Abstract

The notion of ‘interactive’ advertising is used in the advertising industry to increase attraction to ‘new’ types of media and means of transmitting advertising messages. The paper inquires whether ‘interactive’ advertising is as new and effective as it is depicted by advertising academicians and practitioners. The article brings into question the term ‘interactive’ advertising and reveals the interactive qualities of ‘traditional’ advertising. It analyzes some dimensions that have been traditionally ascribed to ‘interactive’ advertising, such as active engagement and reaction, physical action, involvement, control of consumers, two-way communication, and feedback and demonstrates how these dimensions are themselves already at work in ‘traditional’ advertising. The author argues that interactivity is a property of any advertising type whether traditional or pertaining to ‘new media’ such as the Internet.

Key words: Interactive advertising, traditional advertising, advertising theory.