New Media Impacts on Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing

Alert, this entry is very long.  It may challenge your patient.  Perhaps this is a good article for those who can’t sleep.

To be honest, some of us (the Generation Y) cannot survive without internet.  This has proven that we are more and more relying on it, especially for its convenient features and multi-functional characteristics.  Since the new media has a tremendous impact on an individual, it is undeniably true that it do affecting many industries. In this entry, I am going to  narrow down the focus in only 3 professions in the mass media related currier, which are thee business minded and money oriented Marketing people, the creative yet annoying Advertising people and the “half-truth telling” “half lying” spin doctor, the Public relations practitioners.  No offence okay?

Belief it or not, three of them (the marketers, the advertisers and public relation practitioners) will have a  hard time if the internet go missing today.  It is because the new media has a very big roles in their works. 

Now, let us start with the PR industry.  Since the past decade, PR has been relying on new media to communicate with media, clients and public.  One of the key features that helps PRP works with media is the email.  The virtual mail helps to deliver information to journalists in the Newspaper Company.  Unlike its predecessor, the e-mail news release is fast, convenient and economic.  What’s the point to send something which is not guarantee to be publish in several minutes when it can be done within a second with just a single click?  Besides, with just a monthly internet bills, the PRP can send out press release as much as they want, which is much economic as compare to its previous physical form.  Besides, PRP can utilize directories online to search for their preferred journalist for their news release without relying on any media list (which has tendency to be outdated).  Even the media kit can be sent to media via email, which is more convenient.

As in client communication, the PRP can utilize the Audio or video conference to conduct meeting or provide advice without physically present on the location.  To be simple, this function is similar to how the Skype conference call.  This is indeed helpful for the external PRP who is not a full-timer in a company. As for the internal PR, the Intranet is quite a useful internal communication tool to further break the gap between the employers and employees.  In fact, the information can be distributed faster and more directly. 

The new media is also an effective tools for public communication.  The public communication here is referring to Crisis communication, Issue management, changing public opinion and communicate information.  Do you still remember the Toyota Crisis in 2010 whereby Toyota company took back all the new cars from the market as there is technical problem?  In this crisis, Toyota has fully utilize the advantage of their Facebook Official page to answer all question thrown to them and eventually bring a faster end to this.  Well, actually this fact is from textbook and not from my general knowledge.  LOL.

As for issue management, PRP can monitor the pattern of respond via various media as well as citizen journalism reviews on a potential threat (which will turn to crisis without taking any action).  This patterns can provide some clues on what problem they will face soon.  Previously with the aid of new media, PRP has to read all kinds of newspaper, listen to radio, watch TV, doing research, bla bla bla, just to know what the potential issue is.  It is so time consuming and tiring.  So, new media change their method of detecting problems out there.  When comes to communication and persuading public opinion, again, the PRP has more tools for publicity.  The good thing here is that the PRP will have its own controlled media for any persuasion and communication.

In the Advertising industry, the new media helps to further narrow down the target viewers.  When we are using Google to search for Bikini for example, ,some clothing shop ads will appear along with our search results.   As for me, I hate ads and I feel they are annoying most of the time.  In the traditional media, people tend to skip them and even ignore them totally.  People are not looking at them because the ads are not in their interest.  However, an ad will have its value when the viewer’s belongs to those who are interested to its content like how the search engine ads works. 

Besides that, the advertising people is able to communicate the ad message by using viral marketing, a method of spreading information via “share” in social media such as Facebook.  The concept of viral marketing is that the viewers will be a tool to deliver message to their fellow relatives, and this never ending circulation will reach a broader audience and hence  accomplish its sole purpose. 

And next is the YouTube ad.  I guess most of us is irritated by the ad appears before the video stream.  But no choice because this is one of the way we are force to watch it.  Previously in TV for instance, we will apply this equation (commercial break = toilet break).  Or we will turn to another channel (the Zip and Zap concept).  But in YouTube,, this equation may not be a good idea.  People are forced to view it ant the probability of attention spent is higher.  The higher the attention spent, the larger ad exposed to the audience.  (Wow! Sounds like hypothesis.)  Besides, some of the advertiser is even wiser.  The ad is directly slot in the middle of the video as the video itself is highly related to the product advertise.  If you are a fan of GundamInfo channel on YouTube, you can see how deathly the ad is.  In short, the channel is a Japanese Anime channel and it is about some kind of Robots.  And the advertiser is the company which produce robot action figure.  Once the audience attracted to the show, they (mostly the male) who is now vulnerable to be persuaded will be punched by the ad asking them to clean up their wallet.

Advertising people can create an interactive and interesting ad with the combination of copies (words), graphics, audios, videos besides some other internet features such as hyperlinks and also pop out ad (which is very annoying).  With the help of hyperlink, those who are interested to the product and service advertise with directed link to the official page of the company for further information.  They no longer have to call the number featured in the ad as how it is in the traditional media.  This is very frequently done on some blogs and entertainment webpage.  

Now, we have come to the last industry, the marketing people.  When talk about marketing, we are referring to create products and services that satisfy needs and wants; and the marketing mix (which are the 4Ps) are the strategy used.  When come to the first P (Product), the new media helps to define the consumers’ preference in a faster way.  Marketers can do their research by sitting in front the monitor and observe people’s opinion, expression and thoughts about a related info to the proposed product via social medias, blogs, forums as well as microblog (e.g. Twitter).  They can even experimenting their product and its packaging by just using online forum, social media and their official webpage or even the online poles. 

And now is the second P (Place).   

Hmm, I guess all of us are quite familiar with these logos.  These are shops on the virtual world with URL as their address.   Marketers can still selling product even though  they failed to find a strategic location to be their store.  People can still shopping while sitting in their house.  As for people like me with limited sight, shopping outside alone is not a good idea as I cannot directly access to the merchandises available.  But with the help of some software, I can literally walking around the online retailers.  For marketers, this is the way how they can reach some unfortunate group.  Previously, marketers will invest on facilities in their shops so that the disable group can have the same shopping experience.  But now, the new media has save their money for these (if only they plan to focus on online marketing alone).  Instead of designing the big store, the marketers is now designing their internet page so that it is convenient and user friendly to its customers!

The P (Price) can be further reduce for each product sold when come to online marketing.  Behind this situation, there is a logic explanation.  Traditionally, most of the goods ownership are keep changing (i.e. from the manufacturer/producer to Resellers/wholesalers/retailers and then consumers).  Since all of the parties (accept consumers) will earn money in this cycle, the final price will be far more expensive than the initial price.  With the new Media, some of the producer  receive direct order from consumers via their online shopping page.  One of the examples I have seen is the GoodSmile Company, a figurine factory that sell their product directly to its customers via their online shop.  In short, a product will be cheaper when it involve less party on their way to the final user.  Besides, the internet marketing enable the producer to cut the production cost as they will only selling items base on demands. 

Next is the last P (The Promotion).  New media helps marketers to inform public about their latest offer online via subscriptions and social media.  Personally, I have experience on this kind of promotion. 

A Screenshot from my email  on online marketing promotion

Last April, I receive an email from Plamoya, an online retailers which offered me with a voucher to buy any of their products.  Yet it is limited to a certain period.  Hmm, sounds like quite similar to how its physical form works.  Well, I admit that it has no much different between the old practice and the new practice (by involving new Media).  But it is consider a change isn’t it?  Marketers will never have to spent  for printing and design cost.  With just a few numbers and alphabets, a voucher  is created.  It is much simpler and direct as compare to the old practice.  Unlike Plamoya, some of the franchise (e.g. Pizza Hut) will create a fully designed softcopy voucher and distribute online.  And I have receive twice after I like their Facebook page.  Other than this function, the new media provide a good space for marketers to have any data in order to construct a better promotion.  Marketers can observe the current trend online and make a more secured step forward by producing promotion with the highest acceptance.

In conclusion, , new media provide a new way of communication to all three sectors besides providing some new approaches in their work.  Basically, the new media make their work faster, easy, more accurate and more variety besides reducing some cost and expenses.  The differences on the new media influences between this three industry are based on their job scope.  However, I only focus on the positive effects of the new media and not its counterpart, or else you will feel boring even more.  Anyway, thanks for visiting and have a nice day!