Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Why not rich media?

Michael Hunter Morath (mmorath_at_nscnet.com)
Tue, 24 Feb 1998 11:06:10 -0500

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Keith Pieper wrote:
>
> 2) Target users based on bandwidth
> Is it possible to do this? Has anyone heard of such technology?
>
> The short-term answer would then be to create bandwidth and technology
> targeted ads to those capable of viewing them? And over time this pool
> would expand?

Well... it is technically possible to check the bandwidth of a site
visitor, although its neither easy nor quick.

With the user agent standards, we can all easily determine what browser
a user is hitting us with, what platform, etc. Although knowing the
browser is of infinite importance, knowing the bandwidth is likewise
important, and the user agent doesn't help us a bit there. With any
luck, our next generation browsers will report connection speed in their
user agent declaration. In the meantime, we are stuck either not
knowing, or going through a really tricky implementation of a
"PING"-like program to find out.

Keith: the answer to your question is.. It is possible to know
*roughly* a user's connection speed, and target content accordingly.
However, the cost of developing the script, and then both hi- and
low-bandwidth versions of your web site (at least, if you hire my firm,
haha) is not gonna be cheap.. so serious cost benefit analysis would be
necessary. Additionally, running the ping itself takes time, and you
might lose a user or two just by performing the check. I would
recommend against it in the vast majority of cases, unless you can
REALLY improve your CPMs (or some other measure of income) from the
targeting.

The only good way to determine whether to go the rich media route is
when you have a defined user base for the site. This is certainly the
case for Intranet/Extranet development. Likewise its the case for
*some* web site's that don't mind excluding lots of slow users out
there.

> Goldwin Golf/Foote Cone & Belding V-Banner Case
> -Prior to V-banner, they ran static banners on GOLFonline, generating
> a click-through rate of 1.8%.
> -V-Banner consistently delivered click-through rates ranging from 5.6%
> to 5.9% -- over a 250% increase

I would wager to say that a large reason for the increase in
click-through rates here was a result of a lower number of overall
impressions. Reason: d/ling a regular banner in its entirety takes a
couple of seconds... users wait. Viola... impression. d/ling a
V-Banner takes a great deal more time... users don't wait to d/l the
whole thing. Viola... no impression. Of course, this is great for
direct marketeers from a cost standpoint (they don't have to pay for as
many impressions, and do get higher click-thrus). But if advertisers
are trying to brand, then this is probably a bad way to go--especially
if the site's visit lengths aren't long (a search engine, as opposed to
the Mpath example you sited).

> 3) Lack of Standards
> Mark Dolley at Zapworks said lack of standards were another reason
> preventing the growth of rich media? Please explain more specifically.

I'd guess he's talking about the lack of standards between MSIE and
Netscape. The sheer genius of having two competing browsers using two
different methodologies always amazes we web designers. It basically
means that we have to do twice the work, ensuring that whatever is
designed for one browser looks remotely the same on the other one.

This becomes more important with rich media. The browsers diverge
slightly when it comes to their implementation of tables and the like.
Even more when it comes to java scripting. Even more when you look at
java apps and shockwave. And, of course, it gets worse.

Michael Morath

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 Maybe in reply to: Keith Piper: "ONLINE-ADS>> Why not rich media?"

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