Technology | Communication Connection

Advertising Everything from Coke to 21st Century Insurance on Broadcast Airwaves

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It didn’t take long for people to appreciate the value of broadcasting communications. Listeners could hear the latest news much faster than anywhere else at the time. This value, of course, wasn’t lost on businesses looking for new ways to reach out to more customers. In 1920, the very first commercial broadcast was aired, opening the door to a whole new revolution of advertising.

However, it wasn’t only businesses looking to turn a profit. The stations themselves were searching for new ways to fund their operations, which were starting to run longer, leading to the 24 hour broadcasting heard today. It’s debatable when the first paid radio commercial was aired. Some say it was on WEAF in New York in 1922, while others believe smaller stations and businesses were doing it before then. What isn’t debatable is the reaction that followed. Around this time, programs started mentioning sponsors that would underwrite each show.

As broadcast radio began to enter the Golden Age, so did the radio advertisements. Commercial broadcasts started to try and stimulate more senses than just hearing. Well-known actors began to make appearances while radio ads featured sound effects for greater impact. Radio commercials also started implementing catchy jingles, gaining even greater reach into the conscious of consumers.

Today, it is still very much the same. You can hear a radio spot for Coke during a commercial break or hear that 21st Century Insurance is a sponsor for your favorite show. This is because broadcast radio is still a boon for advertisers. Even though many other media outlets have started attracting consumers online, a whopping 95 percent of people in the U.S. continue to listen to the radio. In addition, over 90 percent of listeners stay tuned even during commercial breaks, unlike television viewers or Internet browsers. So when you next listen to the radio, think about how much hasn’t changed.

Filed Under: Communications, Technology Tagged With: Broadcast, New York, Radio, WEAF

How Technology is Changing Access to Knowledge

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In a very short period of time, the Internet has changed knowledge and education in very significant ways. There is no college or university class in the world that does not utilize the Internet in some way. Even people who aren’t in college can use Internet technology to enlighten and educate themselves once more.

Online learning classes can be as varied as sewing or photography classes to HTML and legal workshops, but right now, an educational online revolution is occurring. Some of the most expensive and influential educational institutions from all over the world are recording their top professors and classes and allowing access to these lectures all over the world. This is highly significant. For most of recorded time, education has been relegated to those who had power and those who had the financial means to pay for an advanced education.

If this educational reform continues, it might change the structure of education forever. No longer is knowledge left to those who are able to pay for it, but it is also available to those who wish to apply themselves. Obviously, these sites would not apply to just any college degree, but they still allow unprecedented access to an education once reserved for the few.

Websites, such as Academic Earth and ITunes, offer a multitude of courses that range from history to media to medicine. Essentially, these online schools help to proliferate knowledge to those who might not otherwise have access to it. With the courses presented on these websites, people might find that they are inclined toward a particular subject and hence find their passion. They may find that they want go back to school and apply for online health degrees, graphic design courses, or even try to get into an M.B.A. program.

Filed Under: Technology Tagged With: Academic degree, Distance Learning, E-learning, Education, HTML, Institutions, Online Courses, United States

How the Communication of Ads Have Changed Over Time

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The ways that humans communicate with each other is ever changing. There are many factors that go into the way that we communicate with each other, and the minute one element of those factors changes, the way we communicate changes completely. Taking a brief look at one isolated example can really show people how communication has changed over the years. Consider how sellers have communicated to prospective buyers through advertising.

Before radio, TV, or the Internet, the main resource for information was the newspaper. Merchants would advertise through ads in the newspaper, often times taking out small corner ads or even full-page ads, which showed exactly what they were selling and how consumers would be able to get them.

As newspapers started to be phased out, the next logical step for advertisers was to switch to radio ads. Radio ads featured brief jingles about the featured product. These small featurettes ranged from 30-second ads to whole 5-minute ads regarding the product.

Radio quickly became a thing of the past, in terms of communication growth, and was followed by the television. TV ads quickly started popping up and at first featured very similar themes to radio ads. There were jingles, songs, and little stories for commercials or ads. Over the years, TV ads have become shorter and a lot more have been jammed into the short time frame.

The latest trend in advertising is that of the use of the Internet. Companies have started using the internet as a way to get potential customers. There are so many different resources that can be used on the internet that the potential client appeal is amazing.

Next time you receive a piece of e-mail for a refinance car loan option or see a pop-up ad, just think how far ads have come.

Filed Under: Communications, Technology Tagged With: Advertising, Television, Television advertisement

Business Communications – An Overview

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Business communication can fall in one of three main categories, a businesses internal communications, a businesses communications with other businesses that it has dealings with, and a businesses communication with its customers. All three areas of communication are essential to having a thriving and successful business, especially in today’s society.

A businesses internal communications incorporates the sharing of information between all levels of the business. This can include emails, phone messages, company reports, company blogs, and company meetings. Most businesses will have certain policies regarding internal communications. It is essential to the flow of a business that excellent lines of communication remain open so everyone is aware of major happenings like company events, changes in H.R. policies, and changes in company policies as well as smaller departmental meetings, information related to the performance of job positions, or information requests received within the company.

Businesses communication with suppliers and vendors is extremely important as well. This will include placing orders, communicating deadlines, negotiating of contracts and more. Most communication between companies will occur via phone, online, and via facsimile.

Communication with customers is without a doubt the most important communication that a business will have. This will include advertising, public relations, marketing, branding, customer relations and more. In our current society, this will also include a businesses communication with its customers via online methods. Almost every business large or small has a website or a blog. Business are always developing new communication be it video, podcast, or written words to convey a message to their customers about the goods they are selling, sales items, or any promotions/special offerings. Businesses also use online methods to convey and establish their brand in a customers’ mind. Social networking methods have also become a very common way for businesses to communicate with their customers and to keep track of the online buzz about their company.

Filed Under: Communications, Technology Tagged With: Business, Communication, Market, Public relations

History of Digital Communication

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Digitized devices have been around for ages. Albeit that current digital devices are electronic and deal with binary electron digital transmissions, they are not by far the first ‘digitized devices’ to have come around. Currently when we refer to digital communication devices we are referring to those that utilize a data technology that utilizes discrete values or a digital language. Society currently heavily relies on such digital equipment like cell phones, desk computers, laptops, digital cameras, televisions, DVD players, blue ray players, gaming systems, and digital music players. All of these devices can be used in conjunction with one another and communicate to one another seamlessly.

Historical Digital Communication devices

These digital devices of old were in no way electronic, but the basic computing system utilized within, classifies them as historical digital devices.

Historical texts, books written long ago utilized a very limited set of characters and heavily incorporated the use of symbols; the beacon used to signal to ships; smoke signals where a blanket or other form of controlling or transmitting puffs of smoke as a means of relaying certain information. The abacus is another device that is considered to be digital in nature due to the arrangement of the beads and the way they represented numbers within computing calculations. The Braille system actually introduced binary formatting for encoding various characters, another characteristic of a digital device. Morse code too was a digital device. The interspersed use of the dot, dash, short gap, long gap via tapping or light flashing to communicate specific language closely represents the signals used with today’s electronic devices that allows them to communicate.

The basis for all of these historical digital devices was the use of a particular code or signal to communicate, and were the early signs of what digital communication was to represent in modern society.

Filed Under: Communications, Technology Tagged With: Digital, Digital camera, Electronics, Mobile phone

How the Internet and CellPhones Have Changed the Way Society Communicates

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Historically most communication between individuals took place either face to face, via U.S. mail or via the landline telephone. With the communications and digital revolution, we have found newer ways to express ourselves and to communicate with others- and almost all of them are centered around the Internet.

Just a mere 15 years ago cell phones were barely being used- one because they were so expensive to buy and cumbersome to carry and also because they were very expensive to use. So we had windows of time throughout the day- on the way to and from work, on errands, and so forth that we would only communicate with the people we actually encountered face to face. However as technological innovation grew so did the availability of cell phone usage. They become more portable and the charges associated with their monthly use are still decreasing. The Internet was popular but it also had to wait until we got home or to the office where a computer was available to answer emails, etc. Now that the two technologies have become inextricably intertwined, we are now constantly communicating in a variety of modes sometimes at the same time. You are on your cell phone reading thru your favorite social media website, answering text messages and then your phone rings- its happened to all of us.

There are some who complain that all of the electronic communication has had a negative impact on face-to-face communication. People are more tuned into to their digital device than into driving, and even looking other individuals in the face to acknowledge their presence. However there are others who see the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere and the ability to meet and positively interact with people all over the world is worth it.

Filed Under: Communications, Technology Tagged With: Cell Phones, Communication, Mobile phone, Telecommunication