It's Advertactive!!

I found the concept in Chapter six of Web Theory about audience commodity and audience-labour interesting as audiences are cultivated through interactivity. I think this gives Web Advertising an edge over traditional static advertising.

I like how ARGs have begun to take advertising and marketing to a new interactive level, although many of those involved are trying to distance themselves form the idea of advertising. As Ross put it, it is a good way to solve for “how to reach people who are so media-saturated they block all attempts to get through.” I am interested to see actual numbers on the returns for the amount of resources poured into them. They are interesting and fun, but are the truly effective? I doubt they hold the key to the future of marketing.

Also, even with the innovation of ARGs, it could be speculated that the potential of interactivity in advertising might be hindered by the lack of talent. As Creamer put it “…it's not so wonderful if you're in the market for interactive talent. There's not enough of it to go around, and what is out there will cost you-dearly.”

I think a lot of the value in advertising going more and more interactive can be found in the first of Guohua Wu’s three dimensions, that the user experiences perceived control. I view the success in this type of advertising as a backlash to the lack of control and perceived intrusiveness over Television advertising.

Even with the introduction of more interactive advertising, I think advertisers have struggled to accomplish success in how Greenberg “wants to engage them (consumers) in digital conversations that are so entertaining, involving and valuable that they won't want to ignore them.”

With trailblazers Chrystler, Brawney, Nike, and others facing failure or only moderate success, I wonder what will become the killer app for interactive advertising? Or will advertisers dig interactive advertising into the ground by over-saturating consumers? I do not feel, that at this time, I can make any assumption as to where and what advertising will go and become. I do believe this is a very interesting time for media spectators and researchers as interactive advertising is constantly changing and morphing trying to find a successful shape.