#interactiveindustry

[svetalever-blog]

Where are the opportunities? Some quick analysis and facts about the Interactive Industry.

Hi folks, here are some highlights about market demand in the interactive media industry in Canada I learned in class and would like to share. Enjoy!

94% of the Interactive Media Industry belongs to Canadian-controlled companies with the biggest share in Ontario and BC.  Despite the fact that 51% of companies are small (72% less than $1  million) , 71% of gross revenue is earned by very large ones.

 Creativity and technical skills are in very high demand, followed by business/administrative skills (others are analytical and leadership skills).

 However, there is a slight difference in skill preferences among industry: most jobs in medium and large companies are technically-oriented, while small and very large companies value creativity as their most important criteria. This means that young professionals entering the digital media work force with creative backgrounds should target either small companies or large corporations, and technical people should concentrate on the medium-size sector. 

 Furthermore, most openings are in the intermediate level: companies want people with experience, but are not willing to pay a premium for senior positions.

The bottom line? There are lots of opportunities out there in digital media, but one needs to understand what skills are valued by what types of potential employers. Good food for thought as we begin our school year with a view to capturing some of those employment positions!

[svetalever-blog]

Younger crowd, sexy industry... Why Interactive Media?

If all advertising were like this I would watch it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7FIvfx5J10&feature=youtu.be

Occasionally I see commercials that are funny, or touching, or saddling, that will resonates with my soul. Unfortunately, more often I see ads that feel like a nuisance and interruption. So why are some rare commercials inspiring and products bringing an important message while other advertising focuses directly on selling and play no role in my life whatsoever? 

This question was bothering me two years ago while I was working on my thesis “Communication strategies to promote mass consumers goods” during my studies of the Journalism and Advertising at Lomonosov Moscow State University.  And I had fears whether eventually I would be able to work on something GOOD in the industry which will fulfill me with “purpose”.

Now I live in Canada and I just had enrolled in the Interactive Media Management Program at Centennial College. And I am quite excited to be learning about UX Design, Coding, and Graphics Applications!

Due to the increasing capabilities of digital media today, advertising develops in line with interactivity.  Interactive media can help to create unique, quality customer-centric content and it opens a wide range of opportunities for marketing strategies. By entering the page of a product on Facebook and clicking "Like," or by subscribing to an email newsletter a wide range of relationships is deployed between the person and the product. By sharing feedback in the comments, a person becomes able to influence the item and to shape it to reflect his or her preferences. 

With the above in mind my objective in enrolling in Interactive Media Management is to take my focus on new communication tools to the next level. My idea is to combine my general communications/advertising background with some specific skills in the digital sphere and, eventually, to be able to create an advertising which would go beyond sales.

“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” - Marshal Ferdinand Foch.

[omg-candice-world]

What’s wrong in the Interactive Digital Advertising Industry?

The interactive digital advertising industry has taken off over the past few years with the explosion of emerging technology enabling human interaction to be part of the advertisement itself. Interactive advertisements have proven to be effective in targeting new audiences and reaching new innovations that define creativity to whole new levels over past few years. However there lies a few problems with such an industry where there is no “structure” and leadership roles need to be addressed.

Due to the fact that digital advertising is making huge amounts of money each year (it goes up by double digits each year), a massive problem as a result would be a lack of motivation for self-improvement. If workers are making a profitable amount of revenue then the need to achieve a greater product would diminish because there is already a formula to garner success and profitability. The industry is growing and digital media is becoming more commoditized; people have access to view them on various platforms whether it’s through mobile, desktop, and/or tablets. The fact that the interactive advertising industry is becoming a large market means that a massive output of advertisements is being generated, which could be troubling as it devalues each ad even if it has “cool” and informative content. Some ads can get lost in the big data realm where only a small portion of viewers might be exposed to only a fraction of advertisements.

The importance of training marketers is essential as they are the gateway to the open public; they are fundamental to human beings, people, and users. They provide the consumers' needs to connect with others, be enlightened, be informed, and provide a sense of security. Due to this role, marketers need solid development training from the company’s leaders and must be made comfortable with digital advertising. However this training should not be driven primarily for company profit goals but for a love for innovation and the market as well. Not only do they need to be educated in the field, but they also need to articulate the process and function to audiences so they understand what is being presented and is able to process the use of the products’ existence. Also this industry relies heavily on smart marketing to distinguish each advertisement from each other and to brand it to the point where audiences will be left in in amazement, buzzing to their friends and families on how cool the product is.

The uncertainty of having a successful advertisement also draws a problem with job security; in this industry there is no standard hierarchy, people and roles tend to blend and merge whereas the traditional advertising industry have more of a concrete workplace where workers have a stable salary and are identified by their role. Looking at this article, I addressed that there are major problems in terms of leadership, where people looking to break into the interactive advertising agency need to understand the workplace hierarchy and development stages that should be taught by leaders in higher ranked positions.

Randy Kilgore. “Selling Digital Ads is Easy but that’s Actually a Big Problem.”Ad Age Digital. February 12 2013.