Nicole Zuar
Media Literacy
Midterm Part I
New Advances in Technology: Three Dimensional Television
Television was developed in the early 1950s, and was a huge technological advance for media and advertising. Advertising time gave marketers a place to sell products, and also gave television something to negotiate and make more money on. Television only became more technologically advanced throughout time and is still improving today. Color television, cable television, satellite television, digital cable television, and HD television, were just a few of the advances television technology has seen. The future of television can only evolve more with technology and it seems we will see a new development soon starting with sports television.
Even though television was introduced in the 1950s, sports did not appear on T.V. until ten years later in the 1960s. In early television stages there was a fear of decreased game attendance, high production costs, or no interest in viewing games on T.V.. In 1961 a Sports Broadcasting Act was finally passed which allowed professional sports organizations to collectively make contracts with television stations. This is where marketers began to see the marketing power and money of sports on television. The NFL became a great T.V. sport for marketers because they were able to put plenty of advertising on due to the periodic play of football. They used the violence and slow ball movement to create dramatic spectacle, and hype the game up to their viewers (Foster,Kitchen). Soon football became a human drama created by marketers. They added more off the field events like pre-game shows and post game discussions, entertaining stories of players and coaches, and Monday night football as well as the big Sunday games. These events were all created by marketers to hook larger audiences, and reel them into more viewing time (Garrahan).
Marketers feed off of new technologies in order to keep reeling in viewers. In June of this year ESPN is rumored to be releasing the first three-dimensional sports network, in which all sports games can be watched in 3D television all the time. The first 3D game to air is said to be one of the World Cup Soccer games. Marketers will use many tactics to get audiences to pay for the new network (Kershbaumer). ESPN already sells itself through brand image. It is the home of sports all the time. It has created a culture around the brand that sells to the utmost sports fans, and creates the idea that ESPN is the best place to get your sports if you’re a good fan. Marketers will build this 3D T.V. technology into the culture of ESPN being the sports central of the world. Its using the first showing of this technology as a World Cup game to hype the importance of the World Cup and gain more viewers there, on top of advertising the new 3D network. This marketing strategy works for ESPN on a few different levels because it’s boosting their brand image as well as their products, networks and games already shown. The strategy of emotional branding also ties into the marketing attempts ESPN is making to push the 3D network to consumers. Emotional branding involves getting the customer to relate a personal experience or feeling to the product when marketing to them. ESPN already uses emotional branding in commercials for sporting events (McCarthy). Slow motion and the good feeling of your local team winning or making an amazing play are shown to good feeling music etc. on commercials to remind the consumer of the good feeling they get when watching sporting events on the ESPN channel. The 3D channel will intensify this “good feeling” during special moments of sports because the moments will feel closer and more intimate to the customer when seen in 3D. This tactic will be a key point in advertising the 3D network especially using celebrities. Marketers are going to make you think, “how cool would it be?” to have it seem like Peyton Manning is in your living room when he makes a fantastic pass to the end-zone (Kershbaumer).
Product placement is another way marketers are going to target their audience and sell to their consumers for new technologies. New technology is best advertised to people who are using current technology obviously. Commercials on regular ESPN networks will appear for the new kind of way to see a game “better”. Sports lovers are going to be the target audience for this new kind of way to see sports, so marketing in sports journals, magazines, and even in stadiums, would be best to reach the consumer.
All of these tactics, are used by marketers to sell products to the consumers. New technology helps marketers reach their target audiences, and gives them something to sell to audiences as well. Without advances in our already existing technologies it would be hard for marketers to use the tactics they do and keep selling new products.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Project Proposal
Marketers and advertisers use many tactics to sell products and services to their consumers. Improvement in technology always aids the marketing world bringing about new ways to sell to their audience. New technologies also bring out new products to sell. A future product made possible by technology is soon going to be advertised, to start off with, to sports fans.
ESPN announced that in June they would put one of the World Cup soccer games in three dimensional television. Their plan is to create and put out an entire ESPN 3D network by the summer if all goes well. This would be a much different television experience, especially for viewing something like a sports game. If a soccer ball seems like it's going to fly by your head in your own living room, a lot more people may start watching soccer.
Marketers and advertisers will have huge campaigns selling this 3D television if it goes well for ESPN. I'm sure after sports, it will take off to other directions such as action films, scary films, or even childrens television. The thing that will be easiest for them is that this kind of product can have a very wide range of audiences. People of all ages watch television, so it's not too easy to tell if there will be a specific demographic that will be watching 3D television only. At first the target audience will be sports fans, however I'm sure that will not last very long until another type gets a hold of the technology as well.
ESPN announced that in June they would put one of the World Cup soccer games in three dimensional television. Their plan is to create and put out an entire ESPN 3D network by the summer if all goes well. This would be a much different television experience, especially for viewing something like a sports game. If a soccer ball seems like it's going to fly by your head in your own living room, a lot more people may start watching soccer.
Marketers and advertisers will have huge campaigns selling this 3D television if it goes well for ESPN. I'm sure after sports, it will take off to other directions such as action films, scary films, or even childrens television. The thing that will be easiest for them is that this kind of product can have a very wide range of audiences. People of all ages watch television, so it's not too easy to tell if there will be a specific demographic that will be watching 3D television only. At first the target audience will be sports fans, however I'm sure that will not last very long until another type gets a hold of the technology as well.
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