Comments

A banner ad, to me, has all the subtlety and focus of a roadside hoarding. As much as the ad-men might say that x% of a site's users are likely to use whatever service is banner advertised, it smacks to me of mass media advertising on a "publish and hope" basis, with a touch of "at least it'll increase brand awareness."

I can count on the toes of my left hand the number of times I've clicked through on one.

Welcome back!

Posted by Mark JF at March 7, 2008 11:56 AM

I totally agree. The magic of search is exactly that magic moment when you type in exactly what you need and find pages of others with the answers. It is a consistent WOW moment.

I am afraid the banner ad moved quickly from novelty to unwanted interruption.

I do think the Google ads work so well because they too appear to answer your question with some of the same magic as basic search results and blend in with the rest. If a banner ad could appear with some of that same intuitive thinking (And magic) they could become part of that experience.

Posted by Howard Mann at March 7, 2008 12:05 PM

Banner ads? What are those? Seriously, who does click on those? If you're a real webbie, you're more focused on content than blaring, hopping, flashing paid blah-blah.

And as for google ads - while I know they work for some people - they're not appropriate for me. The last thing I want is to write a post warning people about some get-rich quick Web scheme flim-flammer...and have three flim-flammer ads pop up next to it.

We have gotten hideously, gloriously spoiled haven't we? I can type in, for example, "small halogen ceiling fixture" and get results. Now, if people selling those light fixtures (and bridge) had better web sites, we'd all be happier.

Ah, spring in New England. Heres hoping you don't have the black fly problem my parents always faced in the NH mountains.

Posted by Mary Schmidt at March 7, 2008 12:44 PM

P.S. I just went and read the original blog post - the point was how clueless the ad guy was because he thought "web marketing" can be boiled down to banner ads (which nobody clicks anyway.) No understanding about integrated tactics, the new grassroots/blogville communications etc.

So, yep, Mad man was/is clueless. He might even have to find a real job one of these days. (as I've ruminated on in my blog post, Marketing is Broken and I'm Thrilled.)

Posted by Mary Schmidt at March 7, 2008 12:51 PM

>the banner ad moved quickly from novelty to unwanted interruption.

Yes, it did - and overall remains, like many forms of advertising, in the relative doldrums in terms of click-through effectiveness.

But, and here's the open-yer-minds kicker, well-designed & targeted banner campaigns have always worked well and continue to do so. So that blithe dismissal of 'which nobody clicks anyway' is wholly inaccurate.

And, with the introduction by Google of banners into their serving pool, they ain't about to go away anytime soon and are likely to become more common - thereby adding to the 'problem'.

Like many things, the issue is the practice rather than the principle - most banners are poorly designed and positioned on inappropriate sites; the targeting is often, at best, sloppy-to-nil.

With any form of advertising, most of it doesn't - and likely won't - work. In this respect, banners don't differ. Good promo remains an elusive art.

So, if you're needing to advertise, do your diligence and act accordingly.
And, if you're not into 'em, just pass by - that's far saner than spouting out of your rear-end in 'great post, T - we totally agree' fandom.

Personally, I don't like MySpace - and consider it another example of an increasingly dumbed-down culture in which the brainless loudly roam the streets whilst the 'more educated folk' stay home and whine about it.

Neither do I like, for example, Vegas, boy bands and a bunch of other stuff which, in my enlightened snootiness, I'd instantly outlaw were I king-of-the world. But I'm not, and instead simply pass 'em by - which perhaps I should have done with the preceding comments.

;-)

Posted by g at March 8, 2008 2:25 AM

Lest my point get lost... 'just because you/I don't like 'em doesn't mean they don't work'.

Rather than chat, I come here to learn - hence my 'injection of fact'.

Posted by g at March 8, 2008 2:44 AM

Hi all,

Although I never use banner ads either and prefer the Google method as Tom suggets, I'd assume / hope that someone has done the math and that, statistically, the banner ad method must work at some level, otherwise people / marketing departments would be clinically insane to use them?

On the other hand I heard that 'a few banks' decided to loan money to people who had no ability to repay the loans and are now surprised that this has come to pass!?**£$

Strange things happen!

Peter Cook

Posted by Peter Cook at March 8, 2008 6:02 AM

"Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence... Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story...Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth...And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should..." -Attributed to Max Ehrmann 1927

Posted by Judith Ellis at March 8, 2008 9:41 AM

Banner ads are absolutely no different than the (probably) tons of paper I’ve thrown away over the years - without even a cursory glance - that drops through my mail box. I’ve never clicked on a banner ad and never will. I love the approach of a good friend who parcels all his junk mail every quarter and sends it to one of the companies with the package endorsed with the words ‘postage to be paid by recipient’ and a note inside that reads ‘now you know what it feels like’– I love that – God how I wish I were that creative! -Let's all do it! Good to see you back Tom.

Posted by Trevor Gay at March 8, 2008 7:55 PM

There are a zillion businesses built around banner ads of Google. the overwhelming issue is the Search Algorithm changes that Google effects from time to time. that has the potential to wipe out Small scale businesses. banner ads are not the real issue, the way they are served up are.

Posted by chandra kumar at March 9, 2008 1:13 AM

Like all junk mail - no one admits to being "persuaded" by them and yet someone must buy things through them........

Posted by PaulH at March 9, 2008 5:06 AM

Tom - echoing Trevor, great to see you back. The rest of the website is nearly uninteresting w/out your posts. Happy mud season!

Posted by Eric in truly 'Rut'land at March 9, 2008 9:58 AM

It appears that you did not actually read the blog post, as it had nothing to do with "banner ads" and was about the larger issue of broadening and changing advertising strategies to include online and interactive experiences to connect with customers.

The banner ad comment was used to highlight a particular ad execs lack of understanding about online and interactive opportunities to connect with customers as he only thought of online advertising as "banner ads."

Posted by Greg Hinzmann at March 9, 2008 3:14 PM

But Tom, if you had seen a banner which read "looking to build a japanese garden?" you would have certainly clicked - yes?
So the point is that irrelevant banner ads aren't clicked on, but relevant ones would be.
Delivering the right message at the right moment will be the future of the banner ad and intelligent banner delivery based on cookie based tracking of preferences and behaviour.

Posted by simon at March 9, 2008 5:26 PM

BannerAD's were the legacy of the old Yahoo Properties, circa 1990

SEO/ SEM & Human interaction research sez that not many eye balls land on the actual ad, let alone click on to drive users to the target site.

Whoever uses banner ads as part of the marketing strategy needs to be fired !

Posted by /pd at March 9, 2008 6:25 PM

Is it my imagination or am I sensing some negative feelings towards banner ads? The Google "sponsored links" at the top of some of their pages are my peeve, cuz when I'm in a frenzied rush I don't notice the subtle shading that sets them apart from the rest of the search results.

Hey, Howard, good to see your name. I love your new book. I gave it a review on Amazon.

Posted by John O'Leary at March 9, 2008 9:03 PM

To Simon's point (you'd have clicked through if the banner ad was about Japanese gardens): yes, but where's the strategy that says I'll put a banner ad on such and such a site because the type of user it attracts is likely to want to know about and/or buy stuff for a Japanese garden?

I think the issue here is that meta tags and search have become the real Web 2.0 advances, with links and reader reviews the supporting tools. Web advertising, especially banner ads, still seems to be about mass advertising and box shifting; search has allowed niche products and services to become easier to find.

Maybe the real advance Web 2.0 has championed is a behavioural shift: once upon a time, we were pretty passive and we were advertised to or at. We saw the ad, it triggered a want and we went out and purchased. Nowadays, we're a lot less passive and while we're still advertised at, we're much more likely to go out and search.

BTW, good as it is to see Tom back, I think Steve and the others did a good job. Stop whingeing folks!

Posted by Mark JF at March 10, 2008 3:48 AM

My point-question is: Should Google be as highly valued as it is? Given my personal experiences, and that of much younger "with it" friends I've talked to, I merely wonder about the apparent ubiquity of a banner ad medium that has made Google the most valuable company on earth??? I've no doubt that banner ads "work"? But are they as big a deal as the stock market evaluators claim? Remember these are the same evaluators, our financial tastemakers if you like, who until recently groveled at the throne of sub-prime mortgages!

Posted by tom peters at March 10, 2008 9:38 AM

>banner ad medium that has made Google the most valuable company on earth???

Not keen to do a 'yeah, but...', but... Google has its value not from banner serving, but from a variety of other (albeit largely ad revenue-related) activity.

Posted by g at March 10, 2008 9:41 AM

See John O'Leary's comment above. Here are links to a short bio of Howard Mann, and his newest book, at Amazon.com, where you can read John's review:

Bio: http://www.uxmag.com/authors/howard-mann

Book: Your Business Brickyard: Getting back to the basics to make your business more fun to run
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Business-Brickyard-Getting-business/dp/0980154308/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205167757&sr=1-2

Note: Two links aren't allowed by our spam filter, but I can approve my own comments!

Posted by cathy mosca at March 10, 2008 2:38 PM

'BTW, good as it is to see Tom back, I think Steve and the others did a good job. Stop whingeing folks!'

I agree Mark - Who is whingeing? .... I'm certainly not whingeing.

Steve, Erik, Cathy, Madelaine, Richard and all TP colleagues did (and do) a fabulous job both in Tom Peters US and in Tom Peters UK. As usual I’ve visited TP Blog every day (many times each day) during Tom's absence .... And I repeat ... it IS good to see Tom back – that is NOT an insult to Steve, Erik et al.

I made a comment weeks ago on this Blog that a good ship won’t sink while the Captain is below deck having a well deserved nap … I stand by that.

Posted by Trevor Gay at March 10, 2008 5:14 PM

Mark JF - As you rightly say so much (almost all) banner advertising is publish and hope. And there is no strategy in that other than to try and convince the client to do as much of it as possible so the media planner / buyer can get their media commission! However i think a banner ad (any ad) can still remain vital and effecive if it is placement is well thought thru and the message is fused to the medium. I accept that perhaps it may be much harder to target a japanese garden enthusiast! But if you have done your job well and have key insights into your consumer behaviour a well placed banner ad may actually get a click! It really relies on the right message at the right moment, and that means no laziness and bulk buying!

Posted by simon at March 10, 2008 5:36 PM

Banner ads are nothing more than old-style advertising in a new medium. And, they've already become old news in the Web World. Granted, I'm not the center of the universe - but I don't even see them anymore. I have to think most Webbies are the same.

But - as with any marketing tactic - you can't just throw something out there and hope it works. Key is Simon's point above, "It really relies on the right message at the right moment, and that means no laziness and bulk buying!"

As for they "must work because people keep doing them" - maybe not. People tend to do things the way they always have - even when they don't work. (See above re laziness.)

Posted by Mary Schmidt at March 11, 2008 10:36 AM

Yes, banner ads are simply distractions on a great website or blog. Granted some may do the trick but for the most part, the banner ad potential has passed its prime by far!

Posted by Search Engine Optimization at March 11, 2008 2:38 PM