The advertising industry is being revolutionized by advancements in technology. Perhaps most significantly, the digital age has allowed for a plethora of new techniques in creating advertisements through computer software applications and digital photography and editing programs.
Beyond the creation of advertisements, the placement of ads has moved well-beyond the traditions of print, radio, and television media. The Internet has opened up a world of possibility for advertisers to get their message out. Email blitzing, also known as spam, has become so commonplace that it is now regulated by the government. Pop-up ads and banners are also very common advertising techniques employed on websites. Social networking sites, such as MySpace, have also helped introduce new means for advertisements.
In television advertising, digital recorders such as DVRs and Tivos and DVD sets of entire television series have created a need for advertisers to rethink commercials. As a result, product placement is becoming more and more common in television shows and movies. The Super Bowl, however, still sets records annually for commercial rates. In 2006, a 30-second spot sold for as much as $2.5 million.
