Introduction to the task:
The advertising
industry has many clever and creative people developing new ways to push the
boundaries of the industry. The ultimate
aim is to raise the profile of a brand. New technology is allowing ‘creatives’
in advertising agencies to circumvent traditional methods of advertising.
‘Viral’ advertising
is a new way of harnessing the power of the internet. The idea is that an
advert is created that captures the imagination of an audience by appealing
through humour, shock or through emotional appeal. Social media networks allow this advert to
be shared. The advert becomes an internet sensation as people e-mail or use
sharing platforms such as Twitter or Facebook to send the text to their
friends.
This advert from 1997
captured the imagination of the public although it hardly features the product,
‘Dairy Milk’ chocolate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcLzF1bMng8
It was also shown on
television and marked a turning point toward online ‘viral’ advertising. An advertisers
dream is for target audiences to actively search online for content.
Another example is
the Adidas adverts which makes intertextual links with iconic film ‘Star Wars’
and stars from the worlds of sport and entertainment such as David Beckham and
Snoop Dogg.
This viral advert
features internationally recognised and cross cultural figure, Beyonce,
encouraging people to get involved with the United Nations ‘World Humanitarian
Day 2012’. The web-site which hosts this video measures the audience reach of
viral adverts.
Your task is to discuss
how ‘viral’ advertising is a powerful way of using new digital technologies to
reach audiences. You need to explain how
it works and can use these terms to help you;
·
Stealth
marketing creeps up on people through users passing on the message through
the internet
·
Seeding
ideas- crafting the original message and planting it on the internet
·
Market
mavens are people who are ‘on the pulse of things’, who understand the technology
and social trends
·
Message Only messages that are both memorable and sufficiently
interesting to be passed on to others have the potential to spur a viral
marketing phenomenon
·
Environment The environment is crucial in the rise of successful viral
marketing . The timing and context of the campaign launch must be right.
·
Emotional appeal The advert needs to be moving
enough through humour, shock or empathy to motivate the audience to react
·
New media technologies There are a variety of
platforms that allow audiences to share the texts
Explore the impact of digital technologies
on the advertising industry.
You are exploring the advertising industry and these texts
allow an insight into how the industry has altered due to the impact of new
technologies. Concentrate on viral advertising.
Other texts that you could use in your answer include;
·
Old Spice
·
Volswagen
·
Ford KA
·
H and M (David Beckham)
·
British Heart Foundation (Vinnie Jones)
·
Adidas
·
Dairy Milk
·
World Humanitarian Day 2012
Analyse the adverts in pairs and make notes.
Construct a written response to the question;
Explore the impact of digital technologies
on the advertising industry.
·
What is ‘viral’ advertising?
·
What are the new digital technologies that are
changing how advertising works?
·
Who produces the texts?
·
On what platforms will these adverts be viewed?
·
How do users share these texts and become
‘participative producers’?
How should I present
the task?
You can present the task as a written essay.
A more creative way to present your work is as a web-log as
you can add links to photographs and further web-pages which discuss the issues
that arise.
What resources can I
use?
These mock adverts
became internet sensations. Although the car companies involved in these
‘viral’ adverts claim that they had no involvement in their deployment you may
feel that digital technologies are allowing advertisers to bend the rules in
new ways. If you explore the resources
in the appropriate section, you will find that the advertising agencies work
closely with the companies involved.
Cat advert
Pigeon advert
Volkswagen has
distanced itself from this controversial advert featuring a suicide bomber
This article explores
some of the issues behind the adverts
Old Spice adverts
A student presents a
power-point about the Old Spice advert and an American commentator makes a
video ‘case study’ about the campaign
This web-site provides links to a host of examples of viral
advertising campaigns in the UK
The Guardian discusses what makes a great viral advert.
