CPE APPROACHES TO THE MEDIA ARE HOLISTIC, SEEING THE ECONOMY AS INTERRELATED WITH THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE, RATHER THAN A SEPARATE DOMAIN

“CPE APPROACHES TO THE MEDIA ARE HOLISTIC, SEEING THE ECONOMY AS INTERRELATED WITH THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL LIFE, RATHER THAN A SEPARATE DOMAIN”

HESMONDHALGH, 2002:31 Discuss this statement showing to what extent it summaries the major concerns of the CPE theory of the media. Examine the strengths and weaknesses.

 

Mass media refers to the section of the media that is specifically designed to target and reach a larger audience. Mass media conforms to electronic and print media and the forms of mass media now include broadcasting, film, internet, mobile phones, publishing and video games. New media advertising, specifically Internet advertising, has its pros and cons, and which outweighs which is something that could not be easily reconciled especially because perceptions tend to be very subjective. On the one hand, online advertising can target particular market segments and minimize wastage or promotion cost and possibly collect information about individual users and the construct a detailed preference profile. Online promotional strategies therefore could target the individuals who are accessing the information if there is a data available for the advertisers. Not to mention, online advertising could be delivered globally anytime time of the day (Hsu, Murphy and Purchase 2001). Hanson (2000) claims that online promotional campaigns can be implemented quicker and often less cost.

Although not all has access to Internet and other online applications, Schumann and Thorson (2007, p. 94) maintain that consumers are they themselves seeking the benefits of online advertisements. The Internet provides the convenience of shopping from home wherein basic informations such as product attributes, pricing information, product demonstrations and purchase opportunities are presented. Effectiveness of online advertisements is mainly vested on the provision of increased search benefits not just the consistent, real-time access to advertisements but also to previous purchasers of the product, articles on product category trends, expert product reviews, buying guides, government safety regulations and independently conducted product test information. There is also non-product benefits that the consumers are receive such as social interaction and the ability to efficiently conduct ongoing product search for personal enjoyment. To wit, what the traditional media could offer is also offered online.   

On the contrary, Trehan and Trehan (2002, p. 108) pinpoint the disadvantages of new media advertising. Notably, online advertising is still considered to be at its infancy, and the services of experts are required for creating an effective online advertisement. Aside from the requirement to collect database of the target customers, the messages can be given to Internet-user population. People do not welcome unsolicited advertisements. Problem of clutter is even more serious in online advertising as multiple advertisements could appear at the same time. Applegate (2004, p. 174) adds that the Internet is an untested medium and it may cause harm to the users. There are questions on the security of the Internet or the website since customer-related information presented in the Internet could stolen or sold and privacy rights may be violated. This is the fear of most consumers resorting to online shopping as persuaded by online advertisements. Be reminded that online theft of identity is increasingly becoming common.

With this said how the online advertising industry should comply with and employ ethical rules as a social responsibility to the consumers and the society as a whole is the central issue. Self-regulation which is achieved through established set of rules and principles of best practice to which the advertising industry voluntarily agrees to be bound is not even a choice due to the fact that this emergent industry appears to be fragmented. Targeting online advertising to vulnerable group such as the children is also debated. True enough, contents of the online advertisements do not always conform to value systems of the viewers. How should an individual should be approached to understand and interpret online advertisement in the context of their daily lives is an issue that is yet to be explored. Subsequently, another challenge is an offshoot of this which is the reinforcing of trust of the empowered consumers. How the online advertising industry should position itself more efficiently is the challenge. There is the necessity to improve the way the online advertising industry should communicate the positive role and value of advertising in the society (Lee and Johnson 2005, p. 33).

Online advertising relies on the text and the context of interaction to arrive at the intended meaning. The signal includes the product and the online advertisement itself. The content of such advertisement shall be the meaning of the signal (Haugtvedt, Machleit and Yalch 2005, p. 186). In order to achieve the same message in the target language or market, both text and image elements must be translated properly to get the equivalent response. This is where online advertising may fall short of since online advertising like traditional advertising must conform to social norms, values and valued images, grabbing the attention of readers to suggest appropriate action which is to purchase. The advertisements will show consumer reaction in the new chosen market although these advertisements do not necessary concern how the viewers’ values may be affected or influenced by the advertisement.

 

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