RISING FROM THE ASHES OF ADVERTISING

The authors argue that interactive media, such as the Internet, will f unctionally displace traditional mass media, because interactive media will be better able to serve the communication needs of individuals. The authors show that in the age of interactivity audiences will shift from being large, heterogeneous, and anonymous to being small, homoge neous, and addressable. The authors expect this shift in audience char acteristics to radically change the nature of advertising. The authors predict that in the age of interactivity, advertising will be less in trusive, better-targeted, more information-oriented, and more accounta ble for bottom-line results. Furthermore, advertisers will be required to design messages to get past ''intelligent'' software that aid indi viduals in decision-making, The authors recommend that advertising age ncies internalize their role as marketing communication specialists to successfully adapt to an interactive media environment characterized by a multiplicity of audiences and channels. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Inc.