I'm a 23 year old third year student studying B. Mass Communication at QUT, majoring in Public Relations and Media & Communication. Additionally I'm interested in graphic design and DTP. I work for a graphic design and PR company and hope to undertake post graduate study with a focus on integrating new media, PR and graphic design.
Bibliography
My topic is online interactive media, with a specific focus
on the promotion opportunities such media offers companies in
marketing their business.
Stephanie Hulett 15:36, 2 Aug 2005 (EST)
==Interactive Media as a communication tool==
Snyder Bulik, B. (2004) Hot Shot Marketing, Advertising Age, 7, 51 – 53
The article, from a 2004 issue of a respected advertising communication/ design magazine, explores the increasing popularity of advertising within video and computer games. According to various industry sources cited within the article, consumers are spending more time ‘gaming’, stealing time away from traditional electronic marketing mediums. In-game advertising is not a new phenomena, and the article discusses the technique’s progression and recent focus on providing sponsors with tailored solutions within the game, rather than simply signage and product placement as had been offered in the past. The article is particularly useful as it provides not only an example of interactive media as a promotion tool, but also looks at how tactics to gain consumer attention have evolved – in particular the move from ad saturated ‘advergaming’ to the increasingly popular (with consumers) ‘gamevertising’, based on maintaining the integrity of the game rather than gaining maximum sponsorship dollars.
Wolf, A. (2000) Online demos aid sales support, Twice, 15, 20
The journalist describes one of the evolving trends in online interactive media – utilising interactive media to create ‘how to’ instructional manuals that provide pre and post sales support to consumers, minimising service and maintainance calls to companies from consumers having difficulties with their new product. This has been made possible by an increase in high speed interent connections in the home and workplace, enabling businesses to integrate rich media (Man, 1998) into their websites. The author of the article backs their claim with statistics that show that interactive media can improve a companies ‘look-to-buy’ ratio, motivating consumers to take the next step and purchse the product after being able to ‘play’ with it in a digital space. While the article is five years old and therefore, in the current climate of rapid change, out of date, it helps to show the progress that has been made – both in terms of businesses willing to change their promotion methods, and in consumers willingness to trust new sources.
Man, A. (1998) There’s gold in them banners!, Brandweek, 39, 38 – 39.
This older (1998) article gives a background to two separate concepts – the term “rich advertising�? which in later articles is used as a generic term (Wolf, 2000), and the snapshot of the initial move to integrate interactive media into banner ads and the difficulties agencies face in maintaining and hosting these new, larger components. This article is very helpful in that it provides background material and explanations on two points that are so commonplace today that they are considered standard. More recent sources (eg Wolf, 2000) use the term “rich advertising�? without bothering to explain it as it has moved into “assumed knowledge�? within the online promotion industry. Equally interactive media within banner ads is so common that it’s expected (for example javascript games built into banners etc).
Adegoke, Y. (2005) Interactive is the greatest revolution we’ve ever had in media, New Media Age, February 10, 22
New Media Age journalist Yinka Adegoke interviews marketing industry heavyweight Lester Wunderman, the man credited with coining the phrase “direct marketing�? in the 1960s. Wunderman explains his belief that “interactive is the greatest revolution we’ve ever had in media�?, in terms of how interactive media has helped define and allow “outside-in thinking�? (focused on providing what the customer wants/needs) rather then the traditional “inside-out thinking�? (epitomised in Henry Ford’s infamous comment about the Model T “You can have any colour as long as it’s black�?). Adegoke discusses the possibilities interactive media has created, especially in terms of collaborative approaches to forming or redefining products and services in the marketplace. The article is particularly relevant, as not only is it a recent article that covers the opinions of an industry figurehead with a career spanning 60 years, but Wunderman discusses where he feels marketing, in particular interactive marketing , is headed based on where it has come from.
Nashed, A. (2002) The Promise of Interactive Media, Pharmaceutical Executive, March 2002, 16 – 20
This article explores the progress online advertising has made, in particular the shift in thinking from value derived from click-throughs (clicking through to a sponsors site from a banner ad) to utilising banner space as an awareness building tool in the same way a tv builds awareness rather than working as a call to action. Banner ads are becoming increasingly interactive with content within the ad designed to be something of interest to the viewer rather than just a teaser to get them to click through to the parent site. Later in the article Nashed also covers 'affinity software', another interactive tool enabling businesses to create and maintain relationships with their customers. In the context of this research this article allows the progress of interactive online promotion to be viewed as a system in flux, changing and adapting to emerging technology and consumer expectations. Man (1998) discussed interactive banner ads as a new idea in 1998 – this article shows the next phase, allowing the reader to gain perspective on the development of the medium.
Crawford, C. (2003) The Art of Interactive Design, San Francisco: No Starch. ISBN 1886411840
This book discusses interactivity from a design perspective, exploring the effect of the user interface on the consumer when combined with interactive elements. The author tries to draw the reader away from viewing web development as two steps – graphic design and ‘interactiveness’, and move them towards seeing interactive design as a melding of form and function, integrated into the site rather than just as an ‘add on’ after thought. Using this reference for this topic allows an understanding of the requirements for interactive media to be successful in reaching consumers with varying levels of computer/internet nous to avoid alienating new users or boring experienced ones.
Cabana Seguin (2005) Retrieved 10th August 2005 from http://www.cabanaseguin.com/english/flash_with.html
This source is the website of a Montreal (Quebec) based graphic design firm. The site is a high quality example of what can be achieved using Macromedia Flash [1] and other interactive media programs. Each page on the site is different, and each reacts differently to the user – subtle music changes when links are clicked, images reacting to mouse movement (for example the ‘star trail’ effect, a smatter of stars following the mouse movement across the page) and basic rollovers. This site is valuable for this topic as it demonstrates how a business, in this case offering B2B services, can utilise interactive media to promote its services, gain clients and client trust by demonstrating their high standard of work, become more memorable and increase the chance of return traffic.
Sprint Sister ID –Women (2005) Nike, retrieved 12th August 2005 from http://nikeid.nike.com/nikeid/index.jhtml;nisessionid=TOXBYFGQGSTKACQCGJECF3Y?_requestid=354708#pdp,sport_culture,sprintsister_0507,all
This site is a key example of the brand building possibilities offered by interactive media. The site allows consumers to choose a shoe, customise it with various colours and features and then order it. However the viewer is not forced to buy the shoe and so is welcome to visit the site at any time to design their perfect shoe just for fun. In relation to this research topic, the site demonstrates the shift in thinking from the net being purely an advertising 'call to action' function to being a brand building one. Nike gives consumers a reason to stay on the site, absorb the brand but not feel pressured into purchasing and therefore avoiding negative connotations, instead gaining positive experiences.
Site Gadgets (2005) Site Gadgets, retrieved 10th August 2005 from http://www.sitegadgets.com/
This page offers basic interactive tools for use on websites, such as counters, tell-a-friend options, message boards and guestbooks. Although these tools are not as impressive as a flash display or a shopping cart system with extensive warehousing and logistical back up (for example Amazon [2]), the basic tools offered could help a small business’ website with limited programming knowledge to include features that may result in increased or return traffic. This source is important as, in the context of this research topic, it encourages consideration of smaller B2C or even B2B businesses online.
Zippo Game Centre (2005) Zippo, retrieved 12th August 2005 from http://www.zippoclick.com/funCenter/index.aspx
Zippo’s game page is a further example of using Macromedia Flash to create games that act as branding tools. Consumers play the games, which are heavily branded, and have fun. They return to the site, further absorbing the brand, to continue playing. When Zippo initially launched its game centre they offered rewards based on point scores, with rewards for most points gained that day and total points gained over the life of the launch campaign, which certain encouraged users to return to the site daily. This is a key example of using interactive media to target consumers (in this case a youth oriented market) by using features that would appeal to them.
Shedletsky, Leonard & Aitken, Joan. (2004) Communication on the Internet, Boston, USA : Pearson Education, ISBN 0205360319
The chapter studied in this book takes a step back and looks at the theoretical concepts behind interactive media effects on cognitive collaboration by discussing “interaction involvement theory�?, whereby those who have higher levels of involvement and interaction in their online activities have an enhanced ability to process information and recall data. This is an important area to research for this topic as it explores the underpinnings of consumer behaviour in relation to the advantages and disadvantages of interactive media and the parallels between “internet mediated communication�? and “the concept of interaction involvement�?.
Dinkla, S. (1996) “From Participation to Interaction�? in Hershman Leeson, L. (1996) Clicking In: Hot links to a digital culture. Seattle: Bay Press. Pp 279 – 290
This chapter discusses interactive art (on and offline) and how technology has changed consumers and artists expectations of what ‘normal’ art is, and the way they expect to interact with it. Similarly to Shedledskty’s “Communication on the Internet�? this reference provides a background to see where interactive media and its effects have evolved from and explores the changing boundaries in what people expect from different mediums which in turn effects how and why business utilise interactive elements to achieve their organisational goals with consumers.
Stephanie Hulett 11:52, 12 Aug 2005 (EST) Stephanie Hulett 11:58, 12 Aug 2005 (EST) Stephanie Hulett 12:01, 12 Aug 2005 (EST)
