Message and media: the future of advertising research and practice in a digital environment

Abstract

This article offers a commentary on the state of advertising and media research. It suggests that the continuing evolution of media continues to disrupt advertising research and practice. The article concludes that there are some general questions about the relationships between advertising and media that are common to both tradition and digital media and that many issues that are often framed as unique to digital media, are manifestations of more general issues common to all media. Media and advertising practice will continue to evolve and is likely that advertising using traditional media in combination with consumer directed search will become the dominant form of advertising.

Keywords:

• Advertising media
• advertising message
• creativity
• media complementarity
• goal
• directed search
• history of media

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Notes

1 The recent elimination of third–party cookies is changing the nature of these exchanges, and may eliminate them, at least as they have previously existed. This is further evidence that media landscape continues to evolve.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Scott Koslow

Scott Koslow is Professor of Marketing at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He may be contacted at [email protected].

David W. Stewart

David W. Stewart is President’s Professor of Marketing and Business Law at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He may be contacted at [email protected].