• by Tom Hespos , October 4, 2004

If you use the Web the way millions of consumers do, you've done it more times than you can count. You probably check a real-time stock quote on a financial site, the correct spelling of a word on a dictionary site, or a weather site for the current temperature and you're in and out of the site - often before an ad has the chance to make an adequate impression on you. Sometimes you're on your way to your next task before an ad fully renders on a page.

With knowledge of "in and out," mission-critical behavior on the part of Web users, doesn't it make sense to take this into consideration when putting together an online communications plan?

This concept has played a significant role in communications planning for our clients. The media and creative considerations for "utility media" like the situations I've mentioned above are significantly different from that of Web pages where consumers are likely to spend significant time.

First, there's the mindset consideration. Consider that consumers are actively seeking out information when they use utility media like reference sites. They're seeking out specific information they need to complete a task, and ads they see are less likely to create actionable impact.

Think about it this way: Your outdoor ad outside the train station is likely to make more of an impact on those folks who are ambling down the sidewalk than on those who are running to catch a train.

Then there's the creative consideration. If you're advertising on a site where people tend to rapidly get in and get out, your ad has to move quickly to get to the point. Animations that take 10 seconds to unfold simply aren't going to work here.

By the time you get to the frame containing the offer or other important message, prospects have already moved on and you've missed your window. A static '10 percent off if you click now' is likely going to perform better than an animation showcasing brand imagery that contains the 10 percent off offer as its final frame.

We cannot assume that simply because an ad is rendered in a browser that it has done its job. Whether your goal is awareness, response, brand association or what have you, ads need to be tailored for the mindset and mission of the prospects on the sites where you're placing your media.

I don't want to suggest that utility sites are not a viable advertising option. They certainly are. The key is to avoid cookie-cutter ads in places where they're not likely to have the desired effect. Instead, look to avoid the mission-critical mindset where prospects are concentrating on the completion of a task (unless your product helps them achieve that goal).

Tailor your creative and your media buy appropriately. For example, for a financial service that targets people who actively trade online, you might avoid the quotes section where prospects are entering ticker symbols in a rapid-fire fashion. Instead, you might use a behavioral targeting mechanism to identify those folks and serve them an ad later, when they're idle.