Narrowcasting - The Impact of New Media on Marketing Communication
This is a problem that has plagued advertising in the mass media for as long as they have existed. Marketers can only control the effects of advertising if the effects are measurable. In the broadcast media, the effect can only be correlated to a difference in sales. However this is skewed by the fact that some products and some audiences have a longer â??incubationâ?? period and it ignores other factors that may come into play (salary schedules, lifestyle etc). There was a need to solve this problem by applying the strong points of direct mail in the mass media. Direct mail enables a marketer to know the attributes of each individual that is being targeted and has the ability to tailor a message for each section of the audience. In the 1930s, it was discovered that mass mediaâ??s broad breakdowns of an audience had limited success. At that time, advertisers and media producers did not know the age, gender, income, interests, residence and spending habits of their target groups. This led to the creation of demographics to be used in tailoring marketing messages for certain audience profiles. This also led to the emergency of them channels especially on cable televisions. By focusing their programming on specific interests, these channels are able to attract theme audiences that advertisers can target with messages that are relevant to their interest. This trend has been observed in all forms of media. General interest magazines are almost non-existent. With the exception of radio and TV stations that receive public funding, all the others broadcast content that will interest a section of the public. Based on audience demographics, advertising products or services for senior citizens on MTV is not effective because the programming of this channel geared towards the young generation. Similarly, advertising feminine products in Sports Illustrated is not as effective as doing it in Womanâ??s Day or Elle. This is narrow casting in the mass media. Even within the special interest niches in TV and radio, programming varies through the day depending on the kind of people that have been profiled to the listening.
