Newer advertising and marketing techniques
Peer-to-peer marketing
Peer-to-peer marketing is about incentivising people (through offering a reward of payment or 'free gifts' of goods or services) to market brands to their peers, rather than the advertisers talking directly to people. Marketers use 'peer—to—peer/word—of—mouth' techniques in traditional media as well as online, such as in 'tell a friend' promotions. Marketers also often seek to earn the endorsement of consumers without offering a reward.
Brand ambassadors
A brand ambassador is someone engaged by a brand or agency to promote or present a brand or product to others. This has traditionally involved celebrities or sportspeople acting as the public face of the brand, but a brand ambassador can be anyone being paid to promote a product to others, even for example their friends and family. The advertiser effectively employs the person as they would a traditional advertising medium like TV or Radio.
Advergames
Advergames broadly take the form of an interactive game, featuring a brand, product, good or service.They are hosted both on brands’ own websites and external sites, as well as mobile phone applications and are subject to advertising regulations.
Online behavioural advertising (OBA)
Advertising on the internet is increasingly targeted and one of the ways this can be done is based upon user interests or behaviour. This is achieved when user interests are collected from web browsing activity over a period of time.
Behavioural advertising or interest—based advertising is intended to make display advertising that is more relevant to users’ likely interests. Providers of behavioural advertising create audience segments based on web sites visited over a period of time with a particular browser. These audience segments are then used to provide relevant advertising to users within that segment. For example, a user may visit golf sites often and thus be categorised in the ‘golf enthusiasts’ segment. Some businesses now offer this in real time without the need to create a specific audience segment.
Sources: IAB (2), 201 1;Advertising Association, 2011
