• by Michael Kubin , December 6, 2000

By Michael Kubin, Co-CEO, Leading Web Advertisers

10. The Web is a stand-alone medium

Absolutely not. Web advertising works best when included as part of a comprehensive media plan which takes into account who the target audience is, and what their media habits are.

9. The Web is a branding medium

Well, sort of but not really. While there are studies that point to Web campaigns driving increases in brand awareness, today's most prevalent ad delivery technologies are limited in their ability to do much more than pique consumer interest and steer them towards other Web pages.

8. The Web is a direct response medium

Closer, but still not really. Major ad networks report that only about 10% of Web advertisers buy the medium on a direct response basis, and even that low percentage has been dropping.

7. It takes no more than 2 weeks to see if a Web campaign is working

No way. Testing media and testing creative executions will each take at least two weeks if done properly; maybe more. And a new Web advertiser won't know if he's in the right medium for at least three months.

6. Packaged goods have no business advertising on the Web

It's true that as a category packaged goods have kept a low profile on the Web, with excuses being 'distribution channels' and 'low margins.' But links to creative promotions have produced some successes, with more certain to come.

5. Rich media is the wave of the future on the Web

It's hard to believe that people will sit still in great numbers to watch what are essentially commercials on the Web. I mean, isn't this what we left TV for?

4. The number of Web advertisers is dropping

Nope. Actually there are almost twice as many brands advertising on the Web today as there were a year ago.

3. The amount of dollars being spent on the Web is dropping

Measuring ad dollars on the Web is always problematic, but according to the Myers Report it's only the rate of growth that's slowing, not absolute growth.

2. A low click-through percentage means the Web is an ineffective medium

If you believe click-through rates are now down around .3%, compare that to any other medium (except direct mail). It turns out that .3% is pretty darn respectable. The problem is comparing it to the good old days when we were seeing 5% click-through rates; but remember that was when the medium was in its infancy and people were clicking on anything.

1. Joe DiMaggio was a better all-around ballplayer than Willie Mays.

Absolutely not. (But this is just a cheesy way of saying we weren't able to come up with a 10th item having to do with Web advertising.)

- Michael Kubin is co-CEO of New York-based Leading Web Advertisers (LWA), a comprehensive Web advertisement monitoring service. Prior to co-founding LWA in 1998, Michael co-founded Media Incorporated in 1992, growing the media management company's billings to over $175-million in just four years. More recently, Michael was ma