Over the years we’ve seen that what is isn’t always what was, and what will be isn’t always what currently is. Such is the reality of everything that exists, including the transformation of the digital realm.

Past Method:

If we look closely to trends in marketing methods, we will see a continuous evolutionary transition of different methods of advertising happening. Nowadays technology is being advanced at such a rapid pace that their are so many new possibilities of integration. With these various options it makes it possible to use platforms that already exists, that are effective, and make them even more effective. For advertisers, this is their growth process, this is their goal. For effective advertising can only mean one thing, and that’s increase in awareness, increase in engagement and inevitably, increase in sales.

For as long as advertising has been known to be an effective way to sell products or services, outdoor advertising has been at the forefront. This traditional method has always been effective, and to date it still remains effective. By just this means of advertising, it is possible to reach over 50% of the world’s population. If we look at major cities across the world we can say just how popular outdoor advertising is using billboards and posters. 

New York city is one of the best examples for that matter. If you examine Time Square Avenue you will see a tremendous amount of billboard advertising. Some of these billboards are in the form of traditional advertising by just placing posters forms over them, and some are already digitized billboards which displays advertisements in more “creative” and engaging forms. Outdoor advertising in the forms of billboards has been a long lasting effective means of adverting and continues to grow.

What Is Happening Now:

Online advertising, although being a growing form of advertising, has its pros and its cons. Because of its high exposure and ability to be effective across multiple platforms cheaper, faster and easier, many companies tend to capitalize on this, maximizing its use.

Currently, 4.33 billion of the world’s population are internet users, which continues to grow year by year. Because of this, advertisers has taken a high interest in using the internet as one of their main tools for targeting. This high number of internet users makes it significantly easier for businesses/ organizations to reach their targets faster, in more creative ways, and consistently. The fact we as humans rely heavily on the internet, we open ourselves up to being more prone to privacy invasion and data collection, thus making targeted advertising possible. By sharing information, searching different websites, watching specific content, revealing location, personal data is saved in a form of cookies and becomes a means of profiling individual users and analyzing patterns. This form of data-basing our information has become one of advertisers’ major key to boost sales.

As beneficial and effective targeted advertising online has become for advertisers, it has also become overwhelming for internet users. According to ‘Effortless Outdoor Media’, In this age of digital saturation, people are becoming desensitized to ads appearing online. As soon as an ad pops up, people close the window or wait impatiently to click the ‘skip ad’ button. Targeted ads are now become a nuisance to internet users for the sole fact that it is disrupting their internet user experience on a regular basis.

What Is To Come:

Social networks such as Facebook and Google are online factors which contributes to ads becoming smarter and easier to target specific users regardless of the different device they are using. By analyzing this trend in targeted digital advertising, this shows that as technology advances, methods will too. It is safe to predict that targeted advertising will soon be present in our lives beyond just our personal devices or online. If we look at the different possibilities of advertising, soon billboard will no longer be a fixed means of temporary advertising, but can be more adaptive and versatile. Integrating the already existing methods, companies will soon be able to have targeted billboards which constantly changes and displays advertisements depending on the majority persons within its proximity.

What Does This Mean For Me:

I think it’s safe to conclude that there are many effects that this transition will have on me personally, and professionally.

As a professional, this transitioning trend in advertising forces an adaption in this field. There are many factors to now consider when creating ads and also the platforms that will be used. Although we are rapidly growing into a more digital age, we still see how effective traditional methods can still be. As an expert, knowing how to integrate different methods in order to maximize on their benefits is the only way to be an effective advertiser. As an advertising expert, the focus will soon be spread wider. Having to explore new methods of integration which allows to fit the digital aspects into the traditional, while avoiding the degradation of the quality effect it offers. Instead of bringing people online, the shift is now bringing online to people. This forces advertising experts to find creative ways to now balance the overwhelming feel of being targeted online with now pushing even more ads offline.

As a target of advertisements as well, there’s always different perspectives to look at this growing trend from. While from a professional perspective it proves to be a challenging shift, this will also be the case from a personal perspective. Imagine having to be exposed to billboards and posters throughout all cities which monitors all your data and data of other citizens within the area. These ads will be able to selectively target the majority of persons within a certain proximity and advertise their highest interest based on multiple factors such as: where they are, time of the day, why they are where they are, who they are with. Constant shifts in advertising means changing everywhere you go, everywhere you turn, targeting you specifically on a regular basis. Being able to reach targets via smart phones has 1 level of effect, which is proven to become a nuisance. Soon the “in your face” and “everywhere you go” effects of advertisements will no longer an online problem but also an offline problem. From physical to digital, to physically digital, to targeted adaptable advertising. This new trend of advertising simply means that we can no longer enjoy the freedom of escaping the overwhelming feeling of online or no longer simply click the ‘close’ tab.

Sources:

https://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/seriously-internet-online-ads-can-trail-you-across-devices/

 https://www.effortlessoutdoormedia.com/why-billboard-advertising-remains-relevant-and-effective-in-the-digital-age/

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/thenow/what-is-targeted-advertising/1/

https://medium.com/specle/outdoor-advertising-is-part-of-the-future-make-it-simple-1cc6fd2236dc

https://www.statista.com/topics/1145/internet-usage-worldwide/

http://bmccoy.net/2015/07/21/you-are-being-watched-stay-off-the-internet-at-work/

https://www.digitwindow.com/targeted-advertising/

https://www.getyourguide.com/new-york-city-l59/new-york-city-times-square-new-year-s-eve-celebration-t82710/?utm_force=0

https://www.information-age.com/cto-digital-transformation-123474055/

https://www.lyfemarketing.com/blog/increase-revenue/