How man times have you clicked on a story like “which celebrities have let themselves go” only to find that you need to click on 10 or more pages to read the content? Then there are publishers that won’t let you read their pages because you dared to install an ad blocker! It shows me that publishers and content providers just don’t get that the Internet is about users, not them.The cost of Internet access, whether broadband or mobile, continues to be very expensive here in the US. With net neutrality now in danger of being overturned we could soon see big websites pay to serve us faster access to ads.
If I see a page that tells me to turn off my ad blocker I leave it because blocking ads is MY choice. I pay a steep price for my Internet access and I don’t want to be disturbed by ads that have nothing to do with me or my needs. Smart publishers accept this, dumb one rely on an outdated model that pisses users off.
I’m not a big fan of content marketing. I believe that most people just don’t have the time to read all the content that’s out there and that too many publishers are not in touch with their audiences to understand what they want to read. Even the media are having problems after the debacle of all but saying Clinton would win the election.
The Internet is about users and the power of a click. With just one button or hand movement I can turn off your intrusive message. Advertisers will spend millions to test TV ads but when it comes to testing content and online ads budgets usually dry up.
Brand websites continue to draw audiences, but how many bands actually test their websites via usability studies. Too many marketers want a brand website that is eye candy, but when metrics disappoint they want to know “where we went wrong?”.
One day marketers will learn the Web is about users and users don’t want to be disturbed.
