Roger Black on web advertising:
What we have now is the ugliest advertising in the history of the media. I used to say that web sites looked like the walls of a third-world futbol stadium, but that was unfair to the stadiums. Most content sites look so bad they actually repel readers rather than attract them.
It’s not enough to ask readers not to block ads — you’ve got to work hard at providing ads that readers actually enjoy, or at least aren’t tempted to block.
Exactly.
Good thread with many salient points.
Frustrating piece by Ken Fisher:
My argument is simple: blocking ads can be devastating to the sites you love.
That point is perfectly valid, yes, but Fisher’s conclusion (So don’t block our ads if you care about us) is totally wrong-headed.
When someone blocks ads on your site, you can either moan and wail, as Fisher does here, or try to understand the behavior and learn from it. People use blockers because ads are often obnoxious and rarely useful; don’t blame the user for blocking such ads.
Sites shouldn’t try to cut the number of ad-blocking users by making sad-sack pleas, but by making the advertising better. Want people to see your ads? Make them as tasteful, useful and genuine as you can—give users no reason to block your ads. Do that, and all parties benefit.
Bloomberg:
Television programs such as “The Simpsons” and “CSI” are for the first time commanding higher advertising rates at Web sites including Hulu.com and TV.com than on prime-time TV.
Understated in the article is the value of targeted web advertising. There’s more to it than a captive audience and passionate fans. Hulu, for example, can use a given user’s demographic data to tailor the ads served. That kind of customization has no real analog outside the online world.
Better yet, Hulu lets its users, in effect, choose their own advertising. Like an ad? Give it a thumbs up, and you’ll see more like it. Never want to see a certain ad again? Give it a thumbs down, and you never will. It’s a better experience for viewers, and advertisers can spend their dollars on people who want to see their ads. Everyone wins.