New ad format at Zdnet: What do you think of it?

[Parrotheader]

Given all the recent complaints due to X-10's pop-up ad promotions I thought I'd see how much you guys like this alternative. Even though I visit Anandtech due to my personal interests, I ask out of professional curiosity . . . because online marketing is what I do for a living (mostly search engine optimization, but some 'traditional' online advertising as well.) I figure this is a great place to ask because the typical user here is MUCH more sophisticated than the average joe. If you guys like and notice these, then it definitely is a format to consider.

I find these ads to be much cleaner and eye-catching (you may want to hit refresh a few times to cycle through different versions.) And due to the fact that you can interact with the ad without leaving the page, it makes it a good option for the hosting site as well. Granted, they're rather big and most people would rather just do without ads at all. But without ads, a lot of our favorite sites would be forced to close up shop. Here's a sample article below.

Microsoft Alters Windows Pacts

 

[Adul]

I like the flashy ads. I actually look at them, it more interesting then the basic ones used here.

 

[GL]

1. I notice them.
2. I notice them for more than 1/3 of a second like banner ads.
3. They don't annoy me like pop-up ads.

 

[MrBond]

Actually, I find those MORE annoying then the pop unders. They make it difficult to read the page, and I find myself speed-reading PAST them to get to where I can scroll them out of the way.

It's the fact they they're active and animated. The extra motion on the screen makes it difficult to read the page. I also think their position is less then perfect, if they were even with the top of the article, it'd be a little easier to read. But my biggest complaint with them is the motion. Either make them static, or take them out.

Edit: I'm not alone when I say this. John Dvorak agrees with me, he wrote a blurb about it in one of ZDNets own magazines.

 

[yellowperil]

It's slowing down my scroll wheel, but maybe it's just my slow-a$$ computer

 

[rootaxs]

CNET has been using that for quite some time themselves. IMHO this is just worst and really slows down people with slow computers due to the "Flash" nature of these ads.

 

[Parrotheader]

Hmmm. It seems as though I'm not the only one interested in how people like these ads. I just got hit with a pop-up questionnaire (LOL!) when I went to another ZDnet page asking me what I thought about the page. I instintively closed the pop-up within a few seconds, but I wish I'd kept it open now to see what my colleagues were asking. However, I can't get it to come back now. It's obviously on a very random basis seeing as how I've refreshed the page probably 20 times now. If you get that when you go there, my apologies. I didn't realize that was there when I first posted this. Granted, they're just doing the same thing I am. I'm just trying to nice and informal about it.

MrBond:

I certainly can see your point, especially on some of those ads which are very animated. It does make it harder to concentrate on the text. But that's the point. And that positioning was undoubtedly HEAVILY researched for that exact reason. To find the area where you make the maximum possible impression.

 

[MrBond]

<< I certainly can see your point, especially on some of those ads which are very animated. It does make it harder to concentrate on the text. But that's the point. And that positioning was undoubtedly HEAVILY researched for that exact reason. To find the area where you make the maximum possible impression. >>



But when readers stop going to your site because there are other news sites without annoyingly placed ads, money from ads will stop coming in...

They really should take that into account. I can't believe they'd do something like this w/o a focus group first, and I can't imagine Dvorak and I are the only two people who find it hard to read ZDnet (and cNet) now. You'd think someone from the focus group would have mentioned it.

I have no problem with flashy banner ads at the top or bottem of pages (except flashing, seizure inducing banners) like we have here at AnandTech. If they catch my eye, as they often do, they don't distract from the rest of the page.

 

[Pretender]

They're still blocked by my firewall (NIS), so I like them.

After turning it off for a moment, yeah, not bad. I dislike flash ads because the files are generally larger than gifs, and although it's not a concern for a P3 650, slower computers would be lagged by them.

 

[Parrotheader]

MrBond -

It's kind of a catch22 because I have to experience it from both sides. We want sites without annoying ads, but the very problem is that if an ad is NOT 'annoying' then that also means it's probably not very effective. And then the advertisers with less annoying ads will eventually pull their ads from sites because they're not getting anything out of it. That was one part of the whole .com bust whoopla earlier last year because hardly anybody is clicking on banner ads and other online ads these days. Advertisers withdrew their money and sites with no real meat behind their business started folding up.

Since my primary focus is SEO, I don't get to spend as much time working on ad buys. But when I got to meet with an AOL sales rep last month I was shocked to see just how low the standard is now for a 'successful' online ad campaign. The clickthru rates considered to be acceptable now are frightening and hard to justify to clients considering online advertising. Granted, I expect very low numbers, but I was still floored.

 

[Shazam]

There could be an option to stop/start the animation in the ad. You also then get people to actually look at the ad, in order for them to stop it.

Also, there should be some kind of ad history... Sometimes I see an ad, and actually want to click on it, but sometimes it will disappear, only to be replaced by another ad.... Having a history allows me to go back to that ad.

 

[Parrotheader]

One of our developers here said it wouldn't be hard to configure an option that would determine connection speed and dynamically feed ads appropriately. Such as, if you're on a high speed connection at work you'd get a flash ad, but if you were on a slower modem at home you'd get a gif or something else. And with sites like CNET and ZDnet you've probably got a very high percentage of broadband users, particularly during daytime hours when people are at work.