Midterm Paper

Homegrown Advertisements: They Can Only Get Better From Here

Social Media and Web 2.0 consume a large part of an average person’s everyday life. Most social media users in America can hardly go a day without checking their Facebook, updating their twitter, or viewing the latest and most popular YouTube video. Since this new type of media has become so popular and spread so rapidly, advertising companies have begun to reconsider their traditional advertising techniques. If social media is so popular on the internet, wouldn’t it make sense that it could be just as popular in advertising on television? The desire to see how effective this type of persuasion could be has lead to the increase in “homegrown” advertisements on television. The increasing popularity of this type of media makes people wonder whether or not the quality of advertisements will continue to decrease. With time, practice, and the use of new software, ordinary people will have the ability to create professional work from their very own home.

The switch from production companies to amateur producers of advertisements has lead to the new name, "produsers". The meaning of this nickname is exactly how it is spelled. The users of social media and Web 2.0 have now become the producers of such media. Users can create nearly anything to enhance the social media tool they are using. Whether it is a new YouTube video or a new application on Facebook, users can channel their creativity in a variety of ways.

This switch from old to new media has been compared to the Industrial Revolution, as possibly the biggest switch in technology since that time. Although most people feel that this type of media cannot be considered “revolutionary,” they simply do not realize the impact that social media and Web 2.0 is having on our everyday lives. Popular sources of information have switched from renowned news broadcasting stations to social networking sites such as Twitter, and Facebook. When ranking the top search engines in the year 2009, right after Google at the number one spot, was YouTube, a user-generated website. This is just one of many ways to see how much of an impact social media is having on our lives.

Homegrown advertisements have been common for the past few years, due to the increasing popularity of Web 2.0 and social media. One major benefit of social media advertisements is the cost. Rather than spending millions of dollars hiring celebrities, cameramen, and renting out studios, “producers” of commercials can simply turn on their family video camera and create a cost-effective advertisement. In addition to the cost-effective creation, these advertisements can be cheaply distributed through the internet, rather than having to pay networks to air the commercials. The fact that people are willing to contribute their work without looking for monetary gains also encourages the desire for increased use of social media for advertising.

Homegrown advertisements have already come a long way in improving their quality since they first began. Seeing this transformation in just a short amount of time helps answer the question of whether or not the quality of this type of advertisement will improve. Just as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. Of course the first film shot with the new family video camera will not be “quality” film. However, the more a person gets used to using it, the better quality the end product will be.

In addition, new computer software, such as Adobe Premiere, enables a person to create and edit his or her own video. Adobe created this software and presented it to the customer as a way to “tell your own story,” which is the main theme behind social media and Web 2.0. This new software, and others like it, is able to make an “amateur” video look like a professional one. With help tools and some practice on such programs, it is only expected that the value of the advertisement will remain the same.

If some companies disagree with these new advertising methods, there are other options they can consider. Product placement is an effective alternative for those who feel that homegrown advertising techniques are cheapening their products. Dating back to decades ago, product placement has been a crucial aspect of the advertising field. With the increase in online television viewing and fast forwarding capabilities, the number of advertisements seen by the viewer has significantly decreased. The only way to ensure that the viewer sees the product during the span of the television show is to increase the use of product placement.

Although consumption still dominates when it comes to advertising and social media, production is on the rise. The more people see the success of social media in America, the more they want to take advantage of it as an advertising opportunity. Without advertisement, it is very difficult, often times impossible, to make the name or product known. Because of its importance in today’s society, people will continue to advertise in the most popular, and cost effective ways. It has become clear that if a person is able to create his or her own video on YouTube, the person can also create memorable advertisements that can be more successful than anyone could’ve imagined.