Comments on: Who clicks on ads? And what might this mean? http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/ Youth, mobility and media Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:16:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Mobile | Won\'t you flick http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-168 Mobile | Won\'t you flick Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:36:22 +0000 http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-168 [...] Who clicks on ads? [...] [...] Who clicks on ads? [...]

]]> By: Shift6 » Fear of customising http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-50 Shift6 » Fear of customising Thu, 13 Dec 2007 08:21:49 +0000 http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-50 [...] her Shift6 post last week danah queried who actually clicks on internet advertising and concluded that, far from the targets advertisers [...] [...] her Shift6 post last week danah queried who actually clicks on internet advertising and concluded that, far from the targets advertisers [...]

]]> By: Jan Michael Hess http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-46 Jan Michael Hess Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:45:20 +0000 http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-46 Danah, thanks for this post. It is indeed the key question of online advertising, be it on big screens (PC web) or small screens (mobile web): Does online advertising work, i.e. increase sales, and how can we make it work better? Our friends from Google, the market leaders in online advertising and pretty experienced in analysing user and click behaviour, might have many answers to this question, so we should ask them. Our friends from Blyk, in comparison, are just starting the journey on this learning curve. My point of view is that I agree that most people do not interact with online ads, be it display, search, rich media, emails, MMS or whatever. There can only be one reason for it: They are not interested and have better things to do. And they often do not understand the benefit of clicking on ads and responding to the advertiser's invitation-to-click. So the challenge for all of us is to make advertising more interesting to the right people. If advertising is boring it might mean that the products and services are boring in the first place. But who believes that boring products have a chance in our global competition anyway? Few people do. My vision to improve the level of interest is "on-demand advertising". Serve ads to people when they want and how they want them. And be transparent about your motivation and their benefits. Good luck! Danah, thanks for this post. It is indeed the key question of online advertising, be it on big screens (PC web) or small screens (mobile web): Does online advertising work, i.e. increase sales, and how can we make it work better?

Our friends from Google, the market leaders in online advertising and pretty experienced in analysing user and click behaviour, might have many answers to this question, so we should ask them. Our friends from Blyk, in comparison, are just starting the journey on this learning curve.

My point of view is that I agree that most people do not interact with online ads, be it display, search, rich media, emails, MMS or whatever. There can only be one reason for it: They are not interested and have better things to do. And they often do not understand the benefit of clicking on ads and responding to the advertiser’s invitation-to-click.

So the challenge for all of us is to make advertising more interesting to the right people. If advertising is boring it might mean that the products and services are boring in the first place. But who believes that boring products have a chance in our global competition anyway?

Few people do. My vision to improve the level of interest is “on-demand advertising”. Serve ads to people when they want and how they want them. And be transparent about your motivation and their benefits. Good luck!

]]> By: Alison Black http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-42 Alison Black Mon, 03 Dec 2007 23:34:25 +0000 http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-42 I'm inclined to agree with David's perception that banner ads only attract your attention if you're browsing without particular focus. But, even from the point of decisions about what tools to use on the web, people opt into or out of different levels of distraction. Compare, for example, the distraction level you get when you make a search from Google's compared Yahoo or AOL. Some people are able to make choices regarding the tools they use because of their awareness of the alternatives. Some are stuck with the set-up their ISP first provided them, and all that entails. So you have inequality right from the word go. When banner ads can't be avoided they at least have the advantage to 'focused' web users that they are easy to screen out (and designers respond by not putting important content near banners so it will not also be screened out in the process). Advertising in editorial is far more difficult to avoid and causes more irritation to those who don't want to get caught up by advertising messages. So (pure speculation here) there may be an advantage to advertisers in continuing banner advertising, and waiting for the day when the 'ideals' they are targeting are relaxed enough to let their guard down and click, with the greater probability of those clicks being converted into sales than the serendipity of more habitual clickers. I’m inclined to agree with David’s perception that banner ads only attract your attention if you’re browsing without particular focus. But, even from the point of decisions about what tools to use on the web, people opt into or out of different levels of distraction. Compare, for example, the distraction level you get when you make a search from Google’s compared Yahoo or AOL. Some people are able to make choices regarding the tools they use because of their awareness of the alternatives. Some are stuck with the set-up their ISP first provided them, and all that entails. So you have inequality right from the word go.

When banner ads can’t be avoided they at least have the advantage to ‘focused’ web users that they are easy to screen out (and designers respond by not putting important content near banners so it will not also be screened out in the process). Advertising in editorial is far more difficult to avoid and causes more irritation to those who don’t want to get caught up by advertising messages.

So (pure speculation here) there may be an advantage to advertisers in continuing banner advertising, and waiting for the day when the ‘ideals’ they are targeting are relaxed enough to let their guard down and click, with the greater probability of those clicks being converted into sales than the serendipity of more habitual clickers.

]]> By: david cushman http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-41 david cushman Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:50:41 +0000 http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-41 Hi Dana, Thanks for sharing this. My biggest take-away is hardly anyone clicks on the ads full stop. Perhaps that's because they are generally an interruption to what most people are doing online. Perhaps those who click the ads more often are surfing with less purpose? Which does raise a whole series of questions about the relationship between content and ad. The biggest question facing all media, I believe, is what replaces advertising. Engagement marketing, conversation, co-creation etc? Banner ads etc will continue to be booked until that question gets answered I suspect. Hi Dana,
Thanks for sharing this. My biggest take-away is hardly anyone clicks on the ads full stop. Perhaps that’s because they are generally an interruption to what most people are doing online.
Perhaps those who click the ads more often are surfing with less purpose? Which does raise a whole series of questions about the relationship between content and ad.

The biggest question facing all media, I believe, is what replaces advertising. Engagement marketing, conversation, co-creation etc?

Banner ads etc will continue to be booked until that question gets answered I suspect.

]]> By: The art of becoming succesful « Alexander van Elsas’s Weblog on new media & technologies and their effect on social behavior http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-40 The art of becoming succesful « Alexander van Elsas’s Weblog on new media & technologies and their effect on social behavior Mon, 03 Dec 2007 09:03:06 +0000 http://shift6.net/2007/12/03/who-clicks-on-ads-and-what-might-this-mean/#comment-40 [...] others might follow. And what to think of the questions Dana Boyd asks herself in “who clicks on ads and what might this mean“. In her post she writes about a study done by Global Advertisement Strategy: What did we [...] [...] others might follow. And what to think of the questions Dana Boyd asks herself in “who clicks on ads and what might this mean“. In her post she writes about a study done by Global Advertisement Strategy: What did we [...]

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