	Online Advertising
Home Communicators Audience Factors Routes of Communication Viral Marketing References	There are many factors that can influence the effectiveness of online marketing. Communicators, audience factors, the route of communication, and the use of viral marketing can all be influential in online advertisements. Characteristics of communicators (the person who is generating the online advertisement) like credibility and trustworthiness can lead an advertisement to be more or less effective. Audience factors like age and gender differences play a big role in advertisement decisions. Different routes of communication like text based, banner ads, and interactive mediums influence how the advertising message is recieved. And finally, recently viral advertising is being used by top companies instead of traditional marketing methods. It is important to note that central and peripheral routes of persuasion are at work in the realm of online advertising. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is always discussed when focusing on persuasion of any type. The ELM deals with the degree to which a person thinks about issue-relevant information. When an individual’s motivation for an issue is high and there is high-involvement context to process, central processing occurs. In contrast, the peripheral route occurs when an individual feels unmotivated toward the message and cannot process issue-relevant arguments (SanJose-Cabezudo, R., Gutierrez-Arranz, A., & Gutierrez-Cillan, J., 2009). If this logic is true, for web advertisements, in a high-involvement context it should be more effective to use central cues. For low-involvement context, peripheral cues should be more effective. However, in a study by SanJose-Cabezudo, it was found that the peripheral might only serve to enhance the effectiveness of the central route and depending on the behavior of the audience, that will determine which advertising stimuli (central or peripheral) would be more effective (SanJose-Cabezudo, R., et. al). Example of Peripheral Route Ad Example of Central Route Ad Most everyone that uses the internet and other types of media can see that the internet is transforming and the way marketers try to reach consumers is changing. In an article by Katherine George, she claims that corporations are not speaking the same language as the new media-oriented conversations. She writes, “To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman” (George, 2009). If companies wish to keep up with the times, they need to look at all aspects of advertising, which includes the internet. Taylor claims that the unique aspects of the internet create an environment that allows companies to effectively target consumers and ultimately generate the ability to greatly engage the consumer (Taylor, 2009). The internet has proved to be one of the most influential technologies, and the topic of online advertising will only become more and more important. Our hope is that this website will enhance your knowledge and understand of online advertising and the numerous factors that can increase or decrease overall effectiveness. Online advertising is a growing trend in today’s society, and knowledge on the subject will only be of help in the future. This website was designed by Courtney Crocker, Katherine Freeman, Seth Hart, and Alyssa Niemeyer for their Psychology of Computers and Internet. They are students at Shippensburg University working under the direction of Dr. Jamonn Campbell.

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There are many factors that can influence the effectiveness of online marketing. Communicators, audience factors, the route of communication, and the use of viral marketing can all be influential in online advertisements. Characteristics of communicators (the person who is generating the online advertisement) like credibility and trustworthiness can lead an advertisement to be more or less effective. Audience factors like age and gender differences play a big role in advertisement decisions. Different routes of communication like text based, banner ads, and interactive mediums influence how the advertising message is recieved. And finally, recently viral advertising is being used by top companies instead of traditional marketing methods.

It is important to note that central and peripheral routes of persuasion are at work in the realm of online advertising. The Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) is always discussed when focusing on persuasion of any type. The ELM deals with the degree to which a person thinks about issue-relevant information. When an individual’s motivation for an issue is high and there is high-involvement context to process, central processing occurs. In contrast, the peripheral route occurs when an individual feels unmotivated toward the message and cannot process issue-relevant arguments (SanJose-Cabezudo, R., Gutierrez-Arranz, A., & Gutierrez-Cillan, J., 2009). If this logic is true, for web advertisements, in a high-involvement context it should be more effective to use central cues. For low-involvement context, peripheral cues should be more effective. However, in a study by SanJose-Cabezudo, it was found that the peripheral might only serve to enhance the effectiveness of the central route and depending on the behavior of the audience, that will determine which advertising stimuli (central or peripheral) would be more effective (SanJose-Cabezudo, R., et. al).

Example of Peripheral Route Ad
Example of Central Route Ad

Most everyone that uses the internet and other types of media can see that the internet is transforming and the way marketers try to reach consumers is changing. In an article by Katherine George, she claims that corporations are not speaking the same language as the new media-oriented conversations. She writes, “To their intended online audiences, companies sound hollow, flat, literally inhuman” (George, 2009). If companies wish to keep up with the times, they need to look at all aspects of advertising, which includes the internet. Taylor claims that the unique aspects of the internet create an environment that allows companies to effectively target consumers and ultimately generate the ability to greatly engage the consumer (Taylor, 2009). The internet has proved to be one of the most influential technologies, and the topic of online advertising will only become more and more important.

Our hope is that this website will enhance your knowledge and understand of online advertising and the numerous factors that can increase or decrease overall effectiveness. Online advertising is a growing trend in today’s society, and knowledge on the subject will only be of help in the future.

This website was designed by Courtney Crocker, Katherine Freeman, Seth Hart, and Alyssa Niemeyer for their Psychology of Computers and Internet. They are students at Shippensburg University working under the direction of Dr. Jamonn Campbell.