Abstract
In this chapter, we examine research and theory related to the characteristics of media,
how these characteristics influence responses to marketing communications, and the
processes by which this influence occurs. More specifically, we examine the unique and
interactive effects of particular media types and vehicles, and how marketing communication affects individual consumers and markets. In earlier reviews of this area (Stewart,
Pavlou, and Ward, 2002; Stewart & Ward, 1994), we examined relatively traditional
effects of media in the context of marketing communications. We briefly introduced
the then nascent new interactive media and considered the potential changes these new
interactive media suggested in both the characteristics of media and the influence of
such media on advertising practice. We suggested that the continuing rapid evolution of
media presented new opportunities for research, but that such research would require a
change of focus from the stimulus-media characteristics-to the individual or the
purposes and functions served by various media for individual consumers. Much that
we suggested about the evolution of media has come to pass with the continuing development of the Internet, interactive television, and mobile communication, and also the
rise of social networks, user-generated content, and branded entertainment. Nevertheless, traditional media, such as broadcast and cable television, continue to account for a
larger share of expenditures than any other advertising media by a large margin. In the
present chapter, we will examine the roles of traditional and newer media in marketing
communications and the increasing integration of media.