Discuss technology (U24: P2, M1)

 Discuss technology (U24: P2, M1)

Learning Outcome 1 (U24): Understand the products that are produced within and across media industries

Convergence = Media convergence is the merging of previous individual media products to form new forms of communications (You can access the internet, a phone, music etc all on one smart phone)

Discuss how the industry has utilised developments in technologies

Convergence of technologies has massively improved the advertising industry and the way in which audiences can access products. Advertising industries have improved the technology in which they use in order to make it easier for audiences to access and purchase products. For example, online advertisements on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter often include a direct link featured somewhere in the post which leads to the product, making it quick, easy and simple for the potential buyer. Sometimes these ads can even include QR codes in which viewers must scan on their phones in order to access their product. Visual/Audio billboards can be spotted around cities and train stations. For example, when coming up escalators in a train stations, walls are lined with multiple audio/visual billboards advertising different services, events and products. These can also be seen at a much larger scale in places such as city centres. As these billboards aren’t being directly advertised to customers phones, these advertisements can include QR codes in which viewers can scan and be taken directly to the service/product being advertised, or the company’s website. This development in technology has made advertisements even more effective as the products can be instantaneously accessed by audiences. However, a massive issue surrounding digital advertising is the utilisation of image manipulation. Image manipulation is when someone manipulated the look of an original image to make it look different, or like something else. This could be harmful for things such as advertisements as if the image on the face of the advertisement misleads audiences, and when the product arrives it looks nothing like the advertisement, companies can get into legal issues surrounding false advertisement.

As for marketing, techniques such as QR codes and hashtags may be used in order to improve their audiences access to products. QR codes on either digital or traditional billboards can be quickly and easily scanned on most devices such as smart phones. Marketing with QR codes has enhanced the way in which audiences access products as upon seeing the billboard advertisement, they are instantaneously able to take themselves to the product and purchase. On top of this, another marketing technique which has improved audiences ability to access a product is hashtags. By a company using a unique hashtag for their product, when viewing social media advertisements, audiences can click on the hashtag and automatically be taken to every other post and advertisement related to that product. Here they may even be able to find a link to a website in which they can buy said product, as well as other individuals reviews. Even if audiences were to see this hashtag on a traditional form of advertising, this hashtag is still easily accessible as audiences can simply type the hashtag into social media sites. For example, during Coca Cola’s Share a Coke campaign, in order to market their product, they used the hashtag #ShareACoke on all of their posts promoting their product, which prompted others to do the same, therefore anyone who were to click on this hashtag will see every post related to CocaCola’s product.

The way in which these advertisements are distributed have also improved the way in which audiences can access products. For example, with the advancement in technology, social media has become an easy (and sometimes free) way in which companies can market and advertise their products. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter have exceptionally improved the way in which audiences access products as companies can add direct links to the product being advertised, as well as market using techniques such as hashtags. Audiences access social media easily from any device such as phones, tablets and computers meaning these products being advertised can be accessed easily from anywhere. For example, fashion brands such as ASOS and Fashion Nova will use social media to reach their audience as they are online fashion stores. This makes it easier for them to advertise on social media as they can just add direct links to their sites on their posts. As well as this, these fashion brands tend to use influencers and celebrities to endorse their products on social media, these celebrities will also include links in their posts, typically along with their own discount codes. YouTube is another platform in which companies advertise and market products, however its used differently as its a video streaming service rather than a photo sharing app. YouTube advertisements are accessible to audiences everywhere as they’re shown before almost every video on the website (unless YouTube plus has been paid for). YouTube is an app which can be used on any device such as tablet, phone and computer meaning these advertisements can be shown to audiences using a range of technologies. Every advertisement on YouTube includes a link which audiences can click to be instantaneously then the the product/service offered, the reason links are used and not other techniques is because YouTube ads are a certain length, and are also skippable in some scenarios meaning audiences may not even have time to get their phones out to scan the QR code before it disappears (and you can scroll back on ads on YouTube either). Overall technologies, along with convergence has improved the way in which the advertising industry advertises and markets to audiences through.