An advertising frame of mind

… the traditional broadcast advertising model feels increasingly intrusive and annoying. Why should we be forced to sit and watch an ad for cars when we have absolutely no intention of buying a car? Advertising feels like the opposite of what a modern society should be about. Gerry McGovern

This has an obvious consequence for online advertising. If ads get in the way of research they’ll annoy your visitors. The role of the web manager is to build sites that let visitors find the information they need and do things as painlessly as possible.

But we also need to consider what advertising is. When we watch TV it’s obvious, but online it can take many different forms.

There are the blatant ads: pop overs and unders, images served up by an external ad server etc., but you also need to consider all the little things you like and think will impress but actually just get in your visitor’s way. Big splash images, fancy scrolling effects and making your website behave like an app are all examples of an intermediary, advertising frame of mind.