In modern product design, interactive marketing and design efforts are easier than ever. In the past, interactive marketing often required extensive planning, personnel, and resources. Currently, computers, the Internet, and media make interactive marketing and design a common feature of product launches in most sectors of the commercial market.

One of the reasons that launching such marketing efforts has become simpler is that computers are heavily used in most product design and development efforts. By designing on computers, industrial designers create a form of product that is easy to translate into many other arenas: photo-realistic renderings of the product are simple to transfer to web, print, or poster advertisements, and motion graphics and animation are easily incorporated into promotional DVDs. Fewer human resources and much less time needs to be devoted to developing interactive marketing and design, if the foundation of those designs is already in the computer.

Using the Internet for Interactive Marketing and Design

The proliferation of the Internet also makes it easier to launch interactive marketing strategies. Recently, many businesses have come to recognize the success of combining marketing, product design, and promotion into one cohesive design strategy. Web graphics and multimedia lend themselves to this approach by providing a framework for cross promotions and well-engineered marketing strategies that is accessible from around the world.

For example, advertisers can send interactive HTML emails to subscribers, launch banner campaigns, and distribute other promotions easily over the Internet. In some cases, having a well-designed web page is reason enough to visit a site (this line of thought is especially applicable to products that are aimed at younger, tech-savvy audiences). As mobile phones and wireless networks become increasingly common in cities across the country, many people believe that marketing over the Internet will quickly become the most important type of advertising besides word-of-mouth.