Video killed the radio star in 1979. More recently, digital marketing has been plotting the perfect time for it to overtake traditional print marketing. While the hostile takeover still has a long way to go, digital marketing has already permeated almost every aspect of our lives. While many of us may automatically think of internet advertisements like banner ads when considering digital marketing, it flows through various other channels as well including television, phone, and applications on smart phones.
Whether consciously or subconsciously, these advertisements shape our purchasing decisions on a daily basis and they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon…
When you log onto Facebook, “sponsored” advertisements fill your news feed. For me, the social media site has determined that I am a twenty-something college student, a member of a sorority, and an avid online shopper. My ads are shaped to reflect this (below).
As technology continues to improve, the targeting that these social media sites and other digital advertising platforms utilize will be fine tuned.
How about Twitter? Yup, they’re guilty of the same tactics. When I logged onto the site this morning, the VERY FIRST tweet I saw was…you guessed it! An advertisement.
Well… I guess Twitter knows I’m trying to eat a healthier diet.(take note that I do not follow this company)
These are just two examples of ways that digital marketing is permeating every waking moment of our lives. This style of targeted advertising is only the beginning. We can expect to see these tactics grow and develop as social media platforms continue to emerge and grow.
Twenty years ago, no one knew what Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram were. Today, they are the epitome of both social media and digital marketing. But just as quickly as these platforms emerge, they can die out (RIP Myspace, AOL instant messenger, Google+). So, what social media sites will be gone five years from now?
- Vine– is this even still popular? Who uses it? This ones already on its way out the door. It seems that solely supporting a “video” function didn’t do as well as expected. To put it in perspective, Instagram (which also offers video posting capabilities) had around 130 million users last September. Vine hosted only 13 million. Need I say more? (Source)
- According to some talented researchers at Princeton, Facebook will lose about 80% of its users in the next 3 years. When comparing Facebook to the life-cycle of Myspace, it seems quite likely. Facebook isn’t “new” anymore and unless it can come up with a rebranding tactic that draws in new users, its failure is inevitable. (Source)
The real question at hand is what NEW social media platforms and digital marketing techniques will emerge as the current generation of technological advancements are placed in the “old news” file?
Emaleigh Kaithern 