Lately, the proliferation of huge expanding banner ads on major websites has made me very adept at one thing: learning where the close button is.
I don’t know how the rest of you feel but if I get advertising’s equivalent to a Flash splash page with one of those huge ads I can’t find the close button fast enough. When advertisers try to camouflage the close button I work extra hard to find the button and rid myself of the incredibly annoying and intrusive action that brands call advertising.
Oh and the folks at ESPN.com. Are you really that ignorant as to how annoying the expanding banners are at the top of the home page? You know the ones. The ads that let me get a glimpse of of the content I came to see (ummm like sports news?) first then get pushed down the page by an ad for something I don’t pay attention to. Once again the race is on to click the close button.
Oh, and guess what? I don’t’ pay attention to your ad and would never click on one unless it might save a life. The sad part is that I am unlikely to know what any of those ridiculous ads actually say because I don’t see anything but the close button.
Oh and if I actually did see what was being advertised? Like I said before, unless it can save a life, I end up actually having animosity toward the brand that is getting in the way of what I am trying to do which is just visit a web site. The pity of it is that if I actually notice the brand and it is one I use and like, it shaves some points off their overall brand score in my mind (note to Diet Coke: Don’t do this kind of advertising please!).
So here’s the lesson if you choose to care enough to listen. I don’t care enough to look at your ad especially because you are trying to trick me into seeing it. That’s pathetic. Get creative and make me care about your brand. Steamrolling your way through my web experience will not get you a customer. Instead you’ll get “reviews” like this one.
Have a nice day!
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I 100% agree with you, and do nothing but dive for the close button myself, but I bet you tons and tons of ESPN’s money that these ads have increased ad revenue and CTR for them. Just like the annoying full page ads you get on some other news content sites. They are supremely disruptive to the experience of the user, but they work, so I wouldn’t expect them to go away any time soon.
I’m not saying that’s ideal or right, it’s just the reality.
I’d love to see a “user-centric advertising” movement along the level of the user-centric design one that was made so popular 5-10 years ago.
Although, I would love to see them go away, the sad fact is there really aren’t enough people like you and I. The ads work, so they use them. We know the trick, sadly, most don’t.
BTW, you may want to shrink your banner a bit. I had to scroll down quite a bit to keep reading. :O)
.-= ChrisCD´s last blog ..2.00% CD Special (13-Mo. Term) =-.
100% agree.
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