Hey, did you want to try Netflix? How about while you're already using Netflix?

Last night I was putting Netflix in my Netflix queue when.....a Netflix pop-up ad popped up.  I don't even think I need to explain all the subtle layers of funny we're dealing with here, folks.  I will say, though, that someone somewhere in an "online ad buying agency" is in big trouble, because this is a super big waste of advertising spend for the year.

On the other hand, I AM the target market for a Netflix free trial pop-up ad, so maybe it's not so wrong after all.

Just kidding.  It's totally wrong.  First of all, a site you're already using should NEVER pop-up an advertisement.  Are they kidding me?  I'm paying to use their product, which pretty much makes me off-limits to ads at that moment.  The only way I should see an ad in conjunction with Netflix is MAYBE if I get an affiliate-style email, offering me a deal on something ELSE I might use, like a deal on something on Amazon or Gilt.com (depending on how much demographic profiling they'd done for push-marketing purposes).  Secondly, I'm sorry, but aren't we done with pop-up ads yet?  They're annoying, historically they don't have a high conversion rate, and every once in awhile, just maybe, THEY'LL POP UP ADS FOR THEIR OWN PRODUCTS.

Pop up ad = fail.

This is the kind of thing you can learn in my UCLA class, where this week we are discussing user scenarios and target markets.  Fun!  Or, you could buy the book that talks about this.  Only if you wanted to.

Comments

[Delford]

"I'm paying to use their product, which pretty much makes me off-limits to ads at that moment."

Oh, if only that were true ... anywhere. We wouldn't have overlays on TV or commercials for Hulu on Hulu, etc ...

[ernesto]

Great post.

Could use more pop-up ads though. Maybe some of those pop-unders too.