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Part Five Developing the Integrated Marketing Communications Program
Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
15. The Internet and
Interactive Media
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
the Internet. Many of the companies that provide research information in traditional
media (Nielsen, Ipsos-ASI) are now extending their reach into the Internet world. Others
(MediaMetrics, Forrester) have developed measures specifically for online users.
Academics are also beginning to publish articles related to measuring effectiveness on
the Internet. Studies on consumers’ attitudes toward a site, response variations in e-mail
surveys, and similarities between brick-and-mortar retailing and e-commerce are just a
few of the many articles being published in academic journals to advance the measurement
of the Internet. 23
Unfortunately, not all of the methods used to measure Internet activity and effectiveness
are accurate. We discuss some of these later in this chapter, under disadvantages
of the Internet.
Sources of Measurement Data
The number of sources available that provide information about the Internet is enormous.
Below we provide a partial list just to give you some indication of the types of
information available. Most of the companies listed are the largest and/or most cited
sources, and the list is by no means intended to be exhaustive:
• Arbitron. Arbitron provides demographic, media usage, and lifestyle data on
users of the Internet as well as other interactive media.
• MRI and SMRB. Both of these companies (discussed in Chapter 10) now provide
information regarding viewership profiles for the Internet and other interactive
media. Nielsen offers similar data.
• Audit Bureau of Circulations. This print agency is developing a product called
WebFacts to certify Web counts.
• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). A trade organization of the Internet, IAB
provides information on statistics, usage, and strategies regarding the Internet.
• eMarketer. This company publishes comparative data from various research
sources and explains the different methods used to arrive at the projections. It
also publishes its own projections.
• Nielsen Net Ratings. Nielsen provides audience information and analyses based
on click-by-click Internet behavior through a meter installed on users’ computers
at home and work.
• Jupiter MediaMetrics, Inc. Previously separate companies, Jupiter, PC Meter,
and MediaMetrics have joined to provide statistics and website information,
including data on users, projections, trends, and so on.
• Business 2.0 and Fast Company. These business-to-business magazines target
persons interested in the Internet, from both a technological and a business
perspective, with emphasis on the latter.
• Internet Advertising Report and office.com. Both these organizations provide an
online newsletter containing information on trends, statistics, and other articles
of interest to Internet users. The latter focuses on the business community.
Advantages and Disadvantages
of the Internet
A number of advantages of the Internet can be
cited:
1. Target marketing. A major advantage of the
Web is the ability to target very specific groups
of individuals with a minimum of waste coverage.
For those in the business-to-business market, the Internet resembles a
combination trade magazine and trade show, as only those most interested in the products
and/or services a site has to offer will visit the site (others have little or no reason
to do so). In the consumer market, through personalization and other targeting
techniques, sites are becoming more tailored to meet one’s needs and wants.
2. Message tailoring. As a result of precise targeting, messages can be designed to
appeal to the specific needs and wants of the target audience. The interactive capabili-