Archive for August 23rd, 2007
Jakob Nielsen’s latest column confirms what we pretty much know already: users are ignoring banner ads. Don’t see ‘em. Look the other way. Avert their eyes.
Eyetrack results make it plain as day - folks are looking for content, not ads. Very few eye fixations land on ads - instead people focus on the meat of the page. There are ways around this. Ads that are designed to be an integral part of the page, with a matching tone and style can succeed in getting attention. Nielsen notes that those remnant campaigns and ad networks aren’t always the best way to buy an ad:
Ultimately, the fact that online ads get viewed more when they match surrounding content is a strike against the tendency to build advertising networks. If advertising spots are simply auctioned off, then you can’t design an optimized ad for each placement.
When you advertise through an advertising network, your ads will get fewer fixations than if you contract directly with the publisher for a specific placement and design your creative to fit that spot. As a result, you should bid less for network ads than for customized ads that you place yourself.
August 23rd, 2007
The latest upgrade of Google Earth lets us turn the telescope on the skies above and look into the stars from any position on earth. It’s guaranteed to draw you in. And I’ll have you know that I have a pretty sweet view of the Crab Nebula. Front row seats in fact, just 6,300 light years away from center stage (and slightly to the left on the aisle). You find your usual spot on Earth and then click on the new feature that turns your eyes to the skies. The virtual planetarium begins. That’s where I found ol’ Crabby.
August 23rd, 2007
TVBarn’s Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star received a screener copy of the soundtrack to Ken Burns’ upcoming “The War” documentary. The sleeve and CD were personalized for each critic, and included this warning: “This promotional CD is Watermarked and therefore is unique and traceable. The Copyright Owner is able to monitor its use and identify the source of any unauthorized copies. The Copyright Owner will take appropriate action in respect of any misuse of promotional CD releases.” Scary. The problem? The envelop stuffer got a little off their list - and sent Aaron Barnhart the CD meant for the Wall Street Journal’s Brooks Barnes. Aaron’s response? “You’ll be seeing that copy on eBay later today. Hey, it ain’t my scalp!”
August 23rd, 2007
(This article originally appeared in the August 23 edition of the AR&D Media 2.0 Intel newsletter.) One of the reasons local news websites are so cluttered is because of the “above the fold” mentality. It says all the important information needs to be right there, on your screen, as you visit the page. It’s assumed that anything “below the fold,” or where you need to scroll down to see it, is second-class real estate. Count another superstition dead.
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It’s that time of year when Nielsen releases the top DMAs in the U.S. ranked by total households. This year, Dallas jumps to #5 over San Francisco. Atlanta jumps over D.C. to #8. And Phoenix bumps up to #12 over Tampa. Full list below…
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I was deleting comment spam on one of our KING5.com blogs when I came across this:
“Please, do not delete the given message. Money obtained from spam will go to help the hungry children in Uganda.”
August 23rd, 2007
FIRST ON LOST REMOTE: A few Lost Remoters have tipped us with the news that Fox will not air the remainder of the Anchorwoman episodes — the decision coming down less than a day after it premiered with dismal ratings. We’re still waiting for official word, but here’s the Fox memo as sent to us below (thanks for the tip, all!).
UPDATE: Fox confirms it.
You did whaaaaat?
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All the ‘Anchorwoman’ comments and reactions have got my creative energy is flowing. No, I haven’t even watched the program, which I expect to be another shallow trainwreck that will leave me angry for stealing 30 minutes of my precious life that could have been better spent giving a cat a manicure. But I am reminded of some past discussions about how a news-meets-reality-show mashup may actually have some potential to actually inform audiences as it entertains them, and not simply cash in and cheaply appall them. So, just as Kramer stumbles over to stalk Fred Willard at the coffee shop, dear Lost Remoters, allow me to present my ‘treatment’ for a new nightly news program: a reality show shot on location at a major newspaper that follows the cycle to deadline. Working title: A1. Read along and tell me if it is a winner or not…
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The LR Faithful know I’m a sports nut. Specifically, I’m a Red Sox and Patriots nut. My only paid subscriptions go to ESPN Insider and MLB.TV (gotta keep an eye on the Yankees). It was through ESPN that I discovered UniWatch, a blog about sports uniforms. That, my friends, is a niche. How many people are obsessed with sports uniform trivia? Quite a few as it turns out. Paul Lukas recognized this. He has been writing about sports uniforms since 1999, and started UniWatch last year. It is “The Obsessive Study of Athletics Aesthetics,” as its tagline puts it. And for those of us with a curious interest in this sub-sub-culture, it’s a goldmine. I like it so much that I voluntarily supported it with a $60 membership. Hell - I don’t even give that to public radio.
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