Advertising is my life passion because it is the combination of art, culture, business, technology and everything that makes life vibrant. I see it as an opportunity for one to make a cultural contribution that resonates with people's individual life experiences. Presently, advertising is experiencing a shift that is causing many industry leaders to question its future. This shift is underpinned by emerging technologies and changes in consumer behaviour. Currently, consumer influence is increasing through their buying power and their voices on online. In a fragile economy, consumers are thinking twice before they spend money. The increase in sophistication is leading them to seek a second, third and fourth opinion. In conjunction with this, the exponential increase in the use of the internet is enabling a digital democracy to emerge. In response to this rapid change, I believe the future is on-live advertising.
On-live advertising is a new concept and it is made up of THREE variants.
The first variant works by consumers streaming live online footage of themselves using the product or service. While this is taking place, the online streaming footage will be integrated into the actual television commercial while it is being broadcasted. The individuals participating in this on-live advertising can be selected using crowd sourcing platforms. Websites such as USTREAM and justin.tv have created an environment for on-live advertising to become a reality. Through this approach, advertising in the future will be able to create more of an alignment with current tastes, opinions and preferences. As a result, this may lead to more effective decision making. Furthermore, this may also challenge viewers to re-evaluate their negative perceptions towards advertising.
The second variant of on-live advertising works by using motion digital displays to synchronise advertisements to real-time events, cultural routines and patterns. For instance, McDonalds can advertise their breakfast menu in the morning. Likewise, Subway can advertise their lunch-time menu in the afternoon. This approach may play a significant role in encouraging impulse buying. In the future, the consumer will become even more sophisticated and I believe that advertising should accommodate this change by becoming less static.
The third variant involves giving consumers the freedom to pause a live online programme in order to gain more information on a product that they see within the programme. For instance, if a viewer is interested in a piece of clothing that their favourite television presenter is wearing, they can pause, zoom and click on that item. Once that particular item is clicked, a message will appear providing the viewer with more information. Some of this information will consist of the brand, the price and a location of stores where the item can be purchased. This approach will also create a stronger alignment with current consumer tastes and preferences. Furthermore, this type of advertising will empower consumers by giving them the freedom to decide when to expose themselves to advertising.