Convergence, a phenomenon
Advertising and New Media
Digital
media convergence is a phenomenon, rapidly evolving as a new media revolution
affecting all aspects of communication and media (Manovich, 2001). The evolution of convergence in new media has
allowed our global culture to become interconnected and powerful, no longer
being passive recipients of communication, but rather being part of a complex
interactive system of communication. Thompson (1999) outlines that the
expansion of mass communication is inextricably linked to the development of
media industries. Advertising as such sustains and shapes most of the media
that we consume and in turn is its commercial backbone. Convergence allows
advertising to exploit technological innovations with new media outlets,
blurring the boundaries of space and time through ‘despatialised simultaneity’
(Thompson, 1999, 19). This speed of
communication that transcends borders increases public circulation at a low
cost with the ability to reach ‘distracted, distrustful and disinterested’ 21st
century media consumers (Spurgeon, 2008, 29). This essay will discuss this
phenomenon, primarily in relation to the effectiveness of the Internet in
convergent culture.
The
Internet has proliferated an outlet of convergence culture, where ‘old and new
media collide’ and the ‘power of the media producer and the power of the media
consumer interact in unpredictable ways’ (Jenkins, 2006, 18). With the advent
of technology and an increase in a fragmented audience, advertisers have needed
to find new ways to reach their audiences in ways that they will actively seek
out. Hilderbrand describes one such medium, YouTube as being the ‘go-to’
website for both producers and consumers to upload and distribute content. For
advertisers, this means of convergent communication decreases distribution
costs as a culture of sharing has emerged. Co-founder Chad Hurley states,
“People like to share experiences… We started it with the idea of solving a
problem – how to share video online with your friends” (McManis, 2006 cited in Hilderbrand). This
portal has become the perfect playground for advertisers in this convergent
community culture. One of the most viral advertisements was T-Mobile’s ‘Royal
Wedding’. It broadcasted during the 2011 hype with the Royal Wedding and took
prize as the number one viral video that year. (ABC Technology and Games,
2011). This ad was a parody of ‘JK Wedding Dance’, which was broadcasted to
YouTube in 2009 and has attracted more than 64 million views (newsfeed.time,
2011). This portrays the convergence of ideas amongst all those in society who expose this material through YouTube. T-Mobile, played on this notion with their final caption stating 'Life of Sharing'. It is evident that with a culture of sharing and interconnectedness, the
Internet, primarily YouTube is a successful outlet for advertisers.
With
Facebook connecting 500 million people in 2010 (Zuckerburg, 2010), it has
become a perfect medium to reach out to consumers as active participants. With
a convergent culture of sharing and connection across all media platforms,
YouTube and Facebook work simultaneously to circulate viral content. This
integration, in some cases works simultaneously to old media, increasing
circulation and awareness. Some agencies have embraced the notion of confluence
culture, where distribution of their campaigns have used methods of old and new
media together, ‘embracing the new reality of interactive content’ that
convergent culture has given rise to (Sheenan, 2009). Advertising on television
successfully requires a mass audience and usually a prime time slot to reach
this potential audience. In the case of the American Superbowl, a 30 second
slot cost $3.5 million (Telegraph.uk, 2012). The Superbowl attracts 100 million
viewers and is therefore an attractive proposition for advertisers, especially
due to the dominant impact of convergence, where consumer research has
predicted that 60% of viewers will also be bound to a second screen
(Telegraph.uk, 2012). Brad Adgate, the
senior vice president of research at Horizon Media emphasises how “The social
media conversation has put more value on a Superbowl ad, fans will discuss your
ads on Twitter and Facebook and then go to YouTube to watch it on demand over
and over again” (Telegraph.uk, 2012).
This evidence of converging across all media platforms has re-negotiated
boundaries of space and time, giving rise to the ability for advertising
campaigns to have almost instantaneous access globally.
With
convergence all around us, Sheehan (2009) identifies the evolution of a
confluence culture as well, particularly focused on agencies creating strong
brand messages for consumers. The notion of ‘Madison and Vine’ has evolved as a
concept connecting the entertainment and advertising industries together. It
held the intention of creating a strategic alliance to engage consumers and
influence them to seek out campaigns and distribute them across personalised
media flows (Spurgeon, 2008). BMW was extremely successful in exploiting this
intersection of convergence across industries, and further with the Internet.
BMW manifested a series of short 10- minute campaigns that took the form of a
short film. With this approach combining commerce and art, they reversed budget
ratios, spending 90% on production and 10% on distribution. The Internet,
primarily YouTube, was used as the means of distribution and gained attractive
an attractive response from ‘affluent, young, new media users’, which would
have been difficultly reached with expensive, restricted conventional
advertising methods (Spurgeon, 2008, 40).
The
notion of convergence has given advertising a new playground through new media
outlets. This phenomenon has connected consumers around the world and has
overcome the need of a mass audience for conventional methods of advertising.
Breaking down boundaries of space and time, the Internet has allowed
advertisers to converge and expand their strategies across mediums such as
Facebook and YouTube, where the distance between the producer and consumer has
been narrowed. With the advent of this participatory culture, advertisers have
the ability to broadcast their campaigns and let them go viral at a rapid pace.
*******
References
Abc.net.au
(2011) YouTube's Top Ten viral ad hits of 2011 – Features – ABC Technology
and Games (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). [online] Available at:
http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2011/12/21/3395727.htm [Accessed: 27
Aug 2012].
Blog.facebook.com
(2010) The Facebook Blog | Facebook. [online] Available at:
https://blog.facebook.com/blog.php?q=facebook+users+2012 [Accessed: 27 Aug
2012].
* Firstmonday.org
(2009) Beyond convergence: Confluence culture and the role of the
advertising agency in a changing world. [online] Available at:
http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2239/2121
[Accessed: 27 Aug 2012].
*
Hilderbrand, Lucas (2007), YouTube: Where
Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge, Film Quarterly, 61(1), pp. 48-57
*
Jenkins, Henry (2006), Convergence
Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, NY University Press, pp. 1-24
Manovich,
Lev (2001), The Language of New Media, MIT
Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, pp. 19-61
Newsfeed.time.com
(2011) The Royal Wedding Craze Goes Viral in T-Mobile Commercial | NewsFeed
| TIME.com. [online] Available at:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/04/18/the-royal-wedding-craze-goes-viral-in-t-mobile-commercial/
[Accessed: 27 Aug 2012].
*
Spurgeon, Christina (2008), Advertising
and New Media, Oxon Routledge, pp. 24-45
Telegraph.co.uk (2012) Super
Bowl: Average price of 30 second advert costs $3.5 million - Telegraph.
[online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/americanfootball/9047918/Super-Bowl-average-price-of-30-second-advert-costs-3.5-million.html
[Accessed: 27 Aug 2012].
Thompson,
John (1999), “The Media and
Modernity” in Hugh Mackay and Tim O’Sullivan (eds), The Media Reader: Continuity and Transformation, Sage, London,
pp. 12-27.
*Unit Reader and Recommended Reading List
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