Online media and its increasing usage rate have changed
the marketer's world. Internet advertising has captured
the imagination of marketers, who see in it an enormous
potential to raise the profile of their brands. Companies
are moving online across the spectrum of marketing activities,
from building awareness to after-sales service, and they
see online tools as an important and effective component
of their marketing strategies. In the light of the widespread
use of the Internet, the marketers and advertisers target
their consumers by developing emotional bonding/connection
with them. Today, most of the Internet advertisements are
created on the basis of emotional integration appeals. Currently,
there exist limited studies related to emotional connection
and its formation. Therefore, the objective of this research
paper is to provide an insight into the factors responsible
for developing emotional appeal, and a means by which Internet
advertising can contribute to the formation of emotionally-charged
consumer connection. First, the paper describes the importance
of Internet advertising in this digital economy and emotional
message appeals used by the advertisers in the Internet
advertisements. Second, it explores the contribution of
each of the factors in the process of developing emotional
connection with the audience and also the integration of
these factors in developing emotional bonding with the viewers.
The evolution of online media and its increasing usage
rate have changed the marketer's world. The spread of wired
Internet networks has opened new vistas for advertisers
to earn more revenue by exploring its vast and growing reach.
Adoption of Internet advertising has become a key component
of marketing strategy. Internet advertising provides a popular
avenue to interact and communicate with the customers. The
communication of factual information about a product's primary
function is usually seen as being of value to the customer.
Use of Internet advertising is gaining pace over the last
decade. The recent results of Internet advertising revenues
are impressive; it has reached a new record of $4.9 bn for
the first quarter of 2007. The first quarter of 2007 witnessed
a 26 percent increase over Q1 2006 at $3.8 bn and a two
percent increase over Q4 2006 at $4.8 bn. The steady growth
of online advertising is a clear indication that marketers
continue to believe in the opportunities and effectiveness
that the medium offers in reaching and engaging their customers.
Internet advertisements constitute 1.8 percent of total
advertising expenditure that stands around $75 bn which
is projected to rise by 3.1 percent in 2008-09 (Figure 1).
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