Multimedia marketing
Merchant Internet is a full service multimedia services
provider. Our agency advises on multimedia development, design
and production for corporate and small to medium business
clients in the UK.
Examples of multimedia marketing on the web include animations,
audio, video, and three-dimensional models. The features are
useful if done well. Keep in mind that most multimedia is
slow to download and requires special viewers, so some users
will not be able to enjoy these features.
Multimedia Marketing: Audio
Never use background audio on web site advertising
From RealMedia to MP3, audio is coming into its own as a
web communications media. However make sure that the audio
is used appropriately. Most users do not want background music
unexpectedly blaring when they visit a site. Furthermore,
unnecessary audio is a waste of Internet bandwidth.
Short audio clips and continuous streaming audio can be used
to present audible advertising content, if the user is aware
of this feature and has the proper software. Much bandwidth
is required, so distribute audio judiciously. Identify the
type of content to be provided and the size of the clip, if
known. Provide a written transcript for archived audio.
Multimedia Marketing: Video
Use short video clips and continuous streaming video to
present visual content, if the user has the proper viewing
software. A lot of bandwidth is required to support video
advertising on the web, so distribute video judiciously. Identify
the content to be provided and the size of the clip, if known.
Provide a written transcript or still images when possible.
When using video advertising warn the user of the limitations
of slow modems, keep file size to a minimum, and provide links
to a location to download the viewer if needed.
RealMedia, QuickTime files, and streaming media broadcasts
do take time to download, particularly on a slow modem connection.
Both formats will play while downloading, which may improve
the experience. Be aware that interruptions due to network
congestion may occur while receiving data.
Multimedia Marketing : Three-Dimensional Models
Three-dimensional (3-D) content is a powerful tool for displaying
data and objects that are not easily viewed in 2-D. VRML (Virtual
Reality Modeling Language) or QTVR (QuickTime Virtual Reality)
3-D formats give the user the opportunity to interact with
and view an object from all sides. However, the technology
is still immature. Not all users have the viewing software
or the adequate processing power necessary to render the models.
These tools should be used selectively as a supplement to
traditional content based on text and images.
A simple animation that shows a solid object moving (for
example, a rotating earth) may be more compactly represented
in VRML (as object plus code to make it rotate) rather than
as a movie.
Multimedia Marketing: Animation
Animations are short sequences of images that play either
once or loop repeatedly, usually without sound. Typical formats
include animated GIF (GIF89a), MPEG and QuickTime.
Flash is another form of animation. Flash sends streaming
vector files that are much smaller in size than GIF files
and can also provide MP3 quality audio capabilities. However,
Flash does require a plug-in.
Rather than require the user to download the plug-in to view
the page, use JavaScript to test the user’s browser for
the correct plug-in. If the plug-in is not available, use
an HTML page, with a static image. To reduce the plug-in issue,
it is best to relegate large Flash animations or interfaces
to one section of your site.
Also, because users don’t have the most recent versions
of the plug-in, save your Flash with audio files to the earlier
3.0 version. Otherwise, users may not be able to use the sound
files.
Animated GIFs can be inserted like a normal image into a
web page. Only the first frame will be shown if the browser
cannot perform the animation. GIF89a images are often used
in banner advertisements. Animated GIFs are not recommended
because the endless looping tends to become annoying to the
user and because of the large file size required for multiple
frames. However, if a brief animation is required, GIF89a
is a suitable format.
MPEG, RealPlayer and QuickTime formats play either in a separate
viewer or directly in the browser window. They are better
than GIF89a for animations and for video clips that are more
than a few frames long. Use them as needed for content. Always
warn the user about the file size of the download. Whenever
possible provide one or more still frames as preview images.
This lets the user decide whether to download. At a minimum
you should provide a text description.
QuickTime works better on Macintosh and MPEG works better
on PC and UNIX machines, and RealPlayer has more cross-platform
compatibility. Also be aware that this is not smooth video
quality and movements may be jerky
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