# Web pop-unders... What's the point?



## TommyWillB (Nov 26, 2002)

I understand banner ads and pop-up ads... While I doubt anyone is getting rich with them I understand their $ value to advertisers.

What I don't understand are those stupid pop-under ads that hid themselves in a browser window behind your main window... Even more annoying is that they sit there and auto-refresh themselves, getting more "impressions".

I don't understand why any advertiser in thier right mind would allow their ads to be placed in pop-under windows... or even pay for that?





... I guess the next question is if any of those "pop-up killers" (like the one Earthlink advertises) actually work?


Sorry for the rant...


----------



## MacLuv (Nov 27, 2002)

> _Originally posted by TommyWillB _
> * I guess the next question is if any of those "pop-up killers" (like the one Earthlink advertises) actually work?*



Hey T... 

There is a hack for removing common DNS entries for popup windows. It works better than just having your browser kill the JavaScript function, becuase there are some sites that you want to allow pop up windows. I'll have to find it later, I'm off to bed right now. Will post tomorrow.


----------



## TommyWillB (Nov 27, 2002)

The question is not so much how to kill them, but if they actually have any value to anyone.

I know there are some other Web developers here... Have you ever coded one of these? Why?


----------



## Dris (Nov 30, 2002)

I agree, dude.  They have no point.  Advertising only exists these days not to advertise, but to take up your time.  It loses its effect.  I've even seen crap that uses some DHTML to float ads over the content of the page (not a window, so you can't get rid of it).  Sigh...
The other day I was wandering around as the commercials went on the TV.  I was waiting for the show to come back on.  I'd know it was back on when all the intruding, loud, blaring noise stopped.  Then, suddenly the TV was silent!  I ran in and read the text ad on the screen.  Then I thought, "Hmm...Now THERE'S an idea!  That silent ad caught my attention better than any of that other crap!"  We've developed immunities to the annoyances, and once advertisers realize this (hopefully), they will move to better things.
Check out the article on web text-ads on WebMonkey...That's a good one right there.  Ads that are *functional*??  No way!


----------



## MacLuv (Nov 30, 2002)

There's a quite a few books on marketing that are indirectly (or directly) related to the issues of mind share. You could probably find some info on the net, but I generally don't look for marketing references on the net as the most credible resources are books on the subject.

One that comes to mind that I keep around for reference is *Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind* by Al Ries and Jack Trout. It's not the most comprehensive book on the subject of mind share, but it's a nice digest of case-based reasoning. The first few paragraphs of the introduction:



> _"What we have here is a failure to communicate."
> 
> How often have you heard that bromide? "Failure to communicate" is the single, most common, most universal reason people give for their problems.
> 
> ...


----------



## mdnky (Nov 30, 2002)

> _Originally posted by TommyWillB _
> *I know there are some other Web developers here... Have you ever coded one of these? Why? *



I am very much against pop-ups, and will not code them unless I'm forced to.  I think the current thoughs on pop-unders is the are less intrusive to the surfer, and they may not notice them until they close the browser window of the main site.  Then the surfer may be more apt to visit the link the pop-under contains since they've already viewed the main site and found what they wanted.  

Marketing is all about getting your name (or logo, image, slogan, etc...) in front of someone as much as possible.  The idea is to make the consumer aware and believe that ABC Company is their provider of this service, product, etc.  The more they see on this company, the greater chance they'll investigate into it or remember it.


----------



## Dris (Nov 30, 2002)

My problem is that I don't just let the window sit there.  I close it, because it consumes memory, and my screen is often cluttered enough as is.  So it's just more annoying to move the top window just to get to the stupid ad under it.  And even if I do ever find an ad interesting, I don't click it.  I type the address in manually if it's a pop-up.  I don't want to let anything support them.


----------



## mdnky (Dec 1, 2002)

Dris,

I'm the same way.  That's why I refuse to code them if at all possible.  Unfortunately DHTML is providing ways to dynamically write "popups" on a screen that cannot be dismissed.  Ain't techno-olo-gy jus` a grand thang!


----------



## Dris (Dec 1, 2002)

Oh yes, the DHTML ads are the WORST.  As if sites that use them aren't cluttered enough!  And they make some float around the screen...Ugh...People are sick.


----------



## michaelsanford (Dec 4, 2002)

TommyWillB, I agree with you, ads suck: period.

Those ads pop under for two reasons: they can, as you said, referesh themselves to get impressions. 

Also you can forget they're there and only notice them once you're done browsing, and not busy doing whatever you originally were (since it'll be the last window you see, for more people). It's a clever way to thwart impatient people, but not savvy people who know most ads are trying to sell you junk anyway.


----------

