Trends Assessment on HTML5's Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing

1. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on
Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
Andrew Baird
MKTG – 7546
4/10/2012

2. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
HTML5 Takes the Stage and Empowers Consumers and Marketers Alike
In 2012, consumers are truly “always on,” constantly interacting with friends, family, colleagues,
customers, news, entertainment, and brands across a variety of media on their desktops, tablets, and
mobile devices. Consumers expect personalized and relevant interactions across all three screens at
home, at work, and on the go. Marketers have become increasingly aware that they must create
customized messages across these three screens in order to remain relevant in the eyes of their
empowered customers and add value to each interaction. Marketers must understand when, where,
and how they can reach their customers, and then deploy the appropriate messages that engage
customers in a meaningful way. If unsuccessful, marketers will lose out on valuable opportunities to
create loyalty with customers and generate smarter marketing iterations. With the widespread use of
Adobe’s Flash animation for video and the explosion of native app development on mobile devices,
marketers have faced major challenges in creating consistent interactive experiences for customers
across desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. But with the increased adoption of HTML5, brands will
begin to more effectively manage consistent (though not identical) customer engagement messages
using a common platform.
HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is the core language, or code, used by the vast majority
of developers to build web pages. HTML was created by physicist Sir Tim Berners-Lee in Switzerland in
19901. HTML elements (tags, tables, etc.) form the basic building blocks for all internet pages and allow
web browsers to understand what a web page does, where it goes, and what it looks like. HTML
language has been revised several times since 1990, but HTML5 is poised to become much more than a
simple update. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organization
for the World Wide Web, has set 2014 as the date for final approval of HTML5 for all web operators2,
meaning that W3C will recommend all web developersuse HTML5 coding by that time.
Whereas most rich media (video, audio, graphics, moving images) is currently delivered to a
user’s browser and mobile device using Adobe’s Flash plug-in in HTML4, HTML5 offers an open and
standard way to deliver rich media, using its robust application programming interface (API) 3. The
result of this movement is that web programmers will be able to use brand-new video and audio
commands more easily, allowing websites to act more like the native apps popularized on consumers’
phones. The iOS operating system featured on Apple’s iPhone and iPad does not support Flash
animation, which caused friction between Apple and Adobe in delivering rich media to consumers
through the popular mobile and tablet devices. Steve Jobs, the late founder of Apple, was a vocal
supporter of HTML5, saying in April 2010, “HTML5…lets web developers create advanced graphics,
typography, animations and transitions without relying on third-party browser plug-ins like Flash1.”
Adobe, the developer of the Flash plug-in player, must have taken Jobs’ words to heart about the future
of web development using HTML5. In November 2011, Adobe announced that it was halting
development on future mobile Flash Players beyond the current Flash Player 11.14.
Under HTML5, video and audio can be added to a web page without complicated computer
code. While commoncoding of interactive media is an important component of the new technology, the
single most important feature of HTML is that it is already supported by the latest versions of all major
desktop (Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer 9) and mobile browsers (iOS, Android)3. This means that a
web developer can create a single code in HTML5, and corresponding functionalities such as video or 3-
D graphics will work with any browser, regardless of the device. Marketers are presented with the
attractive opportunity to generate interactive rich media advertisements using true multiscreen
marketing strategies. Marketers can reach consumers with a consistent interactive message wherever
1

3. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
they are and without expensive development costs needed to generate separate channel experiences.
In terms of tracking the impact of ads, HTML5 offers unprecedented analytical capabilities. Ad units
based on HTML5 coding can be tracked across desktop, mobile devices, and tablets to generate one
report, thereby creating a more holistic picture of the success of particular marketing messages5.
The underlying goal of expanding HTML5 is to standardize all of the changes in technology and
design of the last 15 years6.According to Binvisions.com, 34 of the 100 most trafficked websites were
using HTML5 as of September 20117. Search engines and social media sites led the way in transition
over to HTML5, a figure supported by the investments made by both Google and Facebook thus far.
Facebook is even committing resources to the development of HTML5 mobile applications through its
internal tool, known as Faceweb. Facebook has used the tool to introduce continuous News Feed
updates to mobile devices, which helps the social networking site keep pace with desktop features8. In
January, AT&T introduced an HTML5 Android app store, which allows developers to release their apps to
users faster than “closed,” native apps9. Google also released HTML5 support in its Interactive Media
Ads product in February. While security companies such as McAfee warn that HTML5 will increase the
number of potentially vulnerable places that hackers can target, the increased adoption of HTML5 by
the web’s most powerful companies indicate that HTML5 is not a simple language update. Instead,
HTML5 is a powerful solution for marketers to deliver dynamic, interactive experiences to consumers
using multiscreen strategies.
Coca-Cola and USA Network on the Cutting Edge of Seizing HTML5 Advertising Opportunities;Record
Labels and Software Developers Stand to Benefit in the Future
Coca-Cola is well known for its innovative interactive marketing campaigns, having found
creative ways to engage consumers and fans throughout its history across a variety of media. However,
even as the world’s most valuable brand, Coke is not content simply resting on its laurels. On
November 15, as part of its Artic Home campaign, Coke became the first advertiser to run a single
HTML5 interactive ad campaign across the three major digital platforms. The company partnered with
The New York Times to deliver a consistent animated ad experience on NYTimes.com, the Times’ iPhone
app, and the iPad’s Safari browser10. The ad features the familiar use of a polar bear image to bring
awareness to Coca-Cola’s efforts to help protect polar bears’ natural habitat. The advertisement was a
success in part because of the level of collaboration between Coke’s Marketing team, the Times’
Technology team, and the Times’ Advertising Sales staff in creating message consistency across digital
the three platforms. HTML5 technology available to Coke and the Times offered exactly what
multiscreen marketers strive for: one-stop shopping for marketers who want to reach all of its audience,
regardless of the platform consumers use to consume their content10. It can be reasonably inferred that
the success of the Times interactive ad spurred the announcement of Coca-Cola’s “Content 2020”
Marketing strategy going forward, which places a strong emphasis on interactive advertising.
While it is an early application of the cross-platform integration marketers are sure to embrace
going forward, the Coca-Cola polar bear ad from November could have been even more interactive to
encourage users to donate to the Artic Home campaign. The advertisement adds pieces of the polar
bear’s image frame-by-frame until the picture becomes clear. After the image has completed loading, a
banner ad appears at the top of the page motivating the consumer to send donations through text
messages. Instead of simply showing an image of the polar bear and then asking the user to donate
through text, Coca-Cola could have used multiple images to show the impact of sending a text to the
2

4. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for the well-being of polar bears. The animation itself could be a step-by-
step moving image of a user sending a text, followed by the text reaching Coca-Cola, and concluding
with Coca-Cola working with the WWFto maintain the protection of the polar bears. This type of
animation would produce a more meaningful experience for the user, who would be able to visualize
the progression of his or her donation to the safety of the polar bears frame-by-frame. Much of the
effectiveness of multiscreen marketing lies in the ability for marketers to engage in effective storytelling,
which is what this example would accomplish. Building a compelling story on a single text donation to
the safety of polar bears in their natural habitat would accomplish the goal of creating a more
interactive, personalized experience for consumers, and may have resulted in both more donations as
well as greater brand engagement with Coca-Cola.
Given the robust capabilities for incorporating video into HTML5 coding, the entertainment
industry would be anticipated asan early adopter from a Marketing standpoint. This was certainly the
case for USA Network in creating awareness for the premiere of its original series, “White Collar” on
January 18, 2011. Thenetwork worked with Glow Interactive to create an interactive rich media
advertisement for iPad that integrated the brand with the actual page content on The New York Times
HTML5 web site for one day. USA Network’s SVP of Brand Marketing and Digital, Alexandra
Shapiro,explained that “the iPad rich media, over-the-page browser ad for the premiere of WhiteCollar
is undoubtedly the first of its kind for any iOS device”11. iPad users exposed to the advertisement were
targeted with an FBI-themed game that was integrated with content from the show and playable within
the Times’ ad banner. Users were offered a virtual scanner tool that could be dragged off the banner
unit and around The New York Timeshome page to find clues within the content of the page itself.
When users found the clue, they could drag the tool back to the ad banner to solve the clue, which in
turn would provide a reward response and unlock exclusive video content shown exclusively within the
ad11. The game within the banner ad was built specifically for HTML5 browsers supported by the iPad
platform in mobile Safari.
While USA Network partnered with The New York Timesto deploy its HTML5 interactive ad just
as Coca-Cola did, the cable network’s advertisement provided a much more interactive and customized
experience for consumers than Coke. Perhaps most importantly, the ad sought to achieve specific
business objectives, namely creating awareness for White Collar’s season premiere and driving tune-in
of the series. The ad is interactive in the truest sense: it engages the user through a responsive game
using his or her own fingers; it allows the users to move the advertisement components into news
content on the home page; and it provides access to exclusive material unlocked by participating in the
game. Instead of the banner ad starting where the article columns leave off, USA Network and Glow did
a phenomenal job of leveraging HTML5’s design capabilities to create the type of rich, personalized
experience for users that marketers hope become much more commonplace. For its design prowess,
Glow Interactive won the 2011 MOBi award for best iPad/Tablet ad, the 2011 OMMA award for best
Rich Media – single execution, and the 2011 MediaMind Smart Ad award for the Americas.
The White Collar ad may be easy to praise based on its creativity, successful implementation,
and awards won, but there were some significant shortcomings in making the ad as successful as it could
have been. First of all, USA Network worked with Glow Interactive to design an iPad-only ad, versus
working across devices like Coca-Cola did. The New York Times has an HTML5-enabled desktop website,
and could have implemented a similar advertisement on its home page for PC users. This would have
provided USA Network with a better understanding of the impact of its interactive ad for all types of
consumers, rather than just for iPad users, who are generally more receptive to interactive
advertisements than traditional desktop users anyway. While Mike Molnar, Managing Partner of Glow
3

5. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
Interactive, contends that “the focus should be on using each device to its full potential,” brands
adopting interactive ads on HTML5 websites should take advantage of the cross-functionality of the
platform, especially in the early days of HTML5 interactive ad adoption. Marketers need to test,
measure, and test again to ensure that they are delivering the best experience for their consumers. For
all USA Network knows, the White Collar ad may have opened up an entirely new viewer segment if
implemented on the desktop browser as well as the iPad browser.
Publishers in general, and especially news publishers like The New York Times, stand to benefit
from increasing interactive advertising spends by brands as HTML5 becomes more popular among
advertisers. But two other industries could leverage these publishers’ advertising space to tap into
multiscreen marketing and create some exceptional interactive ads to be displayed across platforms.
One activity that is very common to many consumers across digital platforms is the presence of music,
either through active listening or having it on in the background. iTunes helped to shape the music
industry as a whole in the early 2000s, but left record labels with decreased revenues and profits as a
result. And while the presence of music videos on stations such as MTV and VH1 has dipped in the past
decade, record labels can use HTML5 capabilities to deliver personalized video experiences for users.
Labels such as Sony Epic, Interscope, Atlantic, and Warner Music Group could aggressively partner with
various websites offering ad space and create interactive ads based on video and audio for users. These
labels could embed various videos of their artists playing in concerts, performing raw sound check
footage, or speaking in interviews in banner ads that would give users choices for how to listen to the
particular artists. The level of personalization and customization could be raised to an even higher level
if the ads were able to capture personal information of the users through the cookies on their browsers.
For example, if a particular user has recently been on Pandora Radio(another site which converted to
HTML5 last year) and listened to My Morning Jacket radio, the browser (be it Google Chrome, IE9, or
Safari) could capture that information and send it to the next HTML5 site that featured an interactive ad.
If the music label set up specific targeting for My Morning Jacket listeners, it could serve up video
footage of the band performing in various capacities (perhaps the last concert in the users’ hometown)
when they check their favorite news site. This would bring the desired media directly to the consumer
and allow him or her to engage further with a band in which he or she has already expressed interest.
The potential power of bringing one’s favorite music directly to the consumer without having consumers
go out and look for it, is a very useful for marketers at record labels. Add to this the potential to employ
more interactive ads through YouTube, and the music industry could be poised for a major return.
Another industry that has long been on the cutting edge of new technologies is the software
industry. While companies such as Microsoft have focused much of their energy on developing robust
products for its users, they have not traditionally been the most innovative marketers, at least in their
users’ eyes. HTML5 can change that. The ability for users to be able to interact with an advertisement
both within the ad itself and across the content shown on the page, is an extremely powerful tool for
software marketers. For example, for many new Microsoft or Adobe products, there are typically a few
major functionality additions that seek to make users’ experiences more seamless and user-friendly. If
Microsoft comes out with a new version of its Office software package and wants to show users some of
the more integrated ways in which the programs work with users’ web experiences, it could offer users
the ability to test out some of the features using an interactive ad. Users could export articles to their e-
mail or take a screen shot and send it to contacts right from the interactive ad. This would give users a
glimpse into the future of how software developers should not be thought of as stand-alone
applications, but rather integrated services that create a more robust, personalized digital experience
for users as they increasingly interact across three major screens. Microsoft could use the multiscreen
4

6. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
marketing approach within HTML5 to demonstrate value to users in being able to take their core
capabilities from their desktop software and transition it over to Windows Mobile. After all, Microsoft
has committed major resources to ensuring that its mobile operating system makes an impact on the
mobile device market. HTML5 interactive ads provide such an opportunity to have Microsoft leverage
its easier, faster development and present customized brand interactions that were not possible before
the advent of HTML5.
HTML5’s Future: Creative Designers Will Usher in a New Wave of Interactive Marketing
The versatility of HTML5 makes it among the most exciting and useful mediums for multiscreen
marketing going forward. With the surge in social-local-mobile marketing adoption by brands to create
interactive experiences for users across their favorite devices, HTML5 will serve as an important vehicle
for marketers for a number of reasons. In addition to the improved interaction available to market to
consumers, brands will be able to strengthen search engine optimization, as theycan organize their
content in a more meaningful way. Flash animation did not bode well in the past for brands who sought
to bring more users to their video content. HTML5 allows for easy tagging and creates relevance for
specific content, which can help brands monetize their dynamic efforts in interactive marketing through
search engine marketing. Additionally, with the increasing number of smartphone users in both the
United States and abroad, marketers need to be able to tap into opportunities to drive revenue
everywhere, not just when consumers are sitting at their desks at home ready to purchase something.
HTML5 enables marketers to involve consumers in the advertising messages themselves, which can help
to drive revenue whenever and wherever consumers are. Finally, the “gamification” of society has
empowered marketers to become more playful, more relevant, and more consumer-oriented, all of
which is possible because of HTML5.
As a full-service web designer and Creative Director at CommPartners in Baltimore, MD12, Alex
Robinson sees the potential in how HTML5 will revolutionize the world of interactive marketing through
multiscreen strategies. From a broad-based perspective, Robinson believes that HTML5 will become
interactive marketers’ best friend. “The adoption of HTML5 in interactive advertising will greatly impact
how advertisers are able to reach their audiences. HTML5 additions to your web site/app can help you
target your mobile audiences. With more people accessing web sites and web apps on their smart
phones and tablets, this lets advertisers get closer to the consumer and obtain user information they’ve
never been able to before.” The targeting abilities of HTML5 because of the versatility of the coding
itself makes it a very attractive tool for marketers who seek to get closer to their customers’ purchase
decisions. Robinson explains that “being able to target consumers by their exact location and the ability
to extract personal information using social app logins such as Facebook and Twitter will help
advertisers present content more relevant to them.” As mentioned previously, relevancy and
customization are two crucial components to interactive marketers being able to deliver the rich media
experience that consumers are looking for when interacting with a marketing message. HTML5 allows
marketers, designers, and media partners to collaborate and deliver dynamic and creative experiences
that bring brands closer to their customers.
With regard to specific industries and consumer segments impacted by HTML5, Robinson does
not see a limit to its potential. “Any company or organization that uses these new technologies will
benefit. Consumers in the 18-35 age group are most likely going to be the target market for advertisers
using HTML5.” Robinson’s take on the broad application of this technology should not be surprising, as
5

7. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
consumers of all ages, nationalities, and education levels are curious about new interactive ads, whether
they are through HTML5 on a web browser, using augmented reality through Google’s Glass project, or
with the advent of social television. Given that all companies interested in interactive marketing
operate a company website, all industries should be interested in how to make HTML5 work for them.
Companies with larger resources to invest in HTML5 development are higher on the list of adoption.
However, without having to use complicated video coding, HTML5 will realistically become a cheaper
tool for interactive marketers over the long haul. It will simply take time to educate enough talented
web designers to use HTML5 coding and create the type of dynamic marketing messages that brands are
seeking to implement.
Robinson believes that widespread adoption of HTML5 is coming, but slowly. “HTML5 will be
implemented in the next few years with backwards compatibility in mind. Web sites will gradually start
employing HTML5 uses when the web browsers, used by the majority, begin to support them.” While
the most updated versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Apple
Safari, have all adopted HTML5 to this point, there are still many consumers who have not updated their
software to the HTML5-enabled browsers. This presents an obstacle to marketers who seek to reach as
wide an audience as possible with interactive marketing through HTML5-enabled sites. Nevertheless,
Robinson says that because of the increased usage of mobile devices and HTML’s adoption across
mobile operating systems today, “in the next few years, we’ll start to see seamless transition from
desktop to mobile.” While fairly new to HTML5 (as most web designers are), Robinson says that he
plans to use HTML5 “slowly but surely.” Among the core HTML5 features Robinson has already started
using are “the addition of mobile-friendly form features that make the user experience much easier,
device detection that showcases content based on the users’ environment, and the implementation of
more responsive layouts.”
For marketers looking to tap into the potential of HTML5, Robinson views expertise in the
intricate design elements are a source for competitive advantage. Whether for branded websites
themselves or interactive advertising companies deploying specific ads, the common thread that
Robinson believes will be needed to stay ahead of competitors is the right people. “They’ll need UI [user
interface] and user experience designers/researchers as well as strong web/mobile developers. HTML5
is the latest and greatest, so to stay one step ahead of the competition, you need some serious talent.”
As we witnessed with both the Coca-Cola and USA Network case studies, The New York Times served as
an important strategic partner for enabling the two brands to implement the interactive strategies they
sought. With help from a company like Glow Interactive, HTML interactive ads are possible, but only
with the talent necessary to make the ads work as the marketers hope to. As interactive HTML5 ads
become more mainstream, we may witness brands employing their own web designers to carry out the
intricate and sophisticated marketing messages that brands want to use on a widespread basis.
Companies are already increasingly investing marketing budgets into interactive digital marketing
rather than the traditional offline media, and in doing so, they require resources that are still be
developed. As a result, we may witness a digital designer “arms race” where brands compete over the
most talented web designers with intricate knowledge of HTML5 and its profound impact on interactive
multiscreen marketing.
6

8. Web Revolution: HTML5’s Impact on Multiscreen Interactive Marketing
References:
1. “HTLM5: the language aiming to make the web wider.” Johnson, Bobbie. BBC News Online.
December 29, 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12070627.
2. “W3C sets 2014 date for HTML5.” Thomson, Iain. V3.co.uk. February 14, 2011.
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2031105/w3c-sets-2014-date-html5.
3. “Why HTML5 is more than just a buzz term – and one that marketers should not ignore.”
Phillips, Rob. UTalkMarketing.com. March 19, 2012.
http://www.utalkmarketing.com/pages/article.aspx?articleid=23053&title=why_html5_is_more
_than_just_a_buzz_term_and_one_that_digital_marketers_should_not_ignore.
4. “It’s Official: Flash Mobile Player is Dead.” Ulanoff, Lance. Mashable.com. November 9, 2011.
http://mashable.com/2011/11/09/its-official-flash-mobile-player-is-dead/.
5. “How HTML5 Can Change Mobile Marketing.” Kim, Peter. Business2Community Online. January
25, 2012. http://www.business2community.com/marketing/how-html5-can-change-mobile-
marketing-0123693.
6. “Five Things Marketers Need to Know about HTML5.” Bay, Michael. Content Marketing
Institute. April 5, 2012. http://www.contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/04/html5-things-
marketers-need-to-know/.
7. “Quarterly HTML Census, Q3 2011.” Binvisions.com. September 30, 2011.
http://www.binvisions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/html-census-2011-q3-binvisions.pdf
8. “Facebook to Enrich Mobile with HTML5.” Lawson, Stephen. PCWorld Online. September 27,
2011. http://www.pcworld.com/article/240717/facebook_to_enrich_mobile_with_html5.html.
9. “AT&T Unveils 4G Windows Phones, New Android Devices.” Bonnington, Christina. Wired
Magazine Online. January 9, 2012. http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/01/att-
announcements-2012/.
10. “The New York Times Runs a Cross-platform Interactive Ad Campaign in HTML5.” Garber,
Megan. Nieman Journalism Lab. November 15, 2011.
http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/11/the-new-york-times-runs-one-size-fits-all-ad-across-its-
platforms/.
11. “USA Network Drives Tune-in to White Collar with iPad Rich Media.” Butcher, Dan. Mobile
Marketer Magazine Online. March 2, 2011.
http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/9236.html.
12. Alex Robinson Bio:
Alex Robinson has been a professional Web designer since graduating in 2005 from the Johns
Hopkins University Computer Career Institute. Throughout his career, Alex has exceeded his
clients' expectations, pushed his own design limits and created web sites, logos and print, and e-
mail marketing tools that have revitalized his clients' businesses. Alex currently serves as
Creative Director for CommPartners, a company specializing in web site design and
development, online event management, and e-mail marketing. Alex also accepts freelance
assignments in the design and development of web sites, logos, e-mail marketing tools and
online and print branding. Alex was born in Missouri and spent time in Colorado, Kansas and
Florida before settling in Baltimore with his wife, his English bulldog, and two cats.
7