Emanating from the advertising industry's perspective, this papaer will examine the role of internet users as consumers. After briefly considering the effects of globalisation on advertising, the paper will describe the most prominent methods of online advertising, before exploring the applied concept of addressing users as consumers in the World Wide Web.
Table of Contents
1. Global advertising
2. Methods of online advertising
3. What is new about online advertising
4. Narrowcasting advertising
5. Becoming a consumer
6. Summary
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This essay explores the role of internet users as consumers within the framework of transnational communication. It investigates how global advertising strategies adapt to digital media and examines the methods through which the advertising industry targets individuals by leveraging their specific online behaviors, cultural backgrounds, and personalized interests.
- The impact of globalization on advertising strategies.
- Categorization and effectiveness of various online advertising methods.
- The transition from mass communication to narrowcasting in digital environments.
- The psychological and technical identification of internet users as potential consumers.
- The blurring lines between recreational internet use and commercial exposure.
Excerpt from the Book
Narrowcasting advertising
Advertising is one type of communication and the main purpose of communication is to assure that a message is understood by the recipient in the way the sender intended. Thereby, it is important to consider the intention and the cultural background of internet users. “Effectiveness in marketing means adapting to cultural values”. (De Mooij 2003, p. 190). Whereas the medium does not make a difference in the advertisements affect on people, the methods of online advertising allow specifying the target group (Gallagher et al. 2001a, 2001b). “On the one hand, advertising revenue is increasingly driven by delivering targeted niche audiences yet, on the other hand, the commercial logic […] demands streamability to mass audiences” at the same time (Murray 2003, p. 15). Although addressing a global audience, online advertising has the ability remain local; it can use different languages and react to cultural habits. This is made possible by not aiming at a broad target audience, but to react on each internet user individually.
Summary of Chapters
Global advertising: This chapter analyzes how globalization creates increasingly similar consumer needs and how advertising responds to these developments by perceiving the world as a singular, unified market.
Methods of online advertising: This section details specific digital advertising formats such as banners, pop-ups, commercial websites, and in-game advertising, evaluating their effectiveness in capturing user attention.
What is new about online advertising: This chapter argues that while the internet does not reinvent advertising, it provides a new, multilinear platform that changes how information is received and navigated by users.
Narrowcasting advertising: This section explores the strategic shift toward delivering highly targeted, personalized content to specific niche groups identified by location, language, or user interest.
Becoming a consumer: This chapter discusses how even users who go online for non-commercial purposes, such as recreation or communication, are inevitably exposed to commercial messages and categorized as potential customers.
Summary: This final section concludes that advertising successfully uses the overlapping identities of internet users to deliver repetitive, targeted messages, suggesting a need for further research into cross-media advertising.
Keywords
Transnational Communication, Global Advertising, Online Marketing, Narrowcasting, Internet Users, Consumer Behavior, Digital Media, Brand Awareness, Hypertext, Globalization, Interactivity, Advergaming, Marketing Strategy, Virtual Environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines how online advertising functions as a form of transnational communication and how it addresses internet users as consumers.
What are the central themes discussed in the text?
Key themes include the impact of globalization on consumer markets, digital advertising techniques, the shift toward narrowcasting, and the nature of user engagement online.
What is the main objective of the author?
The objective is to explain the role of internet users as consumers and to describe how advertising industry methods have adapted to the digital era.
Which scientific approach is utilized in this work?
The work employs a literature-based analytical approach, synthesizing existing academic research on media studies, marketing, and communication to evaluate the effectiveness of online advertising.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The body covers global market trends, specific online advertising tools (banners, pop-ups, games), the transition from traditional media to hypertext, and consumer targeting strategies.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Keywords include Transnational Communication, Global Advertising, Narrowcasting, and Consumer Behavior.
How does the author define the effectiveness of online advertising?
Effectiveness is defined by the ability to adapt to cultural values and to reach small, specific target groups through personalized, relevant content.
What role do online games play in the author's analysis?
The author identifies online games as a subtle advertising medium where advertisements are integrated into the gameplay, allowing for data collection and brand exposure even during recreational activities.
How does the "multilinear" nature of the internet affect advertising?
Because users choose their own navigation paths, websites must be more innovative and functional than traditional linear media to capture the user's attention.
- Quote paper
- MIR, MA Sebastian Plappert (Author), 2007, Online advertising as transnational communication, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/153937
