Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet

Re:Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet by amichail on Sunday March 22, 2009 @03:06PM (#527345)

Currently, advertising only works on the Internet when people don't know it's advertising either because it is not labeled as such or because a confusing term is used (e.g., "Sponsored").

If you don't want to deceive users in this way, have ads about clever products (NOT clever ads, but clever products such as the Segway, Rubik's Mirror Blocks, etc.).

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Re:Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet by unalone on Sunday March 22, 2009 @03:25PM (#527366)

That's not true at all. Advertisements succeed or fail based on the nature of the ad. I've clicked Google ads before despite the fact that they're very obviously ads (different-colored backgrounds, text saying ads are ads). I've clicked Facebook ads, which are put in a special Ad Zone of the page.

Clever ads don't make me buy things, but they get my attention. Clever products? It's not a matter of clever, it's a matter of what I WANT. I would never buy a Segway because of an online ad.

There is one tried-and-true method of making an ad work, and it works every time: you make something people want, you find where you can put an ad that the right people will see, and you make sure your ad describes your product well. There's nothing "clever" to that, and there's no "confusing term" tricking people. It's a simple matter of finding a customer.

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Re:Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet by amichail on Sunday March 22, 2009 @04:30PM (#527427)

I've clicked Google ads before despite the fact that they're very obviously ads (different-colored backgrounds, text saying ads are ads). I've clicked Facebook ads, which are put in a special Ad Zone of the page.

What percentage of Google's revenue comes from people clicking ads that they don't know are ads?

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Re:Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet by jacquesm on Sunday March 22, 2009 @04:49PM (#527443)

not as much as the amount that comes from fraudulent clicks.

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Re:Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet by panotpon on Monday March 23, 2009 @04:13AM (#528225)

Please don't spread that idea and take all the fun out of advertising. One of most rewarding aspect of being in advertising business is the creativity of coming up with clever ways to shove boring products down the consumers' throats. Broccoli and spinach are sure good for the body,but somehow, Mommy's airplane trick is still around.

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Re:Why Advertising Is Failing On The Internet by philwelch on Monday March 23, 2009 @12:22PM (#528744)

I appreciate an entertaining advertisement as much as anyone. On the other hand, the most clever way of shoving a boring product down the consumer's throat in recent years seems to be ads like "HeadOn: Apply Directly To The Forehead" and their online equivalents.

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