Re: Why online advertising sucks

From: Geri Stunz Konstantin <geri_at_virtualadv.com>
Date: Thu 08 Mar 2001 10:40:36 -0600

TERRY LEFTON <tlefton_at_thestandard.com> WROTE:
 
>Yeah, we know, there's an overall media recession.
>Yeah, we know dot-coms advertising has gone away.
>And we know the metrics problem. What we don't know
>is why more big brands aren't investing. Advertising,
>in our opinion, has NOT followed eyeballs.

Most online advertising DOES suck - and that is
precisely why you don't see the big boys - like the
P&Gs and J&J & Best Foods jumping online to spend their
dollars.

I should preface that I have been in the Ad business
for over 30 years and have seen the advent of
videotape, the demise of stat machines and hot metal
type and phototypesetting, the takeover of computers
and the turnaround for the most part from advertising
with image and a purpose, to advertising with shock
value and disastrous subliminal meanings.

So you'd like to know why online ads haven't taken
off? Here are my top 10 observations:

1) Online ads are annoying. They flash in your eyes,
make pages download slowly and are overall obnoxious.
Ad people see this and they don't want to be associated
with it.

2) Online ads are teeny. Us ad pros like a larger
visual format. No one likes designing ads for Readers
Digest, we'd rather design full page ads for the New
York Times.

3) There's no viable reason for a P&G to advertise
online. The majority of their consumer base is not
online. There are many more proven, reliable ways
to cost-effectively advertise, so why take the
chance with a client's money and risk failure? One
would have to be crazy.

4) There is no credible ad delivery system online.
(I'm working on one, but this is a real bugger!)

5) There is no advertising consistency online. It is
not easy to specify "drive times"' to advertise
online - and it is too hard to figure out when one's
target audience may go online to see your ad - it's
hit or miss - mostly miss - unless you throw a lot
of money at it - and for what? The media is untested
and prone to failure so far.

6) Pop-up ads are obnoxious. I haven't looked at one
yet - I am so frustrated that my surfing is interrupted
by these stupid windows that if I ever do look at one
of these ads, I'm sure I will form a negative image
of the company whose ad it is just because I am annoyed.

7) There is so much fraud & scams online it is an image
issue too. I am very careful where my clients' ads run.
An association with the wrong site or other ad on a
page can diminish a company's credibility. I'll take
the safer traditional advertising route unless I can
be assured of a very, very targeted buy which are
easier to find for B2B than B2C.

8) Most ad people do not know how to create an effective
banner ad, let alone a website. Account people don't
know how to sell them. Many managers can't even run
a computer. Computer programmers don't know beans about
advertising. Until the ad industry catches up, you'll
see a gap (give it a few years).

9) Other advertising media work fine. So why risk loss
of market share & a client? Not a sound business
practice to recommend online ads that may lose an
account or compromise results. Clients don't like
unnecessary risk.

10) Costs are unreasonable, placement difficult, results
too hard to prove. Yeah- there are clicks and estimated
viewership, but I wouldn't trust thewords of an online
ad salesman today - selling online ads is right now like
selling snake oil. Us ad people find it easier and safer
to do traditional advertising. Until the hype of the
online world turns into a tangible reality, I bet you
won't find the big boys doing online advertising -
they'll be doing interactive online product and service
websites instead.

Geri Stunz Konstantin
Principal
Stunz | Konstantin
Advertising | Website Development | Search Engines
Boca Raton, FL
Geri_at_StunzKonstantin.com



Received on Thu Mar 08 2001 - 10:40:36 CST