How do we find consumers that are willing to interact with online advertising, and how do we differ them from those consumers that do not? When it comes to online advertising, there is a fine line between intruding on the user’s personal space and getting their attention. Even though the web allows for the online marketing to be highly targeted, consumers complain about this form of marketing much more than any other type of marketing.
Online marketing first appeared in 1994 and was very successful until 2000-2001, due to a decrease in the spending of advertising. Recently, online marketing has started to make a comeback, as there is a strong dissatisfaction with traditional media. This comeback can be accredited to less intrusive ads and rich media. Rich media allows for the consumer to interact with the ad, and allows them to see things that they wouldn’t normally in a magazine or television ad. Rich media is also said to be twice as effective as normal banner ads, as they provide an experience for the consumer, rather than just a nuisance.
Online marketing has opened up a new way for consumers to interact and learn about potential purchases. There are three purposes of interactive advertising, and all play major roles in its success. The first is the actual advertisement of the brand, providing benefits of the product and getting the product name out there. The second purpose is the direct response from consumers. It allows consumers to gain more content information and enables consumers to make a transaction directly after viewing the ad. The third purpose is to retain consumers by using tactics such as promotions, contests and draws.
I enjoy the aspect of online marketing to some degree, but I have a real problem with advertising that is intrusive, and distracts me from what I am currently doing on the Internet. If only 1% of people that are exposed to online advertising, and only 5% of this 1% actually follow through with a transaction, you would think that online advertising isn’t that effective. However, if you look at how many people are actually exposed to these ads, you will see that it is a much larger number than you would think, and quite a profitable industry.
