Online Advertising

Many creatives are bound by the limitations of traditional image-driven advertising. Because of my web and direct marketing experience, online advertising was an easy transition.

In many ways, interactive advertising is an extension of the “direct marketing” model: it’s all about developing and enhancing a one-to-one relationship with the consumer. The interactive ability lets the brand “service” the communication. This simply isn’t possible in traditional print and broadcast media. The brand takes on a powerful new functionality online. It actually gives consumers something to do, something to interact with in real time. It transcends the monologue of static one way communication.

Traditional advertising models just don’t work online. To make interactive advertising work, creatives must not approach communications in a linear fashion. This is entertainment as much as it is advertising. Direct marketing pros are used to thinking in long form. Their mission is to get consumers to interact, to create and maintain a dialogue with the brand. That

is the part of the ‘direct’ plan called the response mechanism.

In short, online advertising has virtually boundless possibilities. It is a communications experience packaged and delivered in ways that were not possible before. It should be perceived by consumers as truly useful. It should be a dialogue, not a monologue.

Shown here is a traditional print ad along with the online interpretation. The click through goes to a video presentation by one of the managing partners.