Re: Why Online Advertising Sucks

From: Dee Hauck <dhauck_at_kingcanopy.com>
Date: Wed 04 Apr 2001 10:46:59 -0600

GERI KONSTANTIN <geri_at_virtualadv.com> WROTE:

>I'm glad you agree that online ads are annoying and are
>in your face. They are for the most part. But don't blame
>billboard advertising for putting your life in danger -
>blame speeders, careless drivers & cell phones....
>As for blocking the view, some of the best billboards I
>ever saw were on the side of barns - and they added to the
>picture, & didn't detract from it. But hey - I love a good
>ad - and obviously you don't.

JUSTIIN W. HITT <Justin.Hitt_at_hittpansophism.com> ALSO WROTE:

>Maybe banner ads are just a necessary evil
>that as advertisers we just need to target our audiences so
>we REDUCE the amount of annoyance....Overall,
>if done correctly advertising should help the readers by
>giving them access to other useful products of interest.
>What do you think?

Well, I do blame speeders, careless drivers and cell
phones for putting my life in danger - but a careless
driver could be someone rubbernecking or reading all the
billboards plastered across the roadside. I mentioned
that billboards spoil the scenery - in general, I find
that this is the case. Obviously, billboards on the sides
of barns aren't as intrusive as a metal billboard 20 feet
off the road. I'm not without humor and I can understand
WHY billboards, magazine ads, online ads and tv commercial
are purchased. Actually, I do enjoy a good ad (the
Chick-Fil-A billboards with cows pushing the product are
hilarious) but let's consider how many ads actually are
really good. How many times are the ads, billboards,
commercials basically the same with a new product name
slapped into the text? Give me humor, wit, sarcasm -
just make it worth my 3 seconds for crying out loud.
In fact, the only awards program I watch on tv is the
Cleo Awards. That's pretty impressive considering I don't
even bother purchasing cable TV or some such equivalent.

I think Justin has hit the nail on the head. Advertising
in any form is probably a necessary evil but how about
targeting the audience? I think it's great when the online
article I'm reading has embedded text references to help
me understand the background in some way. I often click
on these references (okay, I right click and open it in a
new window since my curiosity often leads me 3-4 pages
away from the original source I was reading...) and I
find it fabulous that I have the ability to get this
information by clicking a link. But if you think I'm going
to click on a link for an online casino just because it's
flashing at the top of my screen, you're nuts. Give me
content relevant to why I'm already on your site. Give
me a link to the product you mention in your article.
At least give me a reason to smile if you're going to
flash in my face....

Dee Hauck
IT Administrator
Powell & Powell Supply Company, Inc.
1206 Broad Street
Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
919.552.9708
http://www.kingcanopy.com
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Received on Wed Apr 04 2001 - 11:46:59 CDT