Re: Future of Online Advertising

From: Sandra Rose <wolflady26_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Wed 25 Sep 2002 05:20:01 -0500

I can't (unfortunately) say that I have years and years of experience in the
online advertising field, but I wanted to add some thoughts on the part of
your question that addressses what is new and exciting in the advertising
world.

One thing that really excites me from the perspective of the consumer, is
the way that advertising seems to really be moving away from something that
is pushed 'at' me, to something that works together 'with' me. This is
something which has been discussed for a while, but now really seems to be
happening more and more.

One example that I have noticed is the excellent job Yahoo has done of
targeting. For instance, when they display an advertisement for a movie,
they also display the showtimes at my local theaters underneath. Neat!
That is really providing a service to me as a consumer (if I am interested
in the film, I don't have to take the extra step of finding out when and
where I can see it). It also certainly provides more value to the
advertiser, because a consumer probably thinks not only "Hey, I want to see
that movie!" but also "Hey, I want to see that movie, and I can catch the
6:00 showtime on my way home from work!" Definitely more likely to convert.

An even better example might be the way that ABC is promoting their
television show, Push, Nevada. They are offering a $1 million prize for
solving the mystery of Push, Nevada. The campaign ties in beautifully
between television and Internet, with clues shown on each television
episode, and then discusssed and probed online.
(http://abc.abcnews.go.com/primetime/push/game.html). There are easy ways
to send invitations to friends to discuss the mystery with you online.
There are fake online newspapers like the Push Times, which include hints,
and also advertisements from companies like Toyota (which apparently just
opened in Push) and Sprint. The connections between television, internet,
and advertising are just beautiful, and really encourages the consumer to
get involved.

I have not had the opportunity to see the show yet, but after viewing the
website, I would really like to!

I really hope to see more of this trend in the future. I think consumers
are beginning to think more about where and how they spend their money, and
I know that I, for one, much prefer to spend it with advertisers who are
smart and savvy, and treat me with respect.

Sandra Geary



Received on Wed Sep 25 2002 - 05:20:01 CDT