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Integrated advertising is when a product or service is advertised within another form of media, such as print, TV, film, or digital formats. It can be subtle or intrusive, but is seen as more effective than traditional methods. Critics argue it can be deceptive, while supporters say it is less visually offensive.
Integrated advertising is a form of advertising in which the product or service described is used in the context of another form of media, rather than simply appearing as an advertisement. This can take a number of different forms and can be used in print formats such as newspapers and magazines, television and film, and digital formats such as internet websites. Essentially, these advertisements appear as part of the media around them, rather than clearly defined advertisements that are more easily ignored. Integrated advertising has been criticized by some customers and advertisers as too intrusive, while others see it as a more subtle form of advertising.
The essential component of integrated advertising, in any media, is that the advertisement appears initially as part of the surrounding media. A simple example of such advertising is product placement in movies and television shows. A character in a movie, TV show, or even a music video may drink a particular brand of soda, use a particular cell phone or computer, or wear clothing that clearly displays the brand label. This type of integrated advertising can be quite subtle in some cases, while other uses of product placement can be obvious and even intrusive to some viewers.
Advertisements embedded in print formats can be slightly more subtle. Magazines and newspapers may include advertisements that initially appear to be part of the surrounding text, such as advertisements formatted to appear like the surrounding articles. Such ads often include text stating that it is an ad and not an article or editorial, but the initial impression on a reader is that the ad is an article. Integrated print advertising can also take a form similar to product placement and include editorials, sometimes called “ads,” in which the commentator endorses or suggests a particular product.
The digital and interactive format of the Internet is a perfect environment for integrated advertising. Such advertisements avoid the common form of pop-up or banner ads and instead embed the ad into the web page layout. This can include anything from paid advertisements that surface in a search engine’s results to advertisements that appear in the body text of a web page. Critics of embedded advertising often claim that such advertisements are deceptive in nature, appearing at first glance to be content rather than commercial. Those in favor of such advertisements, however, insist that such advertisements are less visually offensive to readers or viewers and are ultimately more effective than traditional methods.
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