As it turns out, according to Donald Gunn, the creative director at Leo Burnett advertising agency, there are 12 types of ads.

1. Demo. Example: Apple iPhone commercials
2. Show Need or Problem. Example: Those annoying Cingular ads where the voice drops out making what would have been a normal conversation terribly awkward.
3. Symbol, Analogy, Exaggeration. The product solves a problem. Example: Theraflu ogre ad.
4. Comparison. Example: Charles Schwab posterized ads.
5. Exemplary Story. Example: The VW commercials where the people in the car are just chatting it up and, then out of nowhere, boom! Crash.
6. Benefit Causes Story. Example: the Lynx ad. Probably the funnies ad of the lot, both for men and women – it's so far fetched. It's amazing what one can get away with in the name of comedy. Watch this one if nothing else.
7. Tell it. Example: UPS ad with man who needs a haircut drawing on a whiteboard.
8. On Going Characters and Celebrities. Example: Subway, Mercury, Geico, Energizer Bunny, etc.
9. Symbol, Analogy, Exaggeration. This time, instead of showing how the product solves a problem, the technique demonstrates a benefit of the product. Example: Starbucks, Metamucil, etc.
10. Associated User Imagery. This is all about connecting the product to the type of person the advertiser thinks would be using the product. Hoping for identification. Example: Nike.
11. Unique Personality Property. Example: Dyson Vacuums.
12. Parody of Borrowed Format. I love this format. Basically, make fun of something popular and then stick your logo at the end. Brilliant. Example: Reality TV – Geico.

That was fun, I am sure many of you enjoyed it as much as the next person. I can think of a couple of other types that were missed. Such as the ones that leave you hanging and puzzled with out a concrete message or a call to action. What are those called?

Anyway, what's the overlap between these formats and online advertising?

While we all know that there are many forms of online advertising, such as pay-per-lead, email, search engine keywords, adwords, etc – this next part only includes banner advertising.

Banner Advertising Classification:

1. Irritate the Hell Out of People by Making the Screen Shake. You’ve seen it. Mortgage companies love this tactic. Think right-hand column empire ads in Hotmail.
2. Whack-a-mole. Enough said. The point is to get people to click, right?
3. TV ad on the web. Very popular on sites like Yahoo! and Collegehumor.com. Literally, the ad space looks like a mini made-for-television ad.
4. Background Branding. Where the entire background of the website is leased out to an advertiser. If you want to check this out, go to Pandora.com and keep refreshing the screen until you see it.
5. Traditional. Simple typography, imagery, message, and call to action. An all time classic.
6. "Whoa, did you see that?" rich media. Very amazing, high impact ads that stay contained in their space until the user mousse over them – at which point, the ad "unfolds" on the page overtop the page's content, and a rich media experience is delivered. They are expensive to produce and expensive to run. But effective as hell.
7. Chameleon. The ads that look like content on the site. Trickery!
8. Buttons. These I don’t understand. The space is sold, and people click on them, otherwise they wouldn’t exist, right? Come on!

Ok, that’s all I have time for. I know I am missing some obvious ones, so please help me complete this list.

Labels: advertising, Apple, banner ads, iPhone, Online Advertising, Pandora, search engine optimization

The most compelling attribute about the iPhone is the touch screen and gestures that control it. Why? Because interfacing with this device is different, and some argue, more natural than other devises.

User experience and usability will continue to only see marginal improvements until onscreen interfaces can receive a different and more engaging form of input, as demonstrated by the iPhone.

As it turns out, the touch screen taping, dragging and gesturing are not all that unique or new. It’s known as “Surface Computing” which uses multi-touch and multi-users input and has been around since the 80’s.

This technology and interface is good for photos, videos, maps, etc… basically, anything that requires a simple command in order to do something, such as “play” or “pause”. More complex applications are sure to follow, especially in the military.

Microsoft has been working on something similar since 2001. However, their approach is more encompassing and integrated – it is its own software/hardware platform.

Microsoft Surface is a “me too” technology – for the most part, until you take into consideration the multi-device interface. Imagine putting your digital camera on the Microsoft Surface tabletop, and immediately seeing your pictures display on the screen. And then imagine dragging some pictures to your mobile phone – which you had also placed on the Microsoft Surface tabletop. No wires. Phones and cameras are just two of the devises that the Microsoft Surface tabletop will recognize… it will also recognize credit cards, music players, PDAs, etc.

I am really excited about all this because it allows for people to work together and simultaneously on the same computer, use fingers and gestures and all is done around a table – which has many positive socio-psychological attributes.

As with anything, it’s worth keeping an eye on any potential “gothas,” especially for the really young, really old, and those with low hand-eye coordination. Also, the gestures might be hard to learn – and maybe even frustrating.

Regardless, Microsoft Surface releases this winter. I want one.

Labels: Apple, iPhone, Microsoft, usability, user experience

In acknowledgment of the iPhone's release to the frenzied public, and since I am waiting until I can afford one the bugs get worked out, I decided to fire up my good old Newton before hooking up with Mario Armstrong for lunch the other day. I got some fresh AAA batteries and a new 2032 coin cell battery and resurrected the thing.

When we met up, I could tell he had that iPhone owner glow about him with his white earbuds cascading from his ears with pride. I said "Alright, let me see the thing." Then I reached into my backpack and unsheathed my relic of retro technology, and exclaimed "I can't get any calls on this thing at all!"

The funny thing is that I don't know which one of us was more impressed. As I toyed around with Google Maps, pinched photos, flipped through album art, and practiced the new art of typing on glass, Mario ooohhhed and ahhhhed over my Newton's grayscale display, rainbow logo, silly adding machine sound effects, and complete and total lack of connectivity ability to "beam" to another device.

While his little 8 gigabyte chunk of technolust was dwarfed by my circa 1992 8 megabyte behemoth, I couldn't help but wonder what the iPhone will look like 15 years from now, even if it is 5 years ahead of the rest of the phone industry.

Next up, I think I'm going to go searching for accessories for my first generation iPod at the Apple Store. Should be fun.

Labels: Apple, iPhone, Newton

I got a call last night from my buddy Mario Armstrong advising me that he was first in line and camping out for his iPhone at the AT&T/Cingular store in White Marsh, Maryland. I asked him... why not the Apple Store in Towson? Turns out, you can't "camp" in the mall. They're closing the store at 2:30 and reopening at 6:00pm sharp, so there was no way for him to guarantee pole position, and there's definitely going to be some element of crowd control needed there.

I was headed to the Apple Store anyway with a tech question, so I thought I'd check out the scene. There clearly was a buzz in the air. I could feel it. It was like all the people working there were bracing themselves, and the customers seemed like it was Christmas Eve.

So I got my question answered, talked to the manager for a couple minutes and got permission to shoot a couple photos outside the store. Once I got my camera out, another employee came out and started asking me if i was with "the press." Of course my answer was a definitive "yes" and I told him it was all cool with the manager, so I was in the clear.

When I got home, my wife informed me that Mario had been on the local news all day long. Story in the Baltimore Sun, WMAR, etc. I'm looking forward to hearing from him "first hand" how it really shapes up, and if it compares to all the hype that's surrounded its introduction. I'm just glad I'm not waiting in line in the rain right now.

(Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam)
Jun 26, 2007

Labels: Apple, iPhone

It's been a long long time since I have seen this much hype surrounding an unknown announcement and this much expectation placed on rumor and speculation. With such a legacy of innovation to live up to, I personally was moved by yesterday's introductions of AppleTV and the iPhone. Keep in mind that this "legacy" is not to just a consumer group, but a cult-like following that has a personal connection to the tools they use, to the point of putting Apple stickers on the backs of their cars as if they (we) are highschool kids projecting and defining personality through association with a band, a surf/skate/snow brand, or a sports team.

I haven't even watched the keynote address yet, but I will. I read a play by play though and found that I too, was sitting on the edge of my seat.

In prepping to write this, I considered including a quote regarding "expectations".

I found the following...

Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

I read it and thought "That'll work." Then I looked at the attribution. Steve Jobs. I don't know if it was just ironic or a sign.

With so much buzz and technews coverage, the excitement heard in consumer response is widespread. However, there were more than a few responses that left me scratching my head...

"I have to say, I'm kind of disappointed with the iPhone. While it does seem crammed with features and is certainly visually attractive, I don't think that the smart phone aspect of it will take off."

He's probably right. Remind me to not include that guy on my team.

And...

"Aside from the somewhat excessive cost (though Jobs does have a point in that we seem to gladly pay as much for two to three separate devices), it does seem like the iPhone is everything hoped for, featurewise."

Excessive cost? I guess this guy doesn't remember the $800 Newton that although first of its kind, was widely panned for just not working. Or dropping $2500 on a Centris with a 500mb hard drive and "speech recognition."

Someone has to have vision. Someone has to be first. Someone has to have the nerve to innovate. There will also always be someone to doubt, find fault, or criticize and then take pleasure in failure. I'd bet too that if those same people read Steve's quote, they just really couldn't relate.

p.s. Just to be fair, upon additional reading and review during the day after, the New York Time's David Pogue did ask relevant and insightful questions while still giving it up to "the class, the looks and the effortlessness of [the] iPod"

"Note, too, that the software is still unfinished, and many questions are still unanswered. Will you be able to turn your own songs into ring tones? Will there be a voice recorder? Will the camera record video? Can you use Skype to make free Internet calls? Will the battery really last for five hours of talking, video and Web browsing (or 16 hours of audio playback)? Will you someday be able to buy songs and videos from the iTunes Store right on the phone?"

Labels: Apple, David Pogue, iPhone, New York Times, Steve Jobs