Webmarketing : watch out for what's coming

Why marketing happens to operate on the web isn't a mystery for any clever mind. But the interactivity of this new media makes marketing more efficient than it has ever been : especially when you talk marketing...

What is webmarketing? Allow me to give you some clues : sponsored links; banners; special links on Google search pages; and all you see that resembles, far or near, an invitation to consume. That is what most people know about webmarketing. But webmarketing is also all the strategies that any kind of more or less visible websites use to get your e-mail; adress and sometimes phone number. How would I give those informations when I don't want to? Well it's simple. The actual answer is interactivity.

What interactivity brings is a question and answer scheme that works like the game where you have to answer anything except "no" or "yes". Except that in the first case you can answer anything you want, but if it's the true...well then we've caugth you!

Let me be more clear about that. First of all mind me precising that the webmarketing is not something "harmfull" to people's private life, and you only need to be a little bit less naive, just like with most advertisements.

To proceed :
You all heard about cookies. Well do not turn off your screen as your read this, but anytime you go on a website you're sure your computer will receive one. How does it work? simple : imagine you got on a website that had a banner, now that banner did not really caught your attention. Well the next time you will get on that website, mister cookie will alert the server you've already been there. And then? Well it will appear that the banner you had seen was replace by another one, probably more attractive; And this goes on generally until the third time you go on that same website. If you haven't clicked on the banner on that third time, generally the next time you'll be on that website you won't have any banner at all. Because it costs money to change a banner! Now what did you think?!
Now not all the banners have come to that level of technology. But they are already moving out of their usual place. Have you ever been on a news website where all of a sudden you saw a advertisement that hided the whole page? And all you could do was wait until it disapeared? Or sometimes you had the choice to close the sliding window.

But that is still friendly. The best way to have an impact on you is to know you better. Who would have said the contrary? Not the guy at the marketing office that's for sure! How do they do that? well they organize web competitions; free games; create free e-card you can send to your friends and then gently collect all the e-mails adress you've enterd and informations to participate to some games. The thing is , you never know wich company is behind that. So you naively send e-cards to your friends , subscribe to some free game you think you are going to win some big plasma screen...And so leave by informations that will allow the company owing the website, to send newsletters or special offers to all the e-mail adresses you've entered (in the case of a free e-card service).
Now you will tell me one thing for sure : "Well! no wonder those are free website!!!No one would pay to give their contacts!" and you are right. But you got caught too! And regarding the speed the improvement of technology has, one day we will come to know who ewactly is behind the screen and send ads that are more and more targeted. That's the goal I think. What a wonderful world for the marketing business!!Webmarketing is also all the advertisement done on the GPS systems (turn on your right...If you are hungry you can take a stop at B&B's to taste their new chicken recipe!...Take the next turn...); Blackberry and so on...
One could write lines about new coming strategies, for what is known, but it would not be of any fun. I would rather watch and let the people on the network experience all of the strategies without knowing what they are going into. Besides, lets leave the guy doing the marketing do his job right.
And when you don't know what's behind a contest or a free service on the web, well tell yourself there is something behind!

Bineta, Metz, Lorraine