Advertising in an HD ready environment

Although hi-def televisions have been around for a few years now, the advertising community has been a little slow to capitalise on this new technology. When watching programmes broadcast in high definition, if an advertisement is displayed in standard definition then it often appears in the old 4:3 ratio, which can be counterproductive as it signals to viewers that it is a commercial. The internet has seen a number of campaigns using high resolution images, thanks to the increasing bandwidth available at relatively inexpensive prices. A notebook laptop should have a screen and video card capable of displaying such images easily. The only reason that many are not labelled as being complaint with the hi-def standard is because they lack the right interface to connect them to other machines with similar capabilities. Companies are beginning to catch on now and several campaigns have been put together to run on television networks to good effect. It is especially suitable for products that have visual appeal, such as new movies and video games. As the number of households that have an LCD flat screen TV increases so the option of producing commercials that take advantage of the better resolution becomes more attractive. With sharper pictures containing more detail than was preciously possible, these advertisements can be more dramatic and have a greater impact on the viewer. The sound systems that modern TVs sport also add an extra dimension to commercials that utilise them to the full, with surround sound a standard feature.

Aesthetically pleasing

As with all forms of advertising, using the new format does not exclude aesthetic considerations. New home entertainment units, like a black DVD player, are designed to fit in with modern living rooms and the commercials shown on television should do the same. There is more to a disc player than its colour of course and those that can play high resolution movies are beginning to take a greater share of the market. This means that advertisements included on DVDs before the main feature can also be shot and viewed in the new format, providing another opportunity for marketing gurus to exploit. For most people shopping for a new TV HD technology is what they are primarily interested in. This is good news as mentioned above, because the more people that convert to the newer format the easier it is to create high resolution commercials that target a large sector of the viewing public. Advertising is always analysed in terms of the potential audience that it can reach so television broadcasters are keen for as many people to upgrade as possible so that they get more revenue from hi-def advertisements. Most people do not do so purely to watch commercials of course and a flat screen LCD TV can enhance the viewing experience of major sporting events and action films too. If fast moving programmes are a favourite of yours then attention should be paid to the refresh rate and method of the models that you are thinking of buying.

Promoting yourself

With the advent of affordable cameras that can shoot moving pictures in the new format, anyone can create a promotional film that can be displayed on modern television sets. Things have come a long way since bulky VHS units and a modern digital camcorder is surprisingly small and lightweight. In addition to this they have large internal memories and better batteries, meaning that several hours of filming can be achieved in one go. Although large corporations are not going to start making their own commercials, this type of technology is useful for smaller concerns and amateur organisations who want to make short films for using on websites. Pretty much any type of mobile PC is capable of viewing such productions so they are quite popular online. Whether you have a student laptop or a high end gaming machine, the main factor in being able to view streaming video is the speed of your internet connection and not the specification of your computer. This also affects upload speeds so those with fast broadband connections will be able to make interesting films and upload them more quickly. Small firms may be able to make promotional videos and burn then to disc to distribute to potential clients. Assuming that they have the right equipment on which to view it, this is a fairly inexpensive way for companies with limited resources to market their products. HD ready sets are commonplace in offices so this is a viable option that can help conserve your money.

Equipping your staff

Firms with a mobile sales force will need to ensure that they have the necessary tools to be able to market products and services effectively. PowerPoint presentations and the type of marketing videos mentioned above are common ways to get the message across to customers. Employees need to keep in touch with head office when they are on the road and a cheap netbook is fine for such tasks and will keep costs to a minimum. They are also highly portable and will easily fit into a briefcase. For presentations that need more computing power a larger model is more suitable. Images always have more impact when displayed on a larger screen and ones in high resolution are perfect for using with overhead projectors in meetings and conferences. To ensure that the pictures can be output to a projector that works with high definition images your mobile computer will need to have an HDMI interface. This is the standard that all equipment of this type uses to transfer data. Apart from providing a better quality than standard definition images can, the fact that your firm is utilising the latest technologies will not be lost on prospective customers. This fact can boost your marketing efforts as clients will consider companies that keep up to date with innovations as more likely to be at the forefront of their particular industry as well. Ongoing training of marketing personnel will ensure they are aware of developments as they become available to the general public.