Gavin: Yes, I agree and this is a good thing. Traditionally you can’t accurately measure a response to a campaign
other than with focus groups and indirect sales results, but with the interactive space we can measure right though to purchase. Even those that do not
purchase but interact with the brand are gaining brand awareness and it’s measuring the level of interaction and providing our clients with these
results that will eventually show that the interactive medium will do both, drive sales and build brand awareness. I like the idea that one individual
may not see the brand the same way as another and in the future you could build a campaign suited to that persons likes or dislikes.
How do you feel about the more intrusive advertising that is becoming increasingly common—pop-unders being my biggest pet peeve at the moment?
Rachael: Pop-unders and other intrusive ads to get the click are an annoyance. However, I still feel it is a small price to pay
for unlimited access to any information on the web.
Gavin: It’s like a free-for-all, right? Mouse Trapping is my biggest peeve! Pop-unders, pop-overs all hinder the user in
their daily surfing. I have not, as yet, installed anything like that prevents popups for obvious reasons; it’s my job to create these ‘annoying’
ad units. I think the overwhelming number of these ad units is the cause for concern, not the ad unit itself. I don’t mind getting served an ad unit that
is of particular interest to me, maybe one day I can request only advertising that is suited to a profile I set up somewhere. It almost has to be treated as a
Permission Marketing campaign where you only send advertising to those who request it. I’d like to see richer content in these ad units; something I can
interact with, something that draws me in to the piece.
With TV advertising forcing its way into actual programming—going so far as to have talk show hosts giving plugs mid-show,
the now ubiquitous bottom right corner ads, as well as any ads that can be shown on half a screen during the ending credits—where is the line where you
say enough? How does this bode for the online medium?
Rachael: Respectively, as consumers have more creative opportunities to avoid advertising (i.e. Tivo), advertisers will
develop creative ways of getting their message to the consumer. It’s that simple.
Gavin: Only the consumer can say enough. Where that line is depends on the individual. Sites currently offer ad space in the
most ridiculous places, what ever happened to ‘white space’? I’m dreading the day sites start using tab indents as ad space! How will this
impact the interactive medium? We have already built viral marketing campaigns that advertise within the application. It’s not when and where you advertise
but how you do it without making it annoying.
How long will it be before blogs start becoming promotional vehicles? As it stands now, they’re one of the few places you
can go online to get good articles—depending on your point of view— on a daily basis for free.
Rachael: Because the content is user-driven, it is still acting as a type of “promotional vehicle” depending on user
opinions and recommendations. It is just more subtle than advertising running alongside the content.
Gavin: Hopefully never. Blogs are run by the online community, for the online community. Back when newsgroups were the place
to go for information, spamming was considered poor etiquette, spamming in blogs is the same. Many of the blog sites like LiveJournal offer blocking of unknown
users; those that allow anonymous postings are leaving themselves open for spam postings. I don’t think it will be long before unscrupulous companies start
spamming these blogs. Hopefully the community is strong enough to prevent this from happening. Blogs are the latest bastion for a no-advertising surf.
Do you think that people’s attitudes are beginning to change towards online adverts? Do you feel that people are beginning to
realize that online content comes at a price and the trade-off for that is either advertising or subscriptions or a combination of the two?
Rachael: People are annoyed at the types of ad units such as “pop-unders” used in online advertising. I don’t feel
that people will surf less or watch less TV as a result of advertising. If a relevant product or ad is introduced in an appropriate environment, it can be
viewed as beneficial. For example, surfing on a real-estate web site and having a low-interest rate mortgage opportunity a click away.
Gavin: Peoples attitudes toward online advertising are changing, but not for the best. Folk are getting tired of popups,
just go to www.download.com and search for ‘nopopup’ to see the myriad of applications to prevent them. Why should I have to pay a subscription
not to get advertised to? Particularly when I may only be using a service for a short period of time. The trade-off for using the web for free is definitely
being advertised to. Those individuals that use a particular service for free must expect this; someone has to pay for it.
Last question. Do you feel online creatives should be more concerned with finding a balance between content and ad space
or will it continue to be driven—on sites that are ad-heavy—by the advertising client?
Rachael: Have magazines found a balance? Editorial content is surrounded by relevant advertisers some of which drive the
content itself. The .com presence of many advertisers actually has informative, valuable content. However, it is difficult to drive traffic to product
sites. A way of brands adding value is to partner and sponsor areas of the web where they can actually provide not only an ad, but great content.
Gavin: Who’s paying the bills? As long as the advertising client comes to us for advertising, they’ll get it.
We try to inform our clients of web etiquette; give the end user something in return for interacting with the brand, this may be as simple as a rich
and enjoyable experience, but at least it won’t leave the end user feeling violated. As far as the Creatives should be concerned, it’s up to
them to ensure that the content within the ad unit is compelling and useful. I don’t need a spy cam right now and I’d love to tell them so.
Maybe one I can and they will listen.
Thank you both very much+
RappDigital
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