Ads Gone Bad .. and Why!

 

Ad 2: A Big Bod

 

 

Next up on our list of bad ads. This was found on one of those news sites (I found this on MSNBC),

 

Here’s the ad:

 

 

So what’s wrong with it?

 

Follow the numbers:

 

Point 1: Blue Font – Black Background. A rather lousy contrast. Plus, in the human eye, blue receptors are the fewest - so anything in that color will be harder to recognize and retain.

 

Point 2: Reverse Type – Anyone who knows advertising knows this: Reverse type is a big NO NO! Study after study has CONCLUSIVELY proven reverse type doesn’t perform as well as normal black font / white background.

 

Point 3: Red Hyperlink – Again, using red against black just doesn’t work! Both colors overwhelm each other. Then underneath that is gray text for the URL. You gotta squint real hard to make that one out!

 

Point 4: Black background – just read the 1^st 3 points!

 

People, just because the ad might look upscale and artsy, doesn’t mean it’s gonna work!

 

If you can’t quickly and easily read the darn thing, why have it?

 

But I guess some whiz-kid online ad agency thought it would be “awesome” so why not?

 

Hey – they’re not the ones paying the price of lost sales.

 

Their client is!