— The Role of the “Entrance” Connecting Digital and Reality —

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicates the location of information on the internet. It is, so to speak, like an “address” or “coordinates.” We are now in an era where it is difficult even to reach specific information or services without a URL. In fact, it is said that there are over 2 billion websites in the world (as of 2023), and URLs are indispensable for finding our destinations among them.

However, a URL holds meaning for people only because there is a context in the real world (IRL: In Real Life).

The URL is the “Entrance to Experience” For example, suppose an official website of a certain cafe says, “We use carefully selected coffee beans.” If you look at the text alone, it is just one of many pieces of information found everywhere.

But what about someone who actually visited that cafe, tasted the highly aromatic coffee, and directly heard the barista’s passion for the beans’ origin and roasting process? For that person, the URL is not just a link; it becomes an entrance to access the charm they experienced once again. ☕✨ Related Article: Internet Live Stats “Total number of Websites”

The Difference Between Symbol and Value Ultimately, a URL is nothing more than a “symbol indicating a location.” Its true value depends on what is at that location and what kind of experience awaits.

• URL = Coordinates of information

• IRL = Actual experiences, emotions, and memories

• The Essence of Marketing = Connecting the URL and the IRL

In other words, the digital is the entrance, and the value lies in reality.

Marketing that Multiplies Digital and Real That is precisely why the accumulation of real experiences is essential even in digital marketing. Ads and links alone do not move people’s hearts. A URL begins to hold meaning only when it is accompanied by an event that makes people think, “I’m glad I experienced this” or “I want to go back.”

In one survey, about 70% of consumers answered that they “feel an attachment to a brand through experience.” In short, no matter how many URLs you increase, they won’t remain in people’s memories if there is no experience behind them. 😊 Related Article: Adobe “What is experiential marketing, and how to use it?”

Summary The URL is the symbol, and the IRL is reality. And marketing depends on how to connect these two. Next time, we will delve deeper into this relationship and think about “how to link URLs with IRL.” 👉 (To be continued)

From the Marketing Seed Series: How about this article too? → [The Key to Advertising Success is the Balance of “Concrete x Abstract” (1) ~ Marketing Seed 53]