Integrating your ads over content can have negative consequences.
On Thursday, a deranged man flew his plane into an office building housing IRS employees.
In my search for updates and details on the crash, which was in a cluster of buildings housing a number of high tech companies where my friends work, I realized how dangerous it is to place your ads over content. You never know how it will look.
Here’s the first example, from Statesman.com:
Like many publications, Statesman has “flyover” ads on top of its home page. On Thursday, the ad happened to be for the rodeo. I watched as a man literally walked across the crash site and fire on the page, looking up at a headline reading “Huge Fireball erupted after crash, unknown number of people hurt”. I doubt that’s content the rodeo wants to associated with.
Here’s another example, an ad overlayed on a USTREAM video of the crash site:
Ah, yes. Jump for joy! You just made 3,000%! Wait, what’s that? Someone just died? Oh.
That’s part of the reason name brand advertisers shy away from video-overlays, and you end up with ads for penny stocks instead.
As media continues to try to find a way to monetize online content, it’s no wonder that advertisers miss the traditional placement control of days gone by.
Patricia says
Great commentary. I, too, was just now looking for information about the crash. Just like you, I was frustrated that I’m looking for factual information and was annoyed by having to click my way out of a too-large add that had no well-displayed *close* button or had ads that just didn’t belong.
I am inundated when I watch TV now and can barely watch the show I tuned into for the streaming content at the bottom of the screen. It was bad enough when I had to take the time to fast forward through the commercials. Now, I can’t even watch Joel Osteen without the continuous reminders of where he’ll be next. We’re living in a commercial world, LITERALLY.
Excellent commentary. You have a new follower.
Belmassio says
Deranged? Everyone has their limits. He just went about it the wrong way sadly.
FairTax.org anyone? Isn’t it about damn time???
DR.DOMAIN says
Ouch.