Internet: A Public Sphere?

Habermas defines the public sphere as the sphere of private people who join together to form a "public." I find it easier to understand it as an arena where people can get together and freely discuss shared problems and produce solutions.

So as technology has evolved since the public sphere became apparent in the eighteenth century, I find it hard to believe how the internet is under debate as to whether it is a public sphere or not. The internet is a medium available to normal people not just elitists and can provide a many-to-many connection allowing people to discuss matters of public concern in an “unrestricted fashion”. According to Habemas the internet “guarantees the freedom of assembly and association with the freedom to express and publish their own opinion”.  To me this meets my understood criteria of “the public sphere”.

However Mark Poster argues “the technology of the internet shouldn’t be viewed as a new form of public sphere”. He discusses how the internet threatens the government through unmonitorable convosations and mocks private property with the infinite reproducibility of information. However in my opinion it is because of these factors which I feel that the technology behind the internet is on the other hand creating conditions for ideal speech. Although the internet is fragmented there is the availability for using it to talk about private interests, and therefore does provide the basis for a public sphere, it is contrary to Posters arguments that I agree with Habermas that the internet is in fact a ever- increasing public sphere as it is uncensored, open, free, with the availability for anonymity and therefore holds all the qualities which a public sphere should.

In the future everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes.

Not my favourite Warhol quote but very apt for the phenomena of the entertainment industry, and Youtube. Not that I am condoning the embarrassing Youtube videos which haunt my past. Whilst on the subject of haunting, did you know that even after you die, your facebook account is never completely deleted. You may be able to deactivate your account but your information will never be deleted from their databases.

This brings me onto the topic of privacy, Charles Fried (1968) defined privacy as the “control over knowledge about oneself”, but how much knowledge about our self can we actually control?  Have we actually given thought to the consequences of our Facebook accounts into our future life? But also there is that of which is beyond our control. So we have all heard of the data protection act that makes sure anyone who has access to our personal information must conform to specific laws. So we're sorted right?

Well what about something a lot more unobtrusive? Something that many of us are unaware of, and the majority of the time goes unnoticed?  I’m talking about Cookies, pieces of information generated by a web server and stored in your computer. They are used to personalize web search engines and store shopping lists of items while browsing. So what’s the problem? Through Cookies the latest marketing rage is electronic eavesdropping. And although suggesting that I try an anti ageing cream at the tender age of 19, after reading an article for my mini dissertation is not harmful, it is questioning our privacy. Questions are being raised, “Why are you showing me this ad? What is it you know? What else have you found out?”

 

Apps like Facebook and MySpace have completely destroyed any element of privacy, with many of us logging in on public servers, and without our knowledge our history is being saved. The bottom line is private life is no longer private; it’s strewn all over blogs, social networks, gmails, etc. It’s not a massive issue, the argument being;

My worries are what happens when your privacy is completely invaded, and your information sold on? Lycos Inc. A search engine and established web portal, have stated the aim of creating a tracking system which would create highly detailed profiles of user’s search patterns. They would do this by matching the cookie identification with a user profile, the user's past search history can be accessed by the web server. If these search profiles were to be resold, the user's patterns of research would be immediately apparent. If any form of identification were linked to these profiles it might prove a serious invasion of user privacy.

Why get all hot and bothered over target advertising? With the increasing commercial applications of the Internet, it was probably inevitable that cookies would quickly be utilized for advertising purposes. Since cookies can be matched to the profile of a user's interests and browsing habits, they are a natural tool for the "targeting" of advertisements to individual users.

Product Placement: The New ‘P’

So from the 28^th of February product placement will be allowed in British television as Ofcom are relaxing the rules about the form of embedded advertising where branded products are placed within the storyline of television shows or movies.

No harm done then, as according to Nielsen’s research into viewers attitudes about product placement in US programmes which have been screened in the UK, over a quarter of UK viewers who remembered the products featured said it improved their opinion of the brand. However programmes which contain product placement must display the new ‘p’ logo for three seconds at the start of their program and in any advertising breaks when any brands have been featured, and surprisingly this is what is drawing in lots of strong opinions.

Some critics have said 3 seconds is not long enough, how is the flicking viewer supposed to know that there is product placement in this program and that it should be mandatory for it to appear throughout.

Others have argued back that the point of product placement is that it is not intrusive or changes the body of the show, and by displaying the ‘P’ sign would act a s a warning rather than an informative and would be asking viewers to consciously spot the products.

My opinion on the matter is that I am all for product placement as long as it is done subtly, It wouldn’t bother me if Phillip and Holly started making Cappuccinos for their guests on their new Nescafe Dolce Gusto machine, or if Simon and Cheryl start drinking large diet cokes on the Xfactor, however what would bother me is an annoying logo bopping up onto my screen every time the product came into view.

Katy Perry recently has been having her 2 pennies worth publically on twitter over what can only be assumed as Britney Spears’ ‘hold it against me’ video cramming in as many product placement deals as one can fit into a 3 minute music video.

Take a look for yourself.

Product Placements are scattered all throughout the video, I found promotions for her new perfume, Make Up Forever, Sony and quite randomly the dating website PlentyOfFish.com, so I can see where Katy Perry was coming from in her tweets.

 “’Do it with style and grace… Not so in [your] face like some. [You] have to get creative with it. Some artists don’t care [though, and you] can tell.”

And I totally agree with her, with style and grace product placement is set to become a massive form of advertising within the UK.  Nescafe was brave to get the ball rolling because essentially it is the unknown, but at the end of their three month deal we will be able to analyse whether the recognition will have triggered an action, or will it have just plainly irritated viewers because of how blasé the placement was.

David Charlesworth head of sponsorship at Channel 4, reckons that it is a ‘reasonable aspiration’ for the UK product placement market to reach £100million a year. I’m guessing he has made this assumption based on the US and Australia’s figures where product placement has grown to account for 5% of TV advertising market. So we will just have to wait and see.

Augmented Reality: Coming soon to an Iphone near you!

And its not just iphones. Augmented reality for those of you who don’t know, AR for short, is a term for a live direct or indirect view of real-world environment, whose elements have been augmented by a computer- generated sensory input. Sounds complicated? Well basically through the use of this technology, the information about the surrounding real world of the user becomes digitally manipulability and interactive.

As I mention time and time again technology is advancing, as consumers we are always searching for the next new thing. So last week I spoke to you about interactivity, well this is essentially taking it to the next level. So whereas augmented reality once meant sitting at your computer with funny looking goggles on, thanks to ARToolworks, and the latest high speed cameras and powerful processors on mobile phones, augmented reality is now nearly within the reach of your mobile. Previously used to enable users to physically manipulate 3D objects displayed on their monitors, the new AR applications integrate live video with computer generated 3D models enabling virtual content to be overlaid on the real world. Understand? Lets take a look.

Still don't get it? Watch the video.

ARToolworks has developed software for the iphone, which can superimpose 3D objects into real-time videos. By moving the iphone it sends signal to the software and in turn moves the virtual imagery. Although currently very basic the company hopes to be able to make it more sophisticated. Just imagine the possibilities! By having augmented reality on your iphone essentially you will be able to interact with products, it could be like walking down the street seeing a billboard advertisement and being able to hold up your phone and interact.

Mini using Augmented Reality in their Advertising.

At the moment augmented reality is kind of a novelty, it seems so exciting and nifty, but I predict that once the excitement has worn off there is not much to sustain any real engagement. I’m not an avid computer game fanatic myself, far from it, however I believe the biggest potential for this software would be within this industry. I think its clever how some brands have used augmented reality within their advertising I just don’t believe it creates any desire. But then everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I may even change mine if it does take off.

Interactivity: Genius Curiousity?

By now we all have gathered that advertising is a medium that is constantly evolving, and changing with the times, and is finding new better ways to reach the consumer market place. But it is simply not just the advertising that evolves. Consumers and their behaviour are changing too, and it is important that the two interact and change together over time. This week I’m looking at interactivity in advertising, and how it has only just begun to make an impact.

So what is the most effective form of advertising that is in keeping with consumer behaviour? Although many recent ads especially in television are intrusive with their promotion, just think of the ‘go compare’ that sticks in your head for the rest of the day, well interactivity seems to extend from this. A far more rewarding style of advertising interactivity involves the public and forces them into direct contact with the brand. Usually it can take the simplest idea, involve the consumer as it is interlinked with their lifestyle, and the interactivity forces recognition with the brand that will last until the consumer is ready to take action, whether that be purchase, recall, or word of mouth.

Looking at one of the most recognised brands in the world, Coca Cola, we can look at their use of interactivity within their latest campaign for their new shape bottle aimed at for better grip. Their simple idea: What gives grip? They placed their ads which were printed on Velcro in bus shelters around Paris which literally stuck consumers to the ad. In others worlds they were hooked. And sales for Coke increased by 3.8%.

There are some critics of Interactivity, mostly saying that yes it is engaging consumers but not doing it very well, as some contain no information about the brand, and are just dropping you onto their homepage, and effectively are just a big waste of money. I’m not sure I can agree with these critics, in some interactive campaigns the insight maybe is not as clear perhaps to the untrained eye, but the curiosity draws the consumer creating brand awareness. If anyone has any opinions on the following interactive campaigns please enlighten me. I would love to here your opinions.

Real fish swimming over a plate. Insight: Fresh as Can be.
Problem: ?

Potatoes growing out the ceiling:
Insight: Grown closer than you think
Problem:?

Interactive Big Brother Bus shelter
Big Brother is Back
Problem?

Shapie graffiti cast
Problem:?

Scan Me Baby

The big question:

What do consumers want?

Immediate access to what’s relevant. That what.

And with QR codes its being made possible.

So what are QR codes?

Quick Response codes, QR codes for short are similar to that bar code used at point of sales, however the key difference is the sheer amount of information that they can hold. You can scan QR codes using iPhones, Androids, or other smart-phones, which can then link you to digital content on the web, activate phone functions, such as email and sms, and also connect the mobile device to a web browser.

Its becoming increasingly easier to make your own QR code through generator sites, the one which has worked best for me is this as it even allows you to personalise the colour as well as the format of your code;

My code for my blog: Scan Me Baby!!

http://keremerkan.net/qr-code-and-2d-code-generator/

Usages of QR codes are now being adopted into social media, with it revolving around sharing and community.  There is no limit to what you can share; so going further than images and videos, it is even possible to share an entire e-book (which would make my lecture reading so much simpler). With facebook being one of the worlds biggest online communities, its undoubtedly obvious that they would even have QR codes that can link your mobile device to a ‘LIKE’ button for your page

QR codes can be used;

• ·      On your business card
• ·      Product Tags
• ·      Restaurant Tags
• ·      Event ticket stubs

With QR codes there is opportunities for advertising and could well be used within the research stages, as it is possible to link them to customer feedback forms. As mobile technology advances, the potential for QR codes is becoming limitless. With the next generation of phones barcodes are expected to hold even more information that an Internet connection wont even be necessary. It’s amazing to think were this can go and the opportunities that may arise. I for one am excited.

Creating a Buzz...

So a week in, and my notebook tells me its time to upload my first blog entry. Suggested subject matter, are Lecture topics, Core Readings, Placements and Sectors of interest. However as the unit is only beginning to unravel, and with fear of offending the weeks guest lecturers by critically analyzing them, I wish to talk about something which has ignited a passion in me. A strong admiration, and more importantly a desire to achieve something, which makes other people, feel the way I do about this particular piece of advertising.

 So, when preparing for an interview, at DDB, I stumbled upon, their Interactive marketing division: Tribal DDB. Specializing in digital campaigns, I could hardly believe my luck that I have been offered work experience at this amazing agency, especially when I found out they were behind the HASBRO Monopoly City streets campaign.

For those of you who are unaware (or have been living under a rock), Tribal DDB created the biggest game of Monopoly ever! Teaming up with Google maps, they created an online campaign that brought monopoly into the real world and turned the globe into one giant game board.

Their primary objective was to create a ‘buzz’ around the launch of the new updated game to build consumer excitement and awareness of the new version, and that they did. They met this objective to such an extent that when the game launched servers went down, and Tribal were set to go down in history as a cautionary tale to companies who wanted to use social media to promote their brands. Yet they turned it around, sales of monopoly rose across the board and the hype around the game made news all over the world.

To me this campaign is one of my favourites, maybe I’m biased, but even to an untrained eye, it’s hard not to see how this digital campaign is not brilliant at meeting its objectives, and making me look forward to this unit, more so than before. If this is Digital Communications, count me in.