With the decline of off-line media such as newspapers and print directories, most businesses are beginning to take their dollars online. This is illustrated by US Total Online Advertising Spending for 2011 estimated $32 billion compared with $23.6 billion in 2008 (Source:eMarketer). If you’re like most advertisers, right about now, you’re stuck asking yourself which ad mediums make sense to focus your energies and hard currency? Alright, let’s talk about certain trends that may change the advertising game forever.

Brand Perception Enhanced by Interactivity

Most successful magazines have an online counterpart that features similar content from the printed version, but it’s those marketers who are incorporating interactivity into their online versions that are finding that their brands’ perception by readers is enhanced.

Affinity’s syndicated VISTA Digital Service, used to measure the effectiveness of ads sent through iPad Apps and other mobile platforms, supports that magazine readers are stimulated by digital ads that include sponsored videos, photo galleries, and 3D product views. Amongst readers that touch screen to watch a sponsored video embedded in an ad, 88% report the experience enjoyable, and 89% view the advertiser as cutting edge for including this media in their ad.

For readers who viewed photo galleries showcased through a digital magazine ad, 88% report that they are able to learn more about the advertised product. Plus, nine out of ten review the brand as innovative. In addition, readers who touch screen and slide on an ad to access the 3D view of a product, 92% report that this interactive feature improves their magazine reading experience as a whole, while the same % perceive those brands incorporating 3D views into their ads to be innovators.

Apps a Significant Source of Advertising Revenue

In magazines, for instance, it is a small amount of the 2.4 billion that eMarketer estimates magazines will earn in online advertising revenue this year, that the research firm does not measure it separately. On the flip side, that will likely change as more consumers buy tablets, the media where most consumers use apps. Tablet sales should nearly triple to 43.6 million units this year, reports eMarketer, then nearly double to 81.3 million units next year. The digital age is upon us. Read the rest of this entry »

The arrival of interactive TV has changed not only the face of broadcasting, but the face of television advertising. Not only can viewers now choose the programmes they want to watch, it is also now possible choose the actual advertisements they see. Through interactive tv advertising, they can even explore advertisements by following one advert into another that relates to the same topic.

Broadcasters have come to terms with the fact that the old ways are gone, and that traditional roles have completely changed. Where once they enjoyed control over what was seen, individual viewers now control what is watched in their own homes. It is not just in terms of programming either, with the development of digital teletext raising the bar for information services too, and the evolution of ad insertion and opt cuing technology permitting geographically focused advert broadcasting, and on demand ad insertion allowing individuals within that geographical base to view the ads they want.

For advertisers, this new world has forced them to change their approach to marketing via this media. Advanced advertising has provided greater opportunities by allowing the advertiser to reach out to the individual viewer, rather than the masses. With this have come further technological capabilities, such as on demand advertisement insertion and other options available to the viewer.

There are a number of ways in which the advertiser is now using interactive television capabilities to their advantage. Video on Demand, or VOD, and Request for Information, or RFI, are two common methods, effectively providing more information on a product to the interested viewer who opts to press the relevant button on their digital remote control. VOD means that the viewer chooses to watch further video footage regarding the product, while the RFI option provides further readable information, through brochures and descriptions, of the product. It can also provide samples and special subscription deals. Read the rest of this entry »