• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, November 5, 2002

Which comes first… the technology or the concepts?

These days there are a dozen or more companies that profess to have an “exclusive” technology that allows for some sort of advertising to break through the self-imposed clutter on a website and reach the consumer, but the problem with these companies is that they exist for the wrong reasons, and their business models are all finite.

The simple fact of the matter is that when online advertising finds a morsel of effectiveness, we overcook it. If one element of our business seems to work, we suck it dry until it is no longer effective.

These technologies exist because they profess to grab the attention of the consumer, but the only reason for their existence is the user has been trained not to pay attention to the previously effective forms of online advertising. In time, users will be trained not to pay attention to these newer technologies either. The business models for these companies are finite because of this model for planned obsolescence… none of these formats are the end-result for advertising online.

Users have been trained not to react to banners and buttons because websites layered 4, 5, 6, and even more of them on a single page.

Users have stopped paying attention to email because of spam.

Users have stopped paying attention to pop-ups because some sites deliver as many as 4 of them per page, and spyware drops them on the desktop whenever they feel like it.

It is becoming apparent that users will stop responding to paid listings on search engines as well once they figure out that these are all paid listings.

When are we going to get it right? We need to stop developing technology for the sake of technology and inject some strategic thought into the development of websites and the technology that they are built with.

Users have definitely decreased their attention spans across the board and people have stopped paying as much attention to other forms of advertising, but just imagine if TV had inundated its viewers by having 6 commercial breaks in their ½ hour programs? That is the equivalent of what the online space has done.

Once again, the broken record that I am, the answer is simple. Sites need to severely reduce the inventory available on their sites. No more than 2 ads on a page, and if you utilize pop-ups or flash-takeovers or interstitials ads, no more than 1-2x per unique visit. If publishers would finally take this advice then we will see the following:

Decreased inventory.

Lower supply, coupled with potentially higher performance.

Potentially higher demand for stronger inventory.

Potentially increased rates on said inventory.

Imagine that… the laws of supply and demand would be incorporated into the online space and the best inventory would be able to be sold for higher rates. There are a few publishers that do this now, and they are to be applauded. Some of the publishers have started to understand this and are making strides toward this end goal. It is time for the various industry organizations and conference groups to help push this simple concept to their members and their partner organizations.

Believe me folks… less is more, even in the online space.