Is nothing sacred? It seems that much of what we have been taking for granted in the world of advertising is rapidly being reinvented.
Even the term "advertising" might soon be defunct. Agencies operating in the digital world prefer the word "content", suggesting all sorts of lovely free entertainment and added value rather than shameless selling. The old, interruptive model of advertising is changing in favour of a highly-targeted approach where consumers almost welcome the messages rather than get beaten into submission. We are getting so sophisticated that we no longer tolerate advertising that isn't highly relevant to us.
This supplement looks at all elements of this changing advertising world, from the shifts in terminology to the increasingly sophisticated technologies that are allowing highly personalised messages to reach us through mobiles, PCs and even gaming consoles. We look at how advertisers and their agencies are reconnecting with consumers through mobile advertising and commercial communication in video games. We ask bloggers and users of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Bebo, for their views about targeted online advertising.
We analyse various case studies, from the trail-blazing Kate Modern online TV drama to Honda and Citroën's use of digital media to drive the impact of its TV ads, and we also investigate how "old media" - newspapers and television channels - are evolving - in the digital age.
The supplement is timed to coincide with a MediaGuardian conference on October 13 entitled Changing Advertising, but it is also aimed at raising the issues of this exciting new advertising world on a wider platform. So rip up the old rule book and read on.
