Advertising Then and Now: What We Couldn’t Even Imagine
Interactive advertising is an important development in the marketing area, because it gives us a much more interesting and engaging experience compared to old-fashioned ads. Instead of just being told and shown things, customers get to actively participate and interact with an ad. This type of advertisement seamlessly connects customers with a brand and provides customers with services according to their needs.
There are various interactive ad formats that marketers can choose from.
Display ads: Display ads represent a form of online advertising integrating text, images, and a URL leading to a website for further information or product purchase.
Video ads: Interactive video refers to digital or linear video that allows user interaction through clicks, touches, taps, and movement, going beyond simple play and pause functions.
Social media ads: Interactive ads provided via social media channels allow users to be engaged and interact with the product or brand.
Different ad types appeared due to several important factors such as technological development, viewers' preferences, and market changes, thus leading to so-called advertisement evolution.
Let’s look at the stages of ads evolution:
- Gen X: Skeptical consumers and limited internet led to struggles in reaching audiences. However, the seeds of integrated communications were sown.
- Internet & Social Media Boom: Interactive ads emerged, with TV losing ground. Pepsi’s 2010 shift to social media marked a turning point. Influencer marketing and user-generated content like the Ice Bucket Challenge showcased the power of engagement.
- Digital Advertising Takes Over: Widespread internet use and advantages like targeting and measurability propelled digital ads to become the dominant force, accounting for over half of all ad spending today.
- New ad formats: Recently, the advertising industry has faced new challenges due to the development of technologies and changes in customers’ attitudes towards advertisements. Therefore, coming up with new ad formats became a necessity for carrying out successful marketing campaigns. New ad formats such as video ads, interactive display ads, and augmented reality ads are constantly emerging. These new ad formats allow brands to create more immersive and engaging experiences for consumers.
The number of innovative and creative advertisements that use cutting-edge technology for ads is growing every day. Just look at EURONICS’ CANDY CRUSH ad — could we imagine just 10 years ago that an ad could be so much fun? Instead of boring product shots, Euronics created a Candy Crush-inspired game where users matched pairs of these trendy headphones to promote their brand-new JBL Live Pro 2 headphones.
The results were not just impressive, they were jaw-dropping — on average customers spent 16.2 MINUTES interacting with the ad. The results were staggering. Over 6,100 unique visitors, 54,000 games played, and 3,300 leads later, Euronics had not only generated buzz but also qualified leads ripe for conversion.
Another impressive example is the ad campaign created by Honda. We may think that companies with such big names do not need to “go above and beyond” when advertising (because everybody around the world already knows them), but Honda doesn’t think so.
Honda’s campaign for the new Civic, “The Other Side,” blurred the lines between car brochures and interactive storytelling. To highlight the outstanding performance of the car as both a family car and a car with a racing spirit, they added one small detail to the ad. The viewers of the ad were able to click on the “R” key that was placed on the ad, and, when doing so, the car was turning from a family car to a racing one. It’s not something you see often in car ads, but here, it was like giving the audience the steering wheel.
And, of course, we have to mention an impressive marketing idea by Lancôme. They created a unique in-store experience for the customers by introducing interactive augmented reality (AR) technology at its flagship store on the chic Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The AR adventure at the Lancôme store takes customers on a virtual trip from the green fields of Grasse, France (where Lancôme gets its ingredients), to the lively streets of Paris. They do this magic with the help of special Magic Leap AR headsets. When you put them on, you’re transported to Lancôme’s recently acquired rose farm, the Domaine de la Rose. There, you can virtually wander through fields of blooming flowers and learn about how they pick roses. Therefore, Lancôme also uses the elements of metaverse, which is also becoming a new trend in reaching customers. This AR experience isn’t just a tech trick; it’s showing how technologies can totally change the way brands connect with their customers.
To learn more about the latest advertising trends, please visit gamified.marketing.
Maria Bondarenko, Business Intelligence Specialist @Multiplayer
maria@multiplayer.com.tr
