This Wreck Is Awash In DesperationIs it our fault we've been trained to ignore advertising? When I look at my favorite blogs, I've been trained where to look for the content. I've been trained to know where the uninteresting advertising boxes lie. It's not my fault I don't look at your ads. It's human nature.
HOLY CRAP! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!
So when I'm casually chuckling to myself over the latest Lovely Listing and detergent bottles are suddenly blocking my view, it comes as an unwelcome surprise. This isn't just a Blog Wreck, it's a sad plea for help.
Advertising Intent And Consequence
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Advertising Works Best When It's Irritating" must be an advertising axiom. I cannot imagine what was going through the ad-men's minds when they came up with this disaster.They know we're not looking at their ads. We're looking at the content. Yet this particular ad only works if we're watching the advertising FIRST. Advertisers must tell each other that the public goes to web sites to check out the cool advertising.
"Hey, Ted. Have you gone to Lovely Listing today? They've got dancing bottles of smelly laundry detergent."
"Gosh, Frank, I can't wait to see that one. Lovely Listing always has the best intrusive ads!"
Here we have two bottles of smelly laundry goop. One is in the top ad. The second is in the right side-bar ad. Then the two bottles leap from their respective places and BLOCK THE VIEW OF THE BLOG CONTENT. You know, the content which advertisers didn't know you came here to see. Then the bottles retire to the right side-bar together.
That's what they wanted you to see. Let's see it from my perspective.
I go to Lovely Listing for my daily real estate chuckle. I'm thinking to myselve "Oh, today has a genuinely bizarre photo. Is that a giraffe? I think there's a window in there some...HOLY CRAP! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?"
There's a subtle difference between their intent and my experience. They want me to buy their product. I want to boycott it. They want me to notice that the two Flash ads were working together to create a unique pop-up experience. I'm pissed that they're killing the funny at Lovely Listing.
Just so you know this is not a "Sometime" experience, I had to do several refreshes to capture all three phases of the ad. I wanted the left side-bar to match up in each refresh. The bottles came dancing out every time. Irritating.
Do what I do: Buy Free Clear All. My clothes come out of the wash clean and don't smell of cheap laundry detergent perfume. It has no added scents to irritate your skin.
I received no compensation from the Sun Products Corporation, makers of "all Free Clear", in connection with this blog.
UPDATE:
Sara, at Lovely Listing, is always concerned when advertising from the LOLCats people intrudes on her carefully selected poorly selected real-estate photos. Within minutes of my post on her post that the ads were behaving poorly, the smelly laundry detergent bottles had relinquished their hold on the top and right advertising slots.
Then, a couple of hours later, they were back.
Poor OxiClean
The LOLCats advertisers favor that other product 2-to-1 over OxiClean. OxiClean was running its own animation, politely trying to get my attention while those damned bottles were hopping all over the blog content and stinking up the place with their noxious green cloud of goop.
They disappeared while I was writing this, but I know they'll be back.
Meanwhile, if you don't like my favorite, "all Free Clear", go to the OxiClean site. OxiClean's advertising behaves and you can get a coupon, too!
