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NONE: Re: Banner Banter
Re: Banner Banter
william suboski (suboski_at_adan.kingston.net)
Sat, 7 Sep 1996 07:24:18 -0400
>John Foulds writes:
>
>>->Interactive off-or-online downloadable admodules that get around a
>>browsers lack of functionality (hot)
>
>One of the most dangerous misconceptions about "consumers" is that they
>somehow live to consume advertising.
>
>People change channels to avoid real-time, full-screen video :15
>commercials on TV produced by top Hollywood directors, starring their
>favorite celebrities.
>
>Are we really going to expect them to download an "admodule"?
>
>They might download a truly useful utility, or even a sponsored game
>
>But they aren't going to download an "admodule". Not now. Not ever.
>
>The limitations of browser functionality and teeny bandwidth is our
>problem, not the consumer's.
>
>-- Tom
This post represents an attitude that seems to subtly pervade many
of this list's discussions - the position that advertising is somehow a
necessary evil, which is only barely tolerated by the consumer. This is
certainly true of bad advertising - but good advertising can be amusing,
entertaining, and useful.
Suppose that TV had been invented yesterday. Further suppose that
you are trying to sell the TV idea - "Okay, 20 minutes of entertainment,
mixed with ten minutes of commercials" - it sounds improbable. Some folks
watch TV, and some don't, but I have never heard of anyone giving "too many
ads" as their reason. Now, isn't this an almost exact parallel to a
web-page...except that the "show" is boring, and the ads are uninspired.
What's really lacking is not bandwidth, but creativity.
Not meaning any disrespect, but I think that Tom is off-base. Ask
the average person, "What's the best beer?", and they'll say "Bud" or
"Coors". Cynically, most people are pretty passive. Beer is beer. The best
beer is the most heavily advertised.
Is a Sears catalog advertising? Would someone download an offline
version of it? If you found a company that you liked, good prices and
service, wouldn't you welcome such a catalog, not as "insidious"
advertising, but rather as a useful, time-saving resource? This is a
treasure-house concept, using the net to actually place our advertising on
the client's machine, not just with their cooperation, but actually at their
instigation!
Conceptually, I just don't think that we can neatly divide things
into nice black and white groups, useful utility, good, sponsored game,
good, ad module, bad!, quick, hit cancel!
I am firmly in the "Content is King" camp. I believe that you build
traffic through promotion, and that part of promotion is genuine usefulness.
I hate sites that are lists of colourful banners, with no content. I really
like sites that archive useful information. Of course, text is very compact
compared to images, so how is there even a debate? Provide flashy stuff AND
good content.
Of course, this means that a page must be constantly updated, which is more
challenging and more expensive than just putting up a lame GIF.
I maintain that quality content is the key to success. The quality
of the "show" needs to be high, the ads need to be entertaining and useful.
BTW, my ISP and the print shop that I go to, I first learned about on the
web. Well-executed advertising is useful, because it is the process of
disseminating desird information.
In closing, there are a couple of things that surprise me: why has
no-one discussed how sales might be carried out, using the department store
modelof periodic sales? It seems that this just doesn't exist to us...
As well, I once read that the adult film market was key to the
dramatic speed at which the price of VCRs dropped. That is, blue movies
created a demand, which translated into rapid product development. Now, much
of the conversation here is pretty esoteric bland-product promotion...but it
strikes me that the various adult sites on the net provide us with some
excellent case study material?
For example, how are the adult sites trying to make money? What are
they doing right and wrong? Separate and apart from personal moral beliefs,
we need to recognize that history will probably repeat itself, and nude pics
will probably provide the revenue that funds further net development that
eventually lets Homer Simpson order cabbages and pencils...So, if we get the
formula first, we have a tremendous advantage...
Just late night ramblings...
Bill
Bill Suboski - Internet Smokejumper suboski_at_adan.kingston.net
http://www.kingston.net/suboski
Web Listings Production freeware at:
http://www.kingston.net/suboski/style.html
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