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4  From one‑to‑many to many‑to‑many communications

New media also enable many-to-many communications. Hoffman and Novak (1996) noted 

that new media are many-to-many media. Here customers can interact with other customers 

via your website or in independent communities. The success of online auctions such as eBay 

also shows the power of many-to-many communications.

5  From  ‘ lean‑  back’  to  ‘ lean‑  forward’

New media are also intense media – they are  lean-  forward media in which the website usu-

ally has the visitor’s undivided attention. This intensity means that the customer wants to be 

in control and wants to experience flow and responsiveness to their needs. First impressions 

are important.

TV is more  lean-  back – the TV may be on, but its audience is not necessarily watching it. 

An article in The Guardian (2003) entitled ‘TV ads “a waste of money” ’ summarises research 

observing the reaction of consumers to ads. It supports those who argue that many consum-

ers do not regularly watch TV ads. The study found people who watched television with fam-

ily or friends were far more likely to talk to each other during the commercial breaks than to 

focus on the ads. Others spent the commercial break doing housework, reading or channel 

hopping.