ADVERTISING: FROM INKS TO LINKS

Technology and media is very prominent in today's society. Marketeers are constantly finding ways to keep up, causing the dramatic change in the advertising world. It has gone through mass ad printing, posters,  brochures, radio broadcasts, and of course TV commercials. Unfortunately, this "shotgun method" is now being overshadowed by new trends that take advantage of our dependence in technology. Expensive and time-consuming ways are being crossed out. Right now, in just a few clicks, your advertisement will be out and rolling and here's how.

YouTube is a very popular video streaming site that lets users watch and upload their own videos. It has more than 800 million users visiting the site per month - it's perfect for business. Due to the site's huge success, more and more companies decided to use YouTube as a marketing tool. Since the site was originally meant for home video viewing, it required the creators to polish out its advertising efficiency. Right now, YouTube offers a wide variety of advertising options to suit the advertisers needs. Here is the list.

YouTube Homepage Redzone

This YouTube advertisement is the most expensive option; the cost can amount up to 300,000 dollars per day. Advertisers that use this are usually well-known brands of cars, mobile phones and other gadgets. It is also used to promote movies. Below is an example with Smart Communications Inc. The advertisement takes up a lot of space; fair enough for its price.

TrueView In-Stream

Thankfully, there is an option that will not leave our wallets empty. This option uses cost-per-view payment(about 0.4 dollars per view). The In-Stream advertisement is the video that appears before the one the user intends to watch. It is usually 10 to 60 seconds long. This advertisement  usually annoys users(including me) but it is still an effective strategy. Contrary to the shotgun method, this trend can be used to target people with common interests. Advertisers can choose the videos that matches the content of their ads which increases their advertisement's chance of success.

TrueView In-Search

In-search advertisements are smaller versions of the Redzone advertisements. These ads appear usually at the sides whenever users search for a video. This includes promoted videos and display advertisements. See the example below.

Having such options makes YouTube a powerful tool in the advertising world. With more than 800 million people lingering around the site, advertisements' view rate will surely increase. Advertising blended well with media and technology. Still, I think a lot of people are annoyed by the stubbornness of the advertisers, and personally I am annoyed by In-stream ads. However, advertising is necessary to ensure the success of products. It is simply impossible in the modern age to run a successful business without aid from advertisements.



For a more detailed explanation of these options follow this link:
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2169740/YouTube-Advertising-Options-for-Budgets-of-All-Sizes

SAMSUNG'S BENDY PHONE

This is one technology advancement that has caught my eye. Slimmer gadgets apparently appeal more to people. So now, Samsung gives us what's yet to be the thinnest in history. Last January, Samsung presented a its prototype flexible phone at CES. It's a tablet that has a paper thin screen that you can fold like a map. Soon, the tablets we know will be replaced by something that will fit into our pockets. The demonstration is a little plain and static. What attracted me is the fact that the phone is foldable, it really doesn't break. This is just awesome, imagine having iPads in our pockets(but different brand). I know this won't compare yet to the touch screen holograms of Tony Stark but, seeing as to were our tablet technology is at present, this is going to be a big jump towards more brilliant and creative ideas.

Here's a video of the actual demonstration: