DIGITAL MEDIA CONVERGENCE
An increase in technology
over the past couple decades has resulted in an increase of accessibility of
information from all corners of the globe. This access can be attributed to the
effects of digital media convergence, which Jenkins (2006) defines as the "flow of content across multiple media
platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory
behaviour of audiences”. This phenomenon has forever changed the advertising
landscape. Due to the vast online
population, the speed of viral videos, popularity of social networking sites,
agencies can approach advertising in a much more imaginative and effective
manner. The successfulness of advertising in new online media forms can be
highlighted through the "Peugot: Take the Car Challenge" and
"Barbie & Ken get Social" online campaigns. 
The internet has become the fastest growing
media form in history which has opened up a wide range of prospects for the
advertising community who want to reach "distracted, distrustful and
disinterested consumers" (Spurgeon 2008). As Jenkins (2006) describes in his definition,
digital media convergence involves the "flow of content across multiple
media platforms". Technological convergence has resulted in the connection
of various media forms and devices which allows for content to move easily
through computers, mobiles, iPads, TVs, cameras etc. Due to the magnitude of
content flowing across these media forms, search engines like Google and Yahoo!
are very popular in aiding people track down certain information. These engines have taken advantage of the
possible advertising opportunities in various ways. Google uses an 'auction' system where
companies can bid for their positions on the Google Website adjacent to
specific key words that have been searched (Spurgeon 2008). Yahoo! has evolved
from just a search engine to become a leading lifestyle and entertainment
community portal. (Spurgeon 2008). Both
of these companies effectively managed to exploit the benefits that the digital
media world has to offer, and has successfully generated significant profit
through advertising online.
Due to the "migratory behaviour of
consumers"(Jenkins 2006) on the online world, advertisers have the chance
to reach a much wider audience than ever before. Advertisers use a number of
varying techniques only appropriate for
the digital world to promote products much more effectively. Two of these
techniques include online behavioural advertising and branded content. Online
behavioural advertising "consist of a first-party web-based behavioural
advertising where a web publisher collects users' browsing data from its own
web domain and serves advertisements accordingly across a site" (McStay
2011). By doing so companies can track and collate data about people's personal
interests and present them with advertisements they are more likely to be
interested in. Branded content involves the clever masking of advertising by
entertainment to try snare consumer's interest in their products. This
technique was created to avoid the "irritation and interruption"
(Spurgeon 2008) of regular advertising, and generate a more entertaining advertisement that
consumers would want to seek out. This concept was utilized effectively through
the "Peugot: Take a car Challenge" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHGjdGRK9PU) which was a take on the tradition
" 'touch-a-car' endurance competitions". The idea was that
challengers had to enter in a specific time, click on the car and hold that
click for as long as possible. The winner would win a week with the car of
their choice. During this entertaining game which ran for hours Peugot's
website "spat out over 9,000 words of pure sales information to help
brainwash contestants into wanting the car" (Hepburn 2011). The
originality as well as interactivity and subtleness of Peugot's advertising
further stresses the advertising capabilities which digital media convergence
has opened. 
Flow of content across media platforms is made
easier by the increased opportunity for
cooperation between media industries. "Confluence... occurs when
media industries are less task bound and merge together to allow content to
flow freely between them, empowering technologies and practices that are
adaptive and associative in nature" (Sheehan & Morrison 2009). This
confluence further demonstrates the effectiveness of online advertising as
companies work of each other to establish new creative ways to attract, inform
and sell to consumers. As stated by Sheehan and Morrison (2009)
"innovation occurs in ecosystems that overlap. Advertising’s innovation
ecosystem is dependent on the mixing of digital, intellectual, and creative
capital, which involves utilization of ideas from a range of people". This
innovation can be exemplified through the successful online campaign entitled
"Barbie & Ken get Social". In February 2011, to celebrate Ken's
50th anniversary and the unveiling of a new 'sweet-talking Ken' doll, Mattel inc
begun a wide scaled digital campaign. 7 years after their controversial
split, the campaign focuses on Ken's efforts to try win Barbie back. Firstly,
the toy company Mattel Inc. created fake accounts for Barbie and Ken across
three social platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. This ensured
the quick spread of Ken's hopes to woo Barbie and encouraged fans to follow
their adventure as well as interact with the accounts and post their thoughts
on the matter. During the campaign "Barbie’s Facebook Page experienced a
34% increase in fans and a 200% increase in engagement, through comments, likes
and shares" (Swallow 2011). Mattel Inc. also utilized Youtube by creating
a video of Ken visiting match.com only to find Barbie is his best match. A web
series was later fashioned entitled "Genuine Ken" and the site
BarbieandKen.com was launched where people could vote whether barbie should
take Ken back (For more information check out this article at http://mashable.com/2011/05/05/barbie-ken-social-media/) This campaign ended with the reuniting of Barbie and Ken and as
a huge success. Mattel Inc effectively utilized a majority of media platforms
available on the net to ensure a balance of entertainment/interactivity and
advertising.
The digital world is forever expanding, opening
up new ideas for thought and creativity. Digital media convergence is
effectively linking the world bringing together different cultures, companies
and offering an endless supply of information, content and entertainment. This
has enhanced the advertising community's ability to promote products as they
are presented with a medium with infinite opportunity for creativity, an
audience that spreads the globe and the convenience of branching out and
merging with other companies and industries. These qualities are highlighted in
the below video which is ironically promoting print media. All in all, digital media
convergence has consequently led to an efficient and effectual form of
advertising.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hepburn, A 2011. "Peugot: Take the Car Challenge",
DigitalBuzzblog, June 28. Viewed 23rd August, <http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/peugeot-take-the-car-challenge/>
McStay, A 2011. The
Mood Of Information: A Critique of Online Behavioural Advertising, The
Continuum International Publishing Group, London. pp. 3-7
Sheehan, KB & Morrison, DK 2009. "Beyond Convergence: Confluence culture and the role of advertising agency in a changing world", First Monday, vol. 14, no. 3, viewed 23rd August 2012. <http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2239/2121>
Spurgeon, C 2008. Advertising
and New Media, Oxon, Routledge. pp. 24-45
Image one <http://www.relationship-economy.com/2008/10/what-is-isoquantic-shifts/digital-convergence/>
Image two <http://winarco.com/ixtreamer-media-player-streaming-ios-devices-content-to-hdtv/>
Image three <http://www.rpmgo.com/peugeot-car-challenge>
Image four <http://mashable.com/2011/05/05/barbie-ken-social-media/>
No comments:
Post a Comment