Assignment 1: Alexa Arcamone 42912989

In the world of new media digitalisation and technological convergence, advertisers are forced to expand their promotion ideologies and create new means of marketing. This essay will examine these new methods that companies now employ to successfully reach their target market. They must now overcome the barriers new media has set in place. This essay will use YouTube as a case study for how digital media convergence has influenced advertisers and new media in current day society. Assisting in this analysis, the types of digital media convergence such as social media forums, digital visual effects and branded content will further demonstrate the power of YouTube in advertising in current day society.

Consumers are now being targeted in multiple forms, due to the technological possibilities society has allowed for. Appealing to old media mediums such as television and radio are no longer in a company’s best interest, as traditional advertising is failing in its purpose. (Sheehan K B, Morrison D K, 2009). The internet provides potential for advertisements to succeed. By creating a campaign of quality, the consumers themselves create success through the use of YouTube and social media, gaining exposure to a wider public spectrum. This process is much more cost efficient. In comparison to paying for multiple media spaces to promote a singular campaign, the consumers’ uses of public forums are clearly an ingenious way of advertising. (Khamis S, 2012) The most recognised example of this consumer promotion effectiveness is the recent KONY 2012 YouTube obsession, where the video gained 43 million viewers in only 48 hours.  A Crowdtap study helped justify this phenomenon, in their study revealing that “consumers trust recommendations from peers over all other forms of advertising.” (Catone J, 2012)  This understanding is valuable for advertisers, as they have to market accordingly, in this case it means allowing the public to market for them.

With the universal ‘YouTube’, video marketing is a highly focused on strategy for producers. As technological convergence created the ‘smart phone’, consumers are now targeted through YouTube promotions whilst on the move. The most confronting form of YouTube advertising takes place on the ‘Youtube Homepage Redzone’, where “for 24 hours, an advertiser can utilize a large space on the YouTube homepage however they like;” (Tompros K, 2012) This form of digital advertising would be seen by over two billion viewers a day. (Parr B, 2010). YouTube also offers advertisement space to be distributed before billions of videos play. A current example is from Kmart, where a 15 second commercial on their ‘everyday low prices’ plays before a significant amount of clips online. By promoting products on such a highly publicised website, it is tactically ingenious for advertisers to embrace this online video trend of YouTube in the new media age. 

Another significant aspect of advertising within the new media world is through smart phones, and the overwhelming popularity of applications (or apps). The consumer can select from hundreds of thousands of apps online, giving advertisers a wider range of opportunity for promotion. A study by Strategy Analytics found that “advertisers will spend $2.9 billion on in-app advertising this year”, where consumers themselves will “spend $26.1 billion buying them”. (Prodhan G, 2012) This study shows how fashionable apps currently are. A clear illustration of app advertisements can be seen in Figure A, where a 2010 film ‘The Switch’ is placed at the bottom of a dictionary application. By clicking on it, the user is linked to a film promotion, in which interacts with the consumer by allowing them to ‘pick a side’. There is also the link to watch the movie trailer via YouTube, showing the integrated possibilities for new media advertising.   

Figure A

 (Swallow E, Mashable Entertainment, 2010)

In examining digital media convergence, digital visual effects are now major in advertising. By developing a campaign full of digitalised effects, the public is given something to discuss via their YouTube and social network. (Khamis S, 2012) Digital visual effects can be used to create various illusions. One commercial representing these illusions is a Malaysian advert for ‘Tiger Beer’, showing two males fighting for the last beer. In their attempts to win, they remove layers of skin to reveal a new warrior. One man transforms from a gorilla to a robot. This commercial was placed on YouTube in October 2009, and has received over 500,000 views (See Figure B). This advertisement shows how popular digital visual effects can be in commercialisation. 

Figure B

Media personalities are very commonly seen promoting various goods and services. It is important to note that YouTube has encouraged the promotions of other social and cultural affairs. In 2008, a US campaign reached new levels in their political advertisement, encouraging Americans to vote. This campaign signifies that YouTube advertisements are not only for the selling of goods and services; this is an attempt to sell American rights, and encourage the public to embrace this privilege. This advertisement featured a range of big name celebrities such as Will Smith, Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Roberts, to name only a few. The YouTube clip has been viewed over 1.7 million times, demonstrating the strength in advertising via forms of digital convergence. (See Figure C).   

Figure C

New media has caused difficulties for advertisers. Radio commercials and newspaper adverts are now less effective for the larger demographics of society. A US study on The Lasting Effects of Social Media Trends on Advertising found that “as consumers become more resistant, advertisers must become more subtle and subliminal” (Wright E, Khanfar N, et al, 2010). Branded content does just this.  It is not restricted to one form of promotion, as “it includes product placements, infomercials, sponsorships and content creation”. (Spurgeon, C. 2008) The consumers are exposed to these products or services in a cunningly obscure way. A way to understand this advertising is by considering the behavioural patterns of society, where “consumers may not have 30 seconds for an ad, but they do have 30 minutes for a great story”. (Thomas J, 2012). Seen in Figure D is an image from popular US series Gossip Girl, where the characters are clearly promoting the brand Chanel. Britney Spears, in Figure E, is promoting her own fragrance in her music video. There are endless examples of product placement in new media, where YouTube plays host to accessing a significant portion of them. 

Figure D
(Lamb R, Luxury Daily, 2011) 

Figure E (MTV ActBlog, 2011)

 

Evidently, it is clear through the technological advances in digital convergence, advertisers must adapt to appeal to a much more challenging consumer society. By embracing new media, promoters can do this is a significantly easier way. YouTube plays a large part of this day and age of consumerism, where digital visual effects, branded content and social media forums contribute immensely to the success of an advertisement campaign. Overall, it seems promoters must embrace this new media through digital media convergence, if they want any chance of success. 




Word Count - 1098

Bibliography

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