Media and Advertising Today

   Today media and advertising surround us almost everywhere we go.  It’s on TV, you hear it on the radio, and it’s even plastered all over town. Media and ads stimulate every sense and there’s really no running away from it because it goes where you go.  Although we want to hide, it’s almost hard to live without in our time now.

   According to Marian Azzaro’s textbook, Strategic Media Decisions, the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians were the first to start advertising. To announce events in their communities the Babylonians and Egyptians posted flyers around town. The flyers evolved into newspaper ads (just the beginning of what we see now) and shaped media, as we know it today.

   After the boom of print, the emergence of radio came about and then came television. And even better, the Internet! Advertisers everywhere began to use these platforms to send their messages to audiences. Print, TV, and radio are thought of today (with the emergence of social media) as traditional or old media. YouTuber Dan Brown weighs the difference of old and new media (Internet and social media platforms) and how consumers and audiences think today. 

   In the new media world we are in control. The heart of all media is the relationship between entertainer and audience and the relationship ultimately determines the media. Although we have seen these platforms work over time for advertisers, the other shortcoming is media clutter and fragmentation. This challenges advertisers and businesses to be more creative and have a stronger brand image.

   Media has made incredible progress over the years and with changes we have already seen today, there is no telling what the future of media will be like. But today, the future is one click away.