors he had 191 mentions on TV shows” the panel goes on to talk about the success the ad had in garnering such attention from the mass media.

 

Picture of Doug Pitt from Fair Go Bro! Advertisement (image taken from http://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/features/five-minutes-with-doug-pitt/87267.htm)

The campaign is a useful case study as it highlights the success an advertisement with the aid of social media can have in marketing a brand, by reaching audience in a cost free way. By producing cost free marketing Virgin is able to gain mass awareness, further shown through Channel 7 and 10’s coverage of the Fair Go Bro! campaign (Gruen Planet, 2012). The interest shown by audiences on new forms of media gave both news teams reason to report but moreover a validated reason for Virgin to gain free exposure on prime time television. Ultimately the campaign highlights how the convergences of new forms of media are benefitting advertising as it garners more attention through social networking and public interest.

Virgin Mobile's Fair Go Bro! campaign

The benefits of digital media convergence within advertising are further seen through the way in which Advertisers are able to frequently reach the consumer. Advertisers are no longer restricted in the way they market a product, but able to attract a ever-moving audience through the latest media forms (Khamis, 2012). Through the Internet and the way social media is planted throughout traditional forms of media, producers are able to keep a viral relationship with their audiences. Breaking down the limitations of conventional media, by giving the consumer a direct relationship with the advertisement at any place or any time through social media and ease of access to the Internet (Spurgeon, 2012). Jenkins suggests how digital media convergence is a great success for the advertising industry and the consumer as it allows audiences to become apart of the campaign on a personal level (2006: 3-4). By constantly being able to reach the consumer through new media the Advertising industry has been further benefitted due to this phenomenon.

The Gruen Panel: Wil Anderson, Todd Sampson and Russell Howcroft

The Gruen Panel further went to discuss the way in which advertising uses the new media form of Facebook pages and how at the end of advertisements or at the bottom posters it has the ‘like’ symbol. The panel discusses how the convergence of advertisements and social media can benefit the industry but also be a detriment. As the consumer has the ability to ‘like’ a product on Facebook, Todd Sampson from the Gruen Planet panel suggests that”…pressing the ‘like’ button is a very good analytical tool… danger of ‘like’, is it pushes us all towards the middle.  Because it forces us to do what’s popular instead of what’s different” (2012). Sampson is referring to the success the ‘like’ button has in promoting a product, giving reference to the Nike page that has 10, 495, 161 (Gruen Planet, 2012), yet the vulnerability it has in taking out the individuality of the consumer. Although social media and the Internet are able to benefit the industry by increasing awareness for a campaign they do not necessarily equate to sales. Russell Howard calls this the ‘Facebook fairy’, faulting the belief that “…we’re gonna put our campaign on Facebook. Everyone’s gonna like it and then its gonna sprinkle sales across the country” (Gruen Planet, 2012). Therefore, the digital media convergence of social media and advertising do act as a benefit in terms of increasing a brand’s awareness but are detrimental to the individualism and sales of a product.

 Eli Pariser’s 2011 lecture- Beware of online ‘filter bubbles’ ’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ofWFx525s

The growing technologies of the Internet have greatly benefitted advertisers, as they are able to gain a better understanding of the consumer to find where best to market their product. Eli Pariser gave a lecture in 2009 about the way in which search engines such as Google and Yahoo and social media websites Facebook and YouTube have the ability to monitor an individuals search options to then produce results that are personalized for that individual. “…The Internet search engine is, perhaps, the single most important development for informational advertising” (Spurgeon, 2010:18) highlights the significance the search engine has for advertisers in giving them the ability to know where their target audience is and tactically position their advertisements. 

Yet, some forms of new media disadvantage the advertising industry by giving the individual enough power to avoid advertisements. With the convergence of new technology the distinction between the creator and consumer have been blurred causing what Sheehan and Morrison refer to as the ‘prosumer’ (2009). As a result, the way audiences now consume media has become synonymous with the way in which producers create media (Deuze, 2006: 696) giving audiences of today more power over the advertising industry than ever before. Meachen reiterates the increased power the consumer has in the way the industry recognizes the shift  “from an age dominated by mass communication to a future increasingly driven by one on one communication and entertainment channels where power is now with the end user”(2007). Deuze and Meachen articulate the way the phenomenon of digital media convergence has ultimately given television audiences the freedom to watch a program without advertising when they want to. The ability individuals have in fast-forwarding a TV advertisement is extremely harmful to the industry as it means individuals do not take the opportunity to watch the ads. The industry is further disadvantaged by Internet users ability to state their opinion about the product, via ‘posting’ or ‘commenting’, however damaging it is to the brand. The shift in power damages the advertising industry as audiences move into a ‘prosumer’ role that gives ultimate viewing power to the individual.

Ultimately digital media convergence has benefitted the advertising industry greatly due to the new technology available to the latest forms of media. Although these technologies have given consumers the ability to avoid advertising the benefits truly shine through. The use of the Internet, in particular social media, clearly illustrates the need for digital media convergence in the advertising industry.

References

Deuze, M 2006, ‘Collaboration, Participation and the Media: New media and society’ [online] 8(4) pp.691-698. Available at: http://www29.griffith.edu.au/imersd/draper/music2/collaboration_participation_media.pdf [accessed 29th August 2012}

Dwyer, T 2010, Media Convergence, Berkshire: McGraw Hill. pp. 1-23.

Gruen Planet, 2012, television program, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney, 29^th July

Jenkins, H 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York: New York University Press. pp. 1-24.

Khamis, S 2012, Advertising and New Media, MAS110 lecture, Macquarie University, 22^nd August 2012

Kligora C, 2011, Modern Advertising Methods, image, Online Marketing Denver, 30^th August 2012, http://www.onlinemarketingdenver.net/forms-advertising-2/

Paris, E 2011, Ideas worth spreading, video lecture, TED, viewed 13^th August 2012, http://video.ted.com/talk/podcast/2011/None/EliPariser_2011.mph

Spurgeon, C 2008, Advertising and New Media, Oxon: Routledge, pp. 24-45

Sheehan, K. and Morrison, D 2009, ‘beyond convergence: Confluence culture and the role of the advertising agency in a changing world’ [online]. Available at:

http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2239/2121 [Accessed 25th March 2012].