E-Commerce Times Talkback

Re: The Real Problem with Online Advertising
Posted by: Keith Regan 2001-08-30 19:19:59

See Full Story

Bigger. Flashier. More intrusive. The advertising industry is willing to try anything and
everything to get people to pay more attention to their Internet advertising.

But if you hit the right note, any size ad can be effective. In other words, it's not
about the size of the banner, it's about what's in it.

Re: The Real Problem with Online Advertising
Posted by: Jim 2001-09-17 15:27:29 In reply to: Keith Regan

Never have I seen something more on target! The flashier it is, the more repulsive I find it. Casino's are the worst. It is about time that somebody realized that advertising relevance is what matters most. Does the advertisement seem to lead to a product or service that likely could be used by the surfer? I find that advertisers still have a learning curve for Internet marketing. The fact that we are less likely to play a role as a business partner rather than just take advertising cash, only feeds and taints the bad press banners already receive.

Would it not be better, smarter and more likely successful to advertise your hotel on a travel site than on a zoo webcam page?

The numbers don't mean a thing if the relevancy does not exist. As a company, ours will only accept and place advertising that is relevant to our site. Yes, we actually don't accept some advertisers! I strongly feel that if more companies would take this approach, we could raise the overall integrity of web advertising, not have to football prices and make our relevant customers easier to sell.

That's my .02

Re: The Real Problem with Online Advertising
Posted by: Rodrigo E. 2001-08-31 11:54:38 In reply to: Keith Regan

I think that editors shouldn't let people write just what they think, before you write about this you must go beyond your self and your friends.

The masses work differently than you. Do you think that everyone is wrong? Maybe they use big ads because they get better results. Maybe if Columbia House uses a bigger ad they get higher clicks.

Beside, this thing happens on every media, not just internet. TV and radio, press, print, etc. Everyone is trying to be bigger, to be over the noise.

I do agree that the big problem with internet ads today is the context and the content of the ad, but that is not all.

Re: The Real Problem with Online Advertising
Posted by: venturi 2001-09-01 19:34:54 In reply to: Rodrigo E.

Actually, the author of the article is entirely correct. One thing not pointed out is that textual advertisements outperform and outsell banners overwhelmingly. Why don't banners sell anymore? Because they are tired and boring, and the 486x60 standard horizontal banner is one of the least clicked style of banner on the internet today. Internet advertisers have not kept up with the growing net-telligence of their surfers. Instead, they have chosen to use the same blase marketing techniques that worked back in 1995 when the web was young and all surfers were newbie-surfers. The ads are bigger now, they are flashier, and more obnoxious than a barking pommeranian. That's why they aren't working. X10.com is a prime example of BAD marketing. Just look at their exposure to click to purchase ratios. They're in the bottom 10% of the industry. Sure they've gotten sales, from uninformed foolish surfers. The number of surfers and potential customers that they have utterly angered far and away outnumber they're postitive contacts.
Back to text. When you talk to a surfer you get inside their head a little, once you're inside your pitch becomes more plausible because now the surfer has shown a little trust in your offer. Trust sells. Blinking banners and flashy lights don't.
My $0.02.