When the internet was first being used, businesses looked at it and wondered how it could help them. The end result of this enquiry was the birth of the digital store, a place where people can visit online to buy any and all of their goods from their favourite shops and other smaller retailers they may not have heard of but who are cheaper. The internet was the biggest advantage businesses ever had, and today there are many well-known shops shutting down their high street stores and moving online to cut down on costs and make more money.
Other businesses have found a way to make money online without selling any products, instead they sell a service. Social networks are places where millions of people come to socialise online every day, and all of them can be advertised to by businesses. Social networks sell online advertising opportunities to businesses, allowing them to advertise to those using their social network for a certain cost. Social networks can make a huge amount of money by charging a lot for businesses to advertise, meaning only quality products can be advertised, and users of the social network aren’t bombarded by annoying advertisements which give them nothing.
As the gaming industry becomes even bigger and reaches out to larger audiences, companies need to look for how they can take advantage of them. Xbox Live is a huge online gaming facility which allows owners of the Xbox 360 console access to the host of game demos, online film streaming facilities and much, much more online through their Xbox 360. Some businesses have begun to look into in-game advertising for the Xbox 360, which will allow them to advertise their products in a good light for gamers. The way the advertising will work is that every one or two hours, when a gamer should take a break from playing their games, the game will pause and an advertisement will play. This tells gamers when they should have a break, giving them a chance to stretch their legs, and companies can get a chance to advertise to those who may be avoiding their advertisements otherwise.
On demand services such as Love Film and Netflix have become increasingly popular, and for many the preference is to watch all of their television programmes and films through them rather than pay for broadcast television. Even these services are being made to accommodate advertising, as companies will soon have no way of reaching the public with their television adverts if no one watches broadcast television. Certain on demand services such as 4OD already incorporate advertisements which allow businesses to reach out even to those watching their programmes online, which may become the only way to advertise with television programmes in the future.