So Many Ads, So Few Clicks

Iria · Nov 3, 2007, 07:25 PM

Source: Business Week
__________
In June, Luke Mitchell's student marketing service, Reach Students, ran a series of Web ads to promote an offer from a major parcel delivery service. The timing seemed perfect: just when college students decide whether to store belongings for the summer or ship them home. So did the placement--on the Facebook social network, where students hang out for hours. Yet when the results rolled in, Mitchell was stunned: Only 0.04% of those people who got the ads on their screens bothered to click on them. He had expected at least 1% to respond. "We had just a handful of users come to the site," he says.

The truth about online ads is that precious few people actually click on them. And the percentage of people who respond to common "banner ads," the ubiquitous interactive posters that run in fixed places on sites, is shrinking steadily.

BlueMak · Nov 3, 2007, 08:16 PM

They should see them as TV or better yet newspaper and magazine ads. You don't see people clicking on a TV or newspaper add, do you? heh?

The problem is they see internet ads as those programs on tv that say call now for the super knife that cuts diamonds. Call now, now now! Well...no.

Plus too many ads are for a specific country only. Why would a european for example click on an ad of newegg?

Also, is this guy joking or what? He expected more reaction from...college students?

YAYitsAndrew · Nov 4, 2007, 04:46 AM

There's a bunch of other factors... maybe his ad didn't draw enough attention. You get only a fraction of a second to get someone's attention as their eyes pass over your ads.

Zelig · Nov 4, 2007, 05:14 AM

Facebook is disgusting now, I have to run a custom script to remove all the applications, they're even worse than the ads. (which I also remove)

Rayder · Nov 4, 2007, 12:12 PM

Personally, I'm SICK of ads in my face everywhere I go and in every aspect of everyday life. I always avoid them, block them or just ignore them.

My guess is that the 0.04% he got was at least 50% accidental clicks.

The only people who care about ads are the ones that stand to make money from them. EVERYONE else HATES them.

I sometimes wonder how much cheaper some products would be if they didn't waste a bunch of money advertising them. I mean really, does McDonald's really need to advertise when there is one of those restaurants on every other street corner? Do we really need toilet paper and tampon ads? Do they really think people will stop buying TP if some ad wasn't in their face telling them about it? When a woman is having her period, did she really need an ad telling her to go get tampons?

Some things I can understand being advertised, but too much of today's advertising is just unnecessary and ridiculous.

YAYitsAndrew · Nov 4, 2007, 02:30 PM

The ads are telling you to switch to their brand because it's softer or more absorbant or whatever. They're not a reminder to wipe your ass.

BlueMak · Nov 4, 2007, 02:46 PM

^^ that was funny.

Besides, I am sick of the more and more soft toilet paper that it just dissolves as soon as you touch it. Make it strong damn it.
I have found the best toilet paper to be Bounty kitchen towels/paper.

Customgamer1 · Nov 4, 2007, 02:55 PM

Well I think the reason why no one clicks on internet ads is because of all the spam/rip-off's there are on the internet.

We are told not to click on random links and "deals to good to be true" or ads over email because all they are is just spam or a virus waiting to happen. It's also easy for people to steel your info on a site thats not really that popular etc... I just don't trust ads that pop up while on the internet.

bug77 · Nov 4, 2007, 05:52 PM

The problem is the adds becoming more aggressive.

It is a law of nature (chemistry) that whenever you try to force a system into some equilibrium state (force users to click ads by making them more aggressive), the system will tend actually go the other way (users discovering ad blockers in this case).
This applies to so many other things...

Matth · Nov 6, 2007, 11:59 PM

Users are sick of ads, they see the nuisance, not the ad, and ad companies have only themselves to blame for pushing until something broke.

Nov 3, 2007, 07:25 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	So Many Ads, So Few Clicks Source: Business Week __________ In June, Luke Mitchell's student marketing service, Reach Students, ran a series of Web ads to promote an offer from a major parcel delivery service. The timing seemed perfect: just when college students decide whether to store belongings for the summer or ship them home. So did the placement--on the Facebook social network, where students hang out for hours. Yet when the results rolled in, Mitchell was stunned: Only 0.04% of those people who got the ads on their screens bothered to click on them. He had expected at least 1% to respond. "We had just a handful of users come to the site," he says. The truth about online ads is that precious few people actually click on them. And the percentage of people who respond to common "banner ads," the ubiquitous interactive posters that run in fixed places on sites, is shrinking steadily.

Nov 3, 2007, 08:16 PM	#2
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,478 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	They should see them as TV or better yet newspaper and magazine ads. You don't see people clicking on a TV or newspaper add, do you? heh? The problem is they see internet ads as those programs on tv that say call now for the super knife that cuts diamonds. Call now, now now! Well...no. Plus too many ads are for a specific country only. Why would a european for example click on an ad of newegg? Also, is this guy joking or what? He expected more reaction from...college students? __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Nov 4, 2007, 04:46 AM	#3
YAYitsAndrew Anti-Piracy Poster Boy Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 2,605 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	There's a bunch of other factors... maybe his ad didn't draw enough attention. You get only a fraction of a second to get someone's attention as their eyes pass over your ads. __________________ "It is because the resistance to paying for copyrighted material, although often characterized as arising from a supposed technical burden or principled concern for the public interest, arises rather from exactly the same segment of the brain that is dominant in shoplifters." - Mark Helprin, Digital Barbarism In other words, it's never okay to steal even if you think you have a good reason! www.yayitsandrew.com

Nov 4, 2007, 05:14 AM	#4
Zelig HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 3,187 Rep Power: 71 System Specs	Facebook is disgusting now, I have to run a custom script to remove all the applications, they're even worse than the ads. (which I also remove) __________________ --

Nov 4, 2007, 02:30 PM	#6
YAYitsAndrew Anti-Piracy Poster Boy Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 2,605 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	The ads are telling you to switch to their brand because it's softer or more absorbant or whatever. They're not a reminder to wipe your ass. __________________ "It is because the resistance to paying for copyrighted material, although often characterized as arising from a supposed technical burden or principled concern for the public interest, arises rather from exactly the same segment of the brain that is dominant in shoplifters." - Mark Helprin, Digital Barbarism In other words, it's never okay to steal even if you think you have a good reason! www.yayitsandrew.com

Nov 4, 2007, 12:12 PM	#5
Rayder Mostly lurking lately.... Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 2,161 Rep Power: 73	Personally, I'm SICK of ads in my face everywhere I go and in every aspect of everyday life. I always avoid them, block them or just ignore them. My guess is that the 0.04% he got was at least 50% accidental clicks. The only people who care about ads are the ones that stand to make money from them. EVERYONE else HATES them. I sometimes wonder how much cheaper some products would be if they didn't waste a bunch of money advertising them. I mean really, does McDonald's really need to advertise when there is one of those restaurants on every other street corner? Do we really need toilet paper and tampon ads? Do they really think people will stop buying TP if some ad wasn't in their face telling them about it? When a woman is having her period, did she really need an ad telling her to go get tampons? Some things I can understand being advertised, but too much of today's advertising is just unnecessary and ridiculous.

Nov 4, 2007, 02:46 PM	#7
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,478 Rep Power: 349 System Specs	^^ that was funny. Besides, I am sick of the more and more soft toilet paper that it just dissolves as soon as you touch it. Make it strong damn it. I have found the best toilet paper to be Bounty kitchen towels/paper. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Nov 4, 2007, 02:55 PM	#8
Customgamer1 Fell off the tech wagon Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,273 Rep Power: 74 System Specs	Well I think the reason why no one clicks on internet ads is because of all the spam/rip-off's there are on the internet. We are told not to click on random links and "deals to good to be true" or ads over email because all they are is just spam or a virus waiting to happen. It's also easy for people to steel your info on a site thats not really that popular etc... I just don't trust ads that pop up while on the internet. __________________ Asus Laptop: 2.5 Intel Core 2 Duo, 4gigs DDR 2, Windows 7 64bit! Windows 7 > OSX!

Nov 4, 2007, 05:52 PM	#9
bug77 DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: around Posts: 792 Rep Power: 0	The problem is the adds becoming more aggressive. It is a law of nature (chemistry) that whenever you try to force a system into some equilibrium state (force users to click ads by making them more aggressive), the system will tend actually go the other way (users discovering ad blockers in this case). This applies to so many other things...

Nov 6, 2007, 11:59 PM	#10
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,426 Rep Power: 93 System Specs	Users are sick of ads, they see the nuisance, not the ad, and ad companies have only themselves to blame for pushing until something broke. __________________ Mary had a little lamb, Her father shot it dead Now Mary takes her lamb to school, Between two crusts of bread