Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 12:10:36 -0500
Reply-to: "Eric Meyer"
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At 17:17 on 17 Aug 98, Eric Magill wrote in part:
> In our tests, those text links have at least tripled the traffic
> of a banner in all instances. In one test for a specific client, a
> text link below the first screen continues to outperform a banner
> ad at the top of the same page by 5-1.
We published very similar results two or two and a half years ago
from a completely separate study.
The key remaining question is why. There are at least two
possible, contradictory explanations, each of which would lead into
a completely different solution:
1. Text is viewed as editorial, and thus less likely to be a shill.
2. Graphics are turned off frequently and, because of download
delays, do not show up on the screen until after readers already
have passed through the technical phase of readership in which
headlines and graphics have a lure and gone on to the phase in
which the reader's field of vision narrows to focus on body type.
There is very little evidence to support the first view. In other
studies, messages tended to be evaluated on their own, independent of
whether they seemed to be ads or editorial.
On the other hand, there is considerable support for the second
possibility, including substantial evidence of users turning graphics
off and of users clicking on text links before graphics files
completely download.
The solution, therefore, would appear to be use of graphic-less HTML
ads. Any who have recently visited the AJR NewsLink site may have
seen a banner-like ad at the bottom of pages touting our new
improved JobLink service. (Go to www.newslink.org and hit reload
three or four times and it should show up.) This standard-size
black-background banner ad with white, red and yellow text and eight
different links is entirely GIF-free and frames-free. It is more
interactive than a standard GIF banner, save for one that is
image-mapped. The logo in it can be neither spinning nor flaming. But
it does seem to get incredibly good response rates.
ERIC K. MEYER - meyer@newslink.org
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From lucinda@mail.bookwire.com Wed Aug 19 13:15:43 1998
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Subject: Re: From Janet Kyle From: "Eric Meyer" Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 12:10:36 -0500
How the Web Was Won
Subject: Re: From Janet Kyle
From: "Eric Meyer"
Date: Wed, 19 Aug 1998 12:10:36 -0500