Advertising penetrates almost every aspect of our daily lives; hell, I can`t use a public restroom without reading about the latest and greatest "skincare technology". All I ask is that advertisers not torture me online.
One of my first real paying jobs was as a contracted techie in a couple of advertising agencies. I worked long hours and learned how to handle the ridiculously overbearing personalities that exist in this environment. I also learnt a thing or two about the industry: in particular, an appreciation for good or well-placed advertising and, on the flipside, utter irritation with the opposite.
Many examples of irksome and invasive advertising exist in cyber space. Several samples of these can be found on the eWeek technology news site.
Firstly, when I type in the Internet address, it takes me directly to an advertising banner, as opposed to the front page (which I was expecting). Instead of reading the advert, I spend the next few minutes trying to find the click-through that will take me to the page I originally requested.
Secondly, the site has added a request for users to participate in a survey. This gem sprouted after I had managed to find the front page, and was essentially the last straw. It will take much persuasion to get me to revisit the site. Annoying as it is, it is the best of a bad bunch.
Ironically, while researching this column, I came across an Internet advertising best practice seminar site, which also has an invasive pop-up advert.
This begs the question: who decides that intrusive Internet advertising is a good idea?
Who does it?
Why do people insist on using advertising that makes people hate the product?
Candice Jones, portals deputy editor, ITWeb
Research by international agency DoubleClick found that 55% of US readers will develop negative connotations to products and publications that use invasive online advertising.
So why do people insist on using advertising that makes people hate the product?
DoubleClick addressed this question in another report, which shows this kind of advertising stems from advertisers who view the Internet as a source of "cheap" advertising. Therefore they do not invest sufficiently in experimentation and research to identify for themselves the tactics that work best.
The company also emphasises the importance of the Internet in the advertising space: "As such, it is more important than ever for advertisers to master the tactics that produce the best results for their online campaigns."
It seems that globally people are doing exactly the opposite, but there is hope for SA.
Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, says SA does have some invasive advertising; however, it does not dominate our Internet space. He says there is a fair degree of sensitivity to negative branding in the country, which leads advertisers to avoid invasive advertising.
Best practice guidelines show that pop-up and ad blockers are the best reasons not to use these methods of advertising, he says.
SA`s Online Publishing Association`s guide to Internet advertising states most Internet users find pop-up adverts intrusive or annoying.
Goldstuck believes the South African aversion to invasive online advertising has both a positive and negative connotation. Negatively, it shows the Internet advertising space in SA is limited to a small number of players, and positively it indicates it is a well-managed environment.
I like to believe that South Africans are just smarter.
Don`t be stupid
An account director at an advertising agency says there is nothing more ridiculous a client can request than an advert that takes five minutes to close or hinders access to the requested Web site, because people will definitely start hating the brand.
He says in the US more clients request these kinds of adverts more often, expecting them to create brand penetration. "But they don`t!"
Spending good money on bad, invasive advertising results in nothing but irritated customers. It also shows a lack of understanding of your market.
So the lesson to be learnt from international sites is: use it and you lose it!
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