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Ads
Advertising places external business Messages before target Receivers through
media buys. A media buy is a fee that is paid to a television network, Web site, or
magazine by an advertiser for an on-air, site, or publication ad. The fee is based on

the perceived value of the audience who watches, reads, or frequents the space where
the ad will appear.
In recent years, Receivers have begun to filter advertiser’s Messages, a
phenomenon that is perceived to be the result of the large amount of ads the average
person sees each day and a growing level of consumer wariness of paid Messaging.
Advertisers, in turn, are trying to create alternative forms of advertising that
Receivers won’t filter. The advertorial is one example of an external communication
that combines the look of an article with the focused Message of an ad. Product
placements in videos, movies, and games are other ways that advertisers strive to
reach Receivers with commercial Messages.
Web Pages
A Web page’s external communication can combine elements of public
relations, advertising, and editorial content, reaching Receivers on multiple levels and
in multiple ways. Banner ads, blogs, and advertiser-driven “click-through” areas are
just a few of the elements that allow a business to deliver a Message to a Receiver
online. The perceived flexibility of online communications can impart a less formal
(and, therefore, more believable) quality to an external communication. A Message
relayed in a daily blog post will reach a Receiver differently than if it is delivered in
an annual report, for example. The popularity and power of blogs is growing, with
11% of Fortune 500 companies having official blogs (up from 4% in 2005). In fact,
blogs have become so important to some companies as Coca-Cola, Kodak, and
Marriott that they have created official positions within their organizations titled
“Chief Blogging Officer.” [10]
The “real-time” quality of Web communications may appeal to Receivers who
might filter out a traditional ad and public relations message because of its “prefab”
quality. Despite their “spontaneous” feel, many online pages can be revisited in
perpetuity. For this reason, clear and accurate external communications are as vital
for online use as they are in traditional media.
Customer Communications
Customer communications can include letters, catalogs, direct mail, e-mails,
text messages, and telemarketing messages. Some Receivers automatically filter bulk
messages like these. Others will be receptive. The key to a successful external
communication to customers is to convey a business message in a personally
compelling way—dramatic news, a money-saving coupon, and so forth.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Different communication channels are more or less effective at
transmitting different kinds of information. Some types of communication are
information rich while others are medium rich. In addition, communications
flow in different directions within organizations. A major internal
communication channel is e-mail, which is convenient but needs to be handled

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