Advert Design

[Cirtur]

Should adverts on the internet look like part of the website? If all the ads on SMBC were drawn by Zach, would you be more likely to click them?
I think this is the main part of the question. Obviously the person who doesn't click on the ad feels better because now the site doesn't look disturbed by the advertisement, but the ad-buyers are people that care about click-throughs.

Should the ad look like it is supposed to be there?

[smiley_cow]

I'm good with ads looking however they want so long as they A. Aren't obscene B. Aren't telling me to lose weight C. Do not make noise and D. are not animated and don't pop out.

[Cirtur]

LOSE WEIGHT

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MUSLIM DATING

[LordRetard]

It's actually fairly simple; if the ads resembled the comic, then it would be dishonest on the part of the advertisers (who don't care) and the writer (who doesn't want to lose readers). Furthermore even though people complain about obtrusive ads, they wouldn't even notice otherwise, so that's important too. Though there's definitely a lot of stigma against noisy/pop-out ads now.

[AHMETxRock]

Animated gay muslim dating!

[Edminster]

If the artist behind the comic fully supported the advertiser in question I don't see what's wrong. Kind of like how Spinn has those rotating adverts for a few indie comics on his website.

But if the adverts are just there to make money and the website owner has no affiliation, then yeah I can agree that it's bad form.

[starling_bird]

ads pretending to be content is not a new thing. Radio ads that sound like 2 presenters talking, TV ads looking like an interview, Newspaper ads with boring black and white print. I'm very scornful of ads in the first place, but I don't think this is any worse than most of the other crap they pull. Whatever the case, you need to know it's an ad. Even if it's just THIS IS AN AD written at the top.
Distracting (animated) interent ads annoy the hell out of me. Probably because with adblock turned on I almost never see them so haven't been desensitised.

[Lethal Interjection]

ads pretending to be content is not a new thing. Radio ads that sound like 2 presenters talking, TV ads looking like an interview, Newspaper ads with boring black and white print. I'm very scornful of ads in the first place, but I don't think this is any worse than most of the other crap they pull. Whatever the case, you need to know it's an ad. Even if it's just THIS IS AN AD written at the top.
Distracting (animated) interent ads annoy the hell out of me. Probably because with adblock turned on I almost never see them so haven't been desensitised.

The two presenter ads are annoying. Even worse is when the ad actually has one of the DJs doing the voicing for it. Those irk me.
Newspaper ads only bother me when they actually lay out the ad like a story. I've seen full pages of advertising, with one little b&w columned article in the top corner, which makes you think you should read it, only to have you realize that it is an ad.

Advertising is a bit moot for me anyways. There is so little I can think of that I've purchased due to advertising. The only clear example I can think of is my Historical Preenactment hoodie. Plenty of things I have heard/seen ads for, and then got good word of mouth, and then decided to buy it, but not on adverts alone.*

*Note: With movies it is different. If I like the trailer enough, I'll catch the movie. Sometimes I feel like I got suckered by the trailer, but not often. With TV, most draws to shows are from ones I'm already watching/interested in, and the ad reminds me it is going to be a good episode. Occasionally it might peak my interest in a show yet unseen, but I can't think of any shows where that has actually happened (to the point where I've yet made a point of tuning in).

[Cirtur]

But the adverts aren't competing against your will power not to buy, they're competing against their competitors. If you are the kind of person who buys that kind of product they are trying to get you not to buy their competitors stuff.

[LordRetard]

Newspaper ads only bother me when they actually lay out the ad like a story. I've seen full pages of advertising, with one little b&w columned article in the top corner, which makes you think you should read it, only to have you realize that it is an ad.

I don't know why but I somehow always end up mistaking them for newspapers and start reading them. I don't know why 'cause I don't even read the paper.