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Kind of off-topic, but does Yahoo (or is it the publisher?) really think that interjecting ads in the middle of a narrative actually makes people want to click
by ChaitanyaSai 18y ago
Kind of off-topic, but does Yahoo (or is it the publisher?) really think that interjecting ads in the middle of a narrative actually makes people want to click on the link? Do they really not know the least about human psychology? Most people who get to that point in the article have an inertial interest in finishing, and also a bias towards skimming over any contextual discontinuity.
There are contrast effects that pull you towards them, and those that are obstacles people are happy to ignore. This is the second kind.
And, I should add, what works on television (ads in the middle) doesn't work in the same way for text. There is a natural ebb and flow of attention in a TV narrative,
- h34t 18y agoI would guess they pay more attention to what works and what doesn't than to psychological theory or conjecture. It's easy for anyone to monitor what kind of ads perform better than others, and since ads are much of Yahoo's bread and butter, you can be sure they are paying attention.
- ChaitanyaSai 18y agoI agree. So I should rephrase my question. Do these ads really perform better than footnote ads? I wouldn't be surprised if the higher clickthroughs are accidental (which, I am sure they measure for).