VisualSnare

A good interruption

Shocking news from BusinessWeek: "MySpace users have built up an ad immunity"

Who would of ever guessed that the mass amount of banner ads, spam, and painful interruptions would take a toll on your user base?

I once heard Vegas described as the American dream run a muck... sadly this is where I think MySpace has gone with it's advertising. Where it was once an incredibly cool way of connecting with old friends and establishing new online networks of friends, now it's riddled with random, non-related ads.

The report states that click-through rates are as low as 1 in 1,000 on their major banners. And, advertising companies are feeling the sting on their ROI. So much so, that many are pulling out.

And, going over to Pandora for what is a surprisingly successful way of advertising. It's relevant, engaging and get this... doesn't even try to sell anything. It's just a start to the conversation with Pandora's users by offering cool mixes that reflect the advertising brand.

Example A: VW with a cool radio feed for "the People"

It's part of a trend that is being called "Advertising 2.0" and has been talked about under different guises by Seth in his book "Permission Marketing". It is basically just advertising embracing social media's user data to approach a targeted group of customers in a fun way in a place they feel comfortable. Becoming harmonious with their experience instead of being interruptive. Because of this, customers feel at ease interacting with the ad's prompts.

Slowly but surely, brands are gaining back the trust of their customers through these 'good' interruptions. And, the customers are responding by giving these brands more permission to market to them. -Reed

Just draw monsters

It's working for Stefan Bucher.

Who would of thought quick, mostly black and white monster drawings would be so fun to watch be created? Better yet, who would of thought you could release a book on them? 100 of them to be exact (monsters that is).

First off, these drawings are just darn refreshing. But, really this is another story of building up a reputation by continually delivering something engaging and authentic to your customers. And then, as the traffic and demand starts growing, starting to offer new ways of experiencing their daily fix.

This is a great trend of writers of plugging their new books virally with brand-building videos. I saw it the other day for a new marketing book by Dan Pink. His "trailer" for the book Jonny Bunko, is really well done. It's original, funny, and simply makes me want to pick a copy up when it becomes available.

These videos give insight to book shoppers and allow them to emotionally connect to the books main theme before they even crack open the cover. It cuts through the clutter, and gives the customer insight into what they'd be buying. Much better than the standard paragraphs on the back of the book.

Your businesses can use social media to cut the clutter as well. But, you won't figure out how until you actually start drawing your daily monsters. -Reed

Crude interuptions

Did the owner of this banner actually think I was going to click on it? Would you?

They had one of their "talking smileys" start making these horrible noises, which got my attention, but not in a good way. I was so annoyed that I navigated away from the website that was hosting this ad.

Is it the site's fault or the banner creator? Both.

The banner creator obviously was not thinking about respecting my attention, but the site just took advantage of the permission I had given it to advertise to me. I understood the ads allowed me to use the site for free, so I was ok with them... until this one.

It amazes me what corners businesses will cut to make a quick buck, when they're actually hurting themselves, or their relationship with customers, in the future.

I know I'll be wary the next time I go back to this site, if I do at all. -Reed

Coming soon: giant digital mural?

A local Lexus dealership is making an interesting move in advertising... they're not doing it at all, or so they want you to think.

In early 2009, they will be installing a 48' by 28' giant LED mural* on the side of their property, viewable from the major interstate that runs right by it. No text will be used on the screen at any point, only colorful landscapes, nature scenes, art, and seascapes. The mural will only be on from 6:30am to 11pm, and will dim when it is darker out.

Sure feels like they're doing all the right things, huh? I feel like they're finding a way to reward my (and ever other driver's) attention during my commute. They're even considering the local living environment.

For some reason though, it just doesn't sit well with me. I'd love to know what some of our readers think about this. Was it a good move by this Lexus dealership? Would you enjoy seeing this LED screen on your way to work/home? -Reed

*Here is the original article.