Advertising Using New Media: Effective?

Have you ever gave a speck of attention to banner ads?
Have you ever read what was written on the advertisement in web pages?
Have you ever stumbled upon a website greeted with endless pop-ups and actually bothered to visit each and every one of them?

If your answers were no, then it's time to ask: is advertising using new media as effective as we thought it would be?

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Let's take a look at Facebook's advertising platform that was introduced on 6 Nov 2007. In the press release, it was stated that Facebook Ads allow businesses to "target advertising to the exact audiences they want". Their products are also advertised "through the trusted referrals of their friends".

For the firms and companies looking for a venue to reach the mass audience, this may sound like an excellent idea. Since social networking sites attract millions - and possibly billions - of people around the world, it is fairly easy for these companies to spread a word about their product to their target audience.

But how?

Facebook Ads allow these business firms to advertise their brand with information from a Facebook user that has tried their product. Called Social Ads, this system "combines social actions from your friends with an advertiser’s message". For example, if you're a Facebook user that has reviewed on a certain restaurant, your picture along with some of your information will be on a Social Ad - viewable by your friends.

This may sound rather interesting and unique to companies looking for advertising venues, but the privacy of Facebook users are now in question.

It would actually be rather interesting to see a friend's face on a banner ad in Facebook and if I were to stumble upon something like that, I'd definitely want to know more. I'd click on the advertisement without a thought. But would the user be peeved about their privacy?

Some users of Facebook aren't too keen on publicising their move on the networking site. This has caused doubts in many users regarding their privacy. So how is this form of advertising effective?

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One more form of advertising relating to new media is Nuffnang.



Nuffnang is a blogger community that allows advertisers to select a blog (that is already a member of Nuffnang) to advertise their product. By letting the advertisers choose the blog, they can also target the different audience through the different kind of blogs i.e teens, working adults etc.

This advertising platform recognises the high popularity of weblogs and use it to an advantage. They use blogs to advertise their product, and the owner of each blog is paid by how long the banner is up on their web page. Affectionately known as Nuffnangers, bloggers who opt to join Nuffnang must put up an advertising banner on their blogs where different companies such as Nike, Twisties and Nokia are able to showcase their product.

Being a Nuffnanger myself, I feel that this form of advertising is quite effective considering blogs are highly popular these days. Target audience is easy to find as different blogs will attract different readers.

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To conclude, advertising in new media does not always target the audience we want. Although there are many net users and the mass audience is easily available in the cyber world, we aren't sure whether the form of advertising will target the correct readers. Therefore, only certain forms of advertising in new media i.e. on blogs are effective.

Pop-ups and banner ads can be a nuisance sometimes, don't you think so?