When did ads get so annoying?
A marketing company talking about how annoying ads are – are you seeing this right? It's true, ads are the worst. So much so that I paid for YouTube premium because I got sick and tired of the interruptions while trying to watch the SloMo guys blow something up or see how Mark Rober uses science to beat arcade games.
This brings up a really good question though: why do we resent ads? Perhaps you can relate; you're on YouTube watching a video and that ad comes up right as you were getting into the video. Or you're scrolling Instagram and it seems like every other post is an ad. You see that one post that looks kinda cool ... oh wait, it's also an ad.
You would think seeing an ad would be a positive experience. Company, X, Y, or Z, is selling me something I need and I should be happy to see the products that could be making my life better. This, however, is not the case. Ads come across as intrusive and annoying and seem to be a huge inconvenience. So is there a better way to advertise? If so, what is it?
Answering that question is our goal as an independent marketing company. Can we reach audiences effectively and make advertising an enjoyable experience for those engaging with our content? Absolutely. But to do that, we have to rethink our content and campaigns. It's NOT just sharing content for the sake of sharing content and it's certainly NOT launching intrusive campaigns that inundate viewers with our products and sales pitches. Simply put, our ads must intersect audiences on their path of relevance versus interrupt them on their path of interest. What does that look like though? A few good examples of both are actually from the same company. When you use Google and it predicts what you may be searching for, it's a service built around the concept of intersecting you on your path of relevance. The better it can predict what you're looking for, the more likely you are to keep using that service.
"Our ads must intersect audiences on their path of relevance versus interrupt them on their path of interest."
Adversely, you're watching a video on how to change the blinker fluid on your car, and an ad for tree trimming services plays. That has nothing to do with what you're trying to learn and if anything it's more annoying than helpful. Companies may be hurting their reputation by advertising like this because your audience's only interaction has been an interruption and a nuisance.
We believe ads and content should be an experience and something viewers look forward to. Think about the Super Bowl ads. Why are they such a big deal? A lot of time and research went into making that content enjoyable, entertaining, or helpful. People look forward to them because it's a positive viewing experience. So why do companies only save their best for the Super Bowl? Why don't marketing companies strive to create engaging content all the time? It likely happens for multiple reasons, but most companies are on a content calendar trying to schedule something, so less time goes into planning in favor of just posting for the sake of posting. Volume over quality is not a great methodology for creating and releasing content and we think that's why so many companies feel like their marketing is a waste of money and resources – and they're right.
Independent companies and internal marketing departments have a golden opportunity to "rebrand" themselves and bring back original creativity. The market is oversaturated with bad content that lacks creativity - it's just a bunch of reposted media and stock footage. Creativity is the gateway to better engagement, strengthening your brand image, and simply enriching the lives of your audiences.
We exist for the audience. Not the other way around.
Author:
Samuel Malkasian
Marketing Director