Channel
Definition:
(1) A television channel, such as Channel 4, BBC2 or Sky Gold. There will be an enormous expansion in the number available to UK. advertisers from 1998, as DIGITAL TELEVISION becomes established. 'Return-path' capability is likely to result in a sudden increase in home shopping, video-on-demand and other interactive services. MEDIA BUYERS of the 21st century will be faced by such an enlarged choice that they will surely have to treat 'television' as more than one medium.
(2) In communication theory, the 'channel' is defined as the path along which a message moves from sender to receiver. The most obvious analogue in the marketing communications context is the MEDIA VEHICLE in which an ADVERTISEMENT or the outcome of a PUBLICITY initiative appear, though DIRECT MARKETING communications reach their audience via the telephone and postal systems. Other techniques in the MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MIX communicate more or less directly. The significance of the communication channel lies in the modulating influence it can exert on the message: see CHANNEL EFFECT.
Cross-References:
[digital television]
[publicity]
[media vehicle]
[marketing communications]
[channel effect]
[advertisement, advert, ad]
[media buyer]
[direct marketing]
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© Westburn Publishers Ltd 2002, The Westburn Dictionary of Marketing edited by Michael J Baker, ISBN 978-0-946433-01-8. www.themarketingdictionary.com. Entry: [Keith Crosier], [1998].