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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
Additional Interactive Media
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
permission, hackers, and credit card theft are a number of problems confronting the
Internet.
5. Privacy. Like their direct-marketing counterparts, Internet marketers must be careful
not to impinge upon the privacy of users. The IAB has issued a policy on privacy
that it asks companies to abide by (see www.iab.net).
6. Limited production quality. Although it is improving, net advertising does not offer
the capabilities of many competitive media from a production standpoint. While the
advent of advanced technologies and rich media is narrowing the gap, the Net still
lags behind some traditional media in this area.
7. Poor reach. While the Internet numbers are growing in leaps and bounds, its reach
is still far behind that of television. As a result, as discussed earlier, Internet
companies have turned to traditional media to achieve reach and awareness goals. In
addition, statistics show that only a small percentage of sites on the Internet are
captured by search engines and that the top 50 sites listed account for 95 percent of
the sites visited. 27
8. Irritation. Numerous studies have reported on the irritating aspects of some Web
tactics. These studies have shown consumers’ discontent with clutter, 28 e-mail
SPAM, 29 and pop-ups and pop-unders. 30 These irritating aspects will deter visitors
from coming to the sites. 31 Ethical Perspective 15-2 expands on this issue.
Overall, the Internet offers marketers some very definite advantages over traditional
media. At the same time, disadvantages and limitations render this medium as
less than a one-stop solution. However, as part of an IMC program, the Internet is a
very valuable tool.
While the Internet has captured most of the attention of
marketers, additional interactive media are also available
and can be used as a contributor to an IMC program.
Interactive CD-ROMs, kiosks, and interactive phones have been used by
marketers to provide information to their audiences. Agency executives stated that the
most important capability of these media was their ability to be linked with traditional
marketing projects.
One of the more attention getting and promising of the new interactive media is
interactive TV. Interactive TV, or iTV, allows the viewer of a television program to
interact with the progam and/or the ads. Many marketers are betting on the fact that
future computer users will access the Internet through their television sets. As noted
earlier, multitasking will allow television viewers to watch an event—for example, a
football game—and pull up information on players, history of the matchups between
the teams, and other statistics without ever leaving the couch or the game. ABC promotes
“enhanced TV” on its college football bowl games. (The numbers will appear in
a window.) Or suppose you are watching the TV show Friends and like the sweater
Rachel is wearing. You simply drag your mouse over to Rachel and click on her
sweater, and a window will appear providing you with information regarding colors,
materials, sizes, and costs. You may then ask to see other garments to mix and match
with the sweater. You may then be asked if you wish to order and what shipping
arrangements you prefer. If you have previously ordered, you are done, as your information
has been stored in a database. If not, this first time you will be asked for personal
information, including credit card number. You have ordered without leaving the
couch or missing a minute of programming.
Wink-enhanced advertisements allow advertisers to communicate directly with
Wink-subscribed viewers (4 million as of 2002) during a traditional 30- or 60-second
spot. By clicking on an icon, advertisers can pose questions, offer samples, solicit contest
entries, or even make a sale (Exhibit 15-14). For example, one Wink-enabled Ford
ad asked viewers if they would like a Ford Outfitters catalog. If they wanted it, they
were asked to select a model (Excursion, Expedition, or Explorer) and then to specify
their interest in a two-door, four-door, or sport Track edition. Direct-mail pieces were
then sent to respondents. Glaxo-SmithKline ran a similar ad allowing viewers to
request information on its migraine medicine Imitrex. The company’s six-month
response goal was achieved in one week. 32