Welcome, to my first ever public blog. During the next several months, we will be taking an exciting journey exploring the varieties of emerging media in the ever-changing marketplace. Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft Corporation, expressed his enthusiasm in the evolving digital landscape by stating, “Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in so short a time.” In fact, Gates comments on the historical perspective of how digital media changed the landscape of marketing communications appear to be a great place to begin. George and Michael Belch provide a great overview of some reasons why companies are migrating away from the traditional full-service ad agencies to a more integrated, marketing communications program that focuses on building long-term relationships and results (http://www.mhhe.com/business/marketing/belch5e/information/olc/overview.mhtml).
To start, years of radio and television commercials combined with Billboard advertisements, newspaper and magazine ads has flooded the media with clutter and unwanted ads. In fact, consumers are finding it extremely difficult to avoid the efforts of marketers, who are constantly searching for new ways to communicate with them. Today, consumers are less likely to respond to traditional forms of advertising. The changes in consumer media preferences are being driven by advances in technology and developments that have led to the rapid growth of communications through interactive media, particularly the Internet (http://www.mhhe.com/business/marketing/belch5e/information/olc/overview.mhtml). Again, as Joe Mandese states, “People no longer consume media from designated channels. They create their own channels and pathways of media consumption, drawing from whatever content or platform suits their immediate needs.”
For the readers of my first ever blog, this issue raises a great question in reference to preferences. Specifically, what sorts of emerging media are you exposed to and how do you feel about it? Also, please take time to respond to my polling question presented on the bottom right of your screen. Personally, I have always been attracted to BlueTooth technology, especially with the technology available in today’s modern wireless mobile phone industry. Modern cell phones (MOTORAZR®) host a variety of Bluetooth options in addition to the normal functions including text messaging and great calling plans. For those who really choose to stay in touch on the go, Motorola offers Smartphones Windows Mobile® which include products like Motorola’s MOTO Q™ or BlackBerry® provide users with a variety of options from email, Instant Messenger and Trackball navigation Features (U.S. Cellular 2008 Product Catalog www.uscellular.com).
Based on the responses from most classmates during our first week of discussions, most agree that Web Sites truly serve as the most efficient marketing communications tool for IMC practitioners. In many ways, I can see how Web Sites essentially serve as a major hub for placing a wide variety of new media including banner ads, RSS feeds, Podcasting from a primary server, BlueTooth ads using a primary server and social networking. Regardless of the method, interactivity and a desire by the target market must be present in order for the promotional efforts to be successful. A deeper investigation into audience profiles for cell phone and podcasting users can be found on Quantcast.com. For instance, males between the ages of 18-34 with incomes of less than $30k per year appear to be the heaviest users of podcasting based on the results shared by http://www.quantcast.com/podcast.com.
As you can quickly decipher, New Media vehicles offer an array of audience user profiles and information. IMC practitioners can use this information to communicate and build long-term relationships with precise accuracy using web-based technology. Once more, it becomes your turn as the reader to provide feedback and comments to this growing platform of information exchange. Again, thanks for taking the time to read and respond to a very interesting, exciting trend that’s enhancing IMC practices across the globe.
~ Dan
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hi Dan--For your first blog, I'm impressed. True--I didn't READ everything, but I did SCAN it. That's a huge difference with blog writing and "normal" writing. It's figuring out how to write for scanners. I'm also impressed with your poll. Very cool! -Heidi M
Post a Comment