Last night I noticed an ad on Facebook for the new Dirty Jobs season and it really struck a chord with me. While I’ve seen event engagement advertisements before, it really began to make sense and also made it more clear why traditional display advertising is dying. The ad (pictured to the side) encourages users to RSVP to the first episode of the season. The result is that users get reminded of the first episode once they RSVP.

In a world of open APIs (application program interfaces), there is really no excuse for brands to do basic display advertising. Companies can launch integrated marketing campaigns which fully engage the user and result in multiple interactions rather than a single impression. Imagine interacting with an image and getting a text message reminder at a later date.

Alternatively you can become a fan of a brand’s Facebook Page and then receive ongoing updates from that company. While there will always be a place for traditional display advertising, I’m guessing that we’ll see a rapid shift toward more robust forms of marketing. Why would you pay for impressions when you can create an ongoing dialogue with potential and existing customers?

Futurist Ray Kurzweil says that we live in a world of exponential growth (see “The Law of Accelerating Returns“), however advertisers are only beginning to tap the potential provided by the rapid technological evolution. It would be ludicrous to suggest that engagement ads are a full manifestation of the technologies available to advertisers.

However the new engagement advertisements are a major step in the right direction and I think we’ll see many competitors launch similar solutions in the coming months. For now, brands have access to a new form of advertising which truly changes the way that companies interact with potential customers.

Do you think advertisers need to raise their overall expectations of advertising campaigns? Are we witnessing the death of the impression?