TV vs. Internet Commercials

With the increasing number of younger individuals venturing online and watching less and less television, marketers are trying to develop a new way of reaching their intended target audience. An article from the E-Commerce Times entitled, Online Commercials: New Life for an Old Model?, discussed the issue of television being a form of lean-back medium, while the internet is a form of lean-forward medium. While people watch TV, they tend to be very passive; however, when people are online, their hands hardly let go of the mouse. They remain in control 100% of the time.

To try and capture the attention of these younger individuals, marketers are trying to think outside the box from the traditional commercials that appear on television. Some of these creative ways of thinking outside the box are visible through their use of ‘Webisodes’ and corporate videos.

For those who are unfamiliar with the concept of Webisodes, they are ‘a series of online videos that tell a story and have characters, and they encourage viewers to return repeatedly to a site to see how the story progresses’ (E-Commerce Times, 2009, para.15). Corporate Videos are brief films that appear on the company website and provide younger audiences the chance to listen to information about the company instead of having to read it.

The main goal for marketers is to have their video go ‘viral’. The more viral your video is, means the more people have viewed it. If your number is over 1 million, then you are doing a darn good job. Marketers strive for having their videos go viral, and some consider it to be the gold standard when it comes to online marketing. This is accomplished through the use of social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Essentially, they are creating a buzz about the intended brand for the prospective consumers.

Link to article.