Advertising Industry in the Digital Age

摘要

The advertising industry is a major sector of the U.S. economy, employing hundreds of thousands of workers and accounting for about 2% of the nations annual output, according to some estimates. Advertising campaigns by large firms and small businesses provide consumers with product information and generate crucial income for newspapers, television and radio stations, magazines, and other ventures. The advertising industry is in the midst of a fundamental restructuring, however. The deep recession has depressed ad spending. At the same time, the industry faces longer-term challenges as consumers migrate from traditional media to digital platforms such as websites, cell phones, mobile e-readers, and gaming networks. The emerging digital market offers great advantages including lower distribution costs, the ability to target ads to individuals rather than broad groups, and more precise tools to measure ad impact. But the rise of cut-rate online advertising has hurt media companies and businesses that depend on ad revenue. The changing structure of the market is also forcing changes in ad presentation and content, with implications for consumer privacy, Internet regulation, and media profitability.