Friday, August 30, 2013

The internet is at war with itself


Video, text or image, the fundamental form of online ad campaigns depends on purpose, ingenuity and budget.  But depending on where you stand in this vast ecosystem, as a consumer, you may find particular ads captivating and creative versus annoying and disturbing.

As for the former, where I work to be at, I look at ad campaigns as a study in commerce, persuasion and creativity.  I am an eager student, really.  As for the latter, where I am on occasion, I reflect on where these campaigns fail.  They may be overly repetitive, in which case I am turned off, or overly intrusive, in which case I am pissed off.  Certainly not where any brand or advertiser wants me to be.

(image credit)

So this grabbed me on Google News - Troubles Ahead for Internet Advertising:
Much of the Web relies on advertising income, but anti-ad technology could put a dent in that revenue. A recent report from the Web service PageFair said that on average 22.7 percent of visitors to 220 Web sites were using ad-blocking software, which automatically removes most ads from a Web page. The figures were highest in gaming and technology Web sites, which tend to have a large concentration of savvy users.
PageFair said the practice was growing at a rate that suggests almost all sites will appear without ads by 2018.
There are plenty of reasons to say that isn’t so. For one thing, PageFair makes money by helping companies get around ad blocking, so it has an interest in making ad blocking seem like a problem in dire need of solving. In an e-mail, however, PageFair executives defended their methods and conclusions. The company compared visits recorded on Google Analytics with the ad impressions recorded by a separate ad server.
The challenge for advertisers - whether it be video, text or image, or some combination - is to create an ad campaign that actually works:  Someone buys their product or service, at the end of the day.  In turn, the challenge for consumers is to appreciate the give-and-take nature of the ecosystem.  For example, we can enjoy Facebook for free, but for the sake of having ads in our midst.

Me, I am not so concerned about this anti-ad technology.  We humans are a creative lot, by and large.  So anti-anti-ad technology will develop, if necessary.  But the solution in this matter may be more human than anything else:  Engage us, appreciate us, be fair and reasonable, teach us, and we as consumers are more apt to be captivated and enthralled.  We will not have a need for anti-ad technology.

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