Is Apple About To Get Really Irritating, Pop Up Style?
I read a really disturbing article in the New York Times over the weekend that says that Apple is seeking a patent on some really awful software.
Here's the basics on the software. Apple has figured out a way for pop ups to basically freeze any machine your are watching or listening to unless you interact with a pop up ad. Now, some sites already have pop ups that you have to click the x in the corner of the ad to get rid of but these would force the person to answer a question or interact with the ad in some way so that the marketers can tell the client that people have "noticed" their ad.
Seems that there are actually some people that think that the reason people don't interact with ads is because they don't notice them. Hmmmm, back me up here but my thought is that people don't interact with ads because they are probably irrelevant to them, boring, poorly designed, or have the wrong messaging.
How about instead of making pop up ads that we can't get rid of and "have to interact with", people just make better and more relevant online messaging?
Additionally, I think this software will have some pretty negative feedback. for example, if I had to answer a question about dish soap on a favorite site before I could move to the next page I would probably be annoyed to the point that I would NOT buy that dish soap.
Any thoughts on this?
posted by Caitlin at
16.11.09
6 Comments:
It makes sense that often times the best way to keep people from buying your brand is to really tick them off. Now, the little commercials with interacting features when you watch a show online, kind of neat. It makes the 30 seconds go by faster. But for every site? About (probably) irrelevant offerings? Not going to help. And it will probably hurt the other site you're attempting to visit just as much as the product being advertised...
Thanks for the info!
This sounds terrible! Perfect example of a brand going on a power trip. The worst part is that I really like Apple a lot.
Then again, who in their right mind is going to allow this type of advertising on their website?
I totally agree that it can be a good way to piss off your customers - didn't websites learn this lesson back in the early internet days, where visiting a website involved hacking through a advertising jungle overgrown with unwanted pop-ups?
On the other hand I agree with Emily about videos. I think the tradeoff is that as a consumer you know that you are accessing content that has value, so in payment for that value you agree to watch mandatory ads. If these mandatory 30 second ads pop up when I'm trying to get on ESPN.com or somewhere else where I'm just trying to get some information, that's a different (and unacceptable) story.
Emily and Royce - I agree with the video point as well, Hulu has been doing this super effectively for some time. I've actually kind of made it a game where I see which companies know how to entertain people for 30 seconds and which don't.
Ryan - I sincerely hope this isn't an Apple power trip too but I cannot even fathom who would want this type of pop up.
All of you - I should add that they claim this technology will work for computers and other electronics like TV's and audio gadgets... ugh. horrible.
This actually is already happening on some free iPhone apps. It is really annoying.
not only would i NOT buy that dishsoap, i'd be less inclined to visit that website.
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