Advertising in Technology or Technology in Advertising?

The advertising has propelled the creation of various industries and technologies. Gone are the days when advertising served as lifeblood only to the Tri-Media. Today, advertising has not only grown alongside certain industries, it has even given birth to industries of its own.

Events are examples of the offshoot of advertising. A few decades ago, events would never have been a viable form of marketing. Now however, it has become such an acceptable way of promoting and creating a brand that even students are able to raise funds through advertising in their own college events. Below-the-line advertising as they call them or sometimes public relations has become practically a way of life.

New Media is also very much a creature of advertising. New Media consists of interactive media, namely text messaging and Internet technology. Whenever you text to vote for anything on television or radio through text messaging, that is new media. Whenever you download the latest ringtone or logo, that is new media. Whenever you go to a website to participate in a forum, that too is considered new media. It is everything digital that bridges the gap between advertiser and consumer. It is inescapable, practically permeating all aspects of our modern-day life.

However, in terms of Technology, the impact is so significant that advertising does not only give birth to new industries, but it also giving birth to its own technologies.

Case at point: the Philips Lumalive technology is a technology that allows light patterns to be displayed from clothing. As a result, Philips can now offer shirts and jackets that not only light up but animates its display into a variety of images. Prototypes were available since 2005 but actual production has only begun recently.

The product is trivial at first, but Philips actually designed the shirt with advertising in mind. So when you think about it, it is technology with a purpose. In creating this technology, Philips not only enhanced its brand recognition, it also created a new platform to promote products and services. In cases like these, advertising is not just a passive onlooker eager to play with the latest available toy, but rather an active participant, shaping and moulding the technology it uses, technology that will affect our lives tomorrow.

- Elgene L. C. Feliciano