Com 530 Digital Advertising Defense

Abstract

This paper is the culmination of multiple projects for the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) COM 510 course. The topic of the project was digital advertising and the webpage discussed in this paper covers the history and current trends of this form of communication. This paper addresses the choices made while creating and composing content for the webpage specifically addressing critical elements of the course. The author’s decision making process is outlined with specific examples from the webpage while also discussing lessons learned, ways to connect with a broader audience, and how the project relates to the author’s development as a professional communicator.

In this paper, the author will defend individual decisions made while creating a website that illustrates the strong history of digital advertising and reinforces that it is not just a trend; it is here to stay. In order to support this thesis, the author conducted an extensive search for sources using a combination of peer-reviewed journal articles, and Internet-based articles combined with different types of multimedia in order to support information provided in blog posts.

Over the last few months, the author has learned new online research methods which were implemented throughout the progression of this course. The original search for appropriate sources was done using keyword searches on Google Scholar, which provided countless peer-reviewed journal articles and materials. Going through this content took up a lot more time than the author could afford to spend, so the author used Boolean searches in order to produce more relevant and specific results. By refining the date range and combining keywords with operators such as AND, NOT and OR the author was able to sift through numerous sources offered by the SNHU Shapiro Library databases.  Utilizing papers and reports offered through these databases made the process of analyzing sources for validation and academic value much easier. Because text-heavy websites tend to be dull, the author incorporated several multimedia sources to support the written work, and make the content easier for audiences to understand.

The curriculum for this course forced the author to take an aggressive and proactive approach when evaluating content for its relevance and validity in support of the author’s individual studies on digital advertising. The different assignments taught the author that analyzing the layout and delivery of information helps to differentiate valid research results from paid advertisements and separates opinion from the truth (Tate, 2010). This type of assessment allowed the author to curate and create products in an ethical manner by inserting supporting citations within the copy in order to provide context and help potential audiences comprehend the information.

Throughout the author’s webpage and blog entries, the author provided original infographics combined with borrowed photos and videos in order to discuss different topics. The author created an original infographic demonstrating the different elements of content curation. This not only allowed the author to position himself as an ethically responsible communicator, but it also supported a later blog entry in which the author borrowed and cited an infographic on the extensive history of digital advertising. In a different blog post, the author discussed recent advertising trends where the author relied on a video to demonstrate how user generated content is sourced in digital advertising.  The motivation for using multimedia in this manner throughout the author’s webpage was to support already curated content and entertain the audience by expanding upon the topic through sight and sound. In this day and age, it is almost as easy to get caught plagiarizing as it is to copy and paste. In order to avoid this, the author made sure to give credit to the creator of any multimedia or content used on the author’s webpage.

It is easy to forget that our country has their own way of doing things especially when it comes to communicating, and for the sake of this project, advertising. Different cultures have different ways of defining propriety, and in order to address a more global audience the sources and content curated should be more sensitive to countries that do not enjoy American liberties such as free speech or free religion. With that being said, if tasked with modifying this content for a global audience, the author would focus more on the fundamentals of digital advertising and general ways to reach consumers in rural and austere environments. The use of photos and videos can help to bridge the language gap but simplifying complex ideas through the use of infographics filled with data and common words make it easier to translate.

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