As technology evolves, methods of communication also change. Traditional media is no longer the most effective way to connect with consumers. The evolving digital landscape has given way to interactive, two-way communication that can occur at any time and place. With methods such as blogs, marketers can directly engage with consumers.
Given these advances, IMC practitioners can also understand people’s interests and lifestyles in a way that allows them to connect in more meaningful, relevant ways through big data tactics such as targeted marketing (Childress, 2014). Instead of “one-to-many orientation,” new media provides the possibility of “many to many communication,” a concept that “drives the power of social media,” a tool utilized daily by millions (WVU Reed College of Media, West Virginia University, 2016).
These digital consumers include 87 percent of American adults who use the internet, and 68 percent who connect to it via smart phones or tablets (WVU Reed College of Media, West Virginia University, 2016). Research indicates that “every minute, the world’s 2 billion Internet users upload staggering volumes of data to the web: an estimated 200 billion emails, 48 hours of YouTube videos, 684,478 posts on Facebook. And then there’s Tweets, Instagram photos, text messages and blog posts” (Childress, 2014). Emerging media is also especially important in the youth market, a group that has grown up in the digital world.
In addition to social media, consumers are interacting with emerging media everyday with 1:1, personalized advertising. This may come in the form of a text alert from a frequently visited website or live stream online shopping (i.e. LulaRoe/Periscope).
As one scholar suggests, “the future is already here, especially when it comes to presenting highly engaging, personalized, relevant advertising to consumers” (Stocker, 2014).