Technology Consulting | Mobile, Digital Strategies

Great job CNN.com.

You’ve finally convinced me that you’re not worth a visit anymore.  Not only is your “editorial” content shallow but your abuseof visitors is beyond tolerable.  

You might be surprised to learn that digital / interactive marketing has evolved in the past 14 years.  You simply don’t get it.  You’re trying to apply old school marketing tactics of “interruption marketing” to your media asset that, I hope, is devaluing with each passing day.

Your lack of taste or professionalism is on the rise.  We not only need to worry about shallow reporting but also your shallow tactics in digital marketing.  Do you know Seth Godin?  Have you heard his claim, “The Era of Interruption Marketing” is over?  He spoke about it in his blog back in December 2008.

Here’s what he said:

Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.

It recognizes the new power of the best consumers to ignore marketing. It realizes that treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention.

Just in case you’re not sure.  Here’s a short video clip of him stating the hard facts.  Thanks for the footage Mr. Lavigne!

Seems logical, right? Well it is.  Customers don’t want to be interrupted with irrelevant messages.  It doesn’t make sense.  Isn’t this any different than me coming home to the family to have dinner, only to be interrupted by a telemarketing sales call?  Would you be happy? I hope not.  Such an interruption is unacceptable because it invades “family dinner” and “family time”.

WHY do the brands and digital marketing agencies that put these campaigns together continue to allow the worst offenders, like CNN.com, to do this with unfettered abuse in the name of ad revenue?  WHY?  Why do the people behind these brands and the people within agencies that create the brand’s message feel it is acceptable to interrupt consumers?  Would they accept such interruptions? It’s really a simple matter.  Don’t do until others what you wouldn’t done to yourself.  What would Steve Jobs do?

CNN.com, instead, chose to offend us in the worse possible way.  On one particular evening, I opted to visit for a quick scan of the Technology and Money sections as they tend to offer some interesting articles beyond the rest of the content on the site.  

One particular section caught my attention:

So I clicked.  

I was taken to the next page and the browser title bar: Revealing the world through “the power of the still image”.  I see a powerful first image of a solider about to go through a “full flight kick” into a person lying on the floor.  I don’t know where this photo was taken but the photo is shocking in still form.  

Here’s a screen grab from CNN photos:

HARD HITTING.  Unacceptable. Un-Nerving.  Emotional.

Any reader would be compelled to continue browsing other still images after such a powerful first photo.  I notice a carousel of sorts — a “cover flow” to sort through additional CNN photos.

Naturally, I am going to look through the set of 16 images.  So I continue until I am jarred to a halt with my progress by an advertisement.  Amazing.

Really? Is this the right time to see a piece of interruption marketing about “joint pain relief”? This appeared after my second photo.  CNN.com, do you really think this is relevant to the reader (sorry, the viewer)?  The viewer, at this point, is already in an emotional almost hypnotic state…moved by the first still image.  Their minds are already in the process of “completely the story” with each passing images… based on personal fears, assumptions, and perceptions.  

Only to be stopped by a digital advertisement that has absolutely no relevance to the content or the reader. Worse, the reader is forced to press [X] to actually remove the ad because they cannot continue with the rest of the pictures until this is done.  The actual sequence is appalling in its effect - its sudden with the actual photo being darkened while the ad instantly appearing with no ability for the reader to exit easily or scroll to the next photo.

How low do you need to go CNN.com?

WELL…THEY WENT QUITE LOW.  In a span of “16 images”, I was interrupted four times to completely irrelevant ads.  Not only was this disruptive to the experience of moving photos but it completely annoyed me and killed any desire to continue with the other reels available for viewing.

GREAT JOB CNN.com.  You’ll make a million bucks out of such crappy user experience because you’ve forgotten what this is all about.  

THE CUSTOMER.  THEIR USER EXPERIENCE.

YOU FORGOT TO “RESPECT” THEIR TIME.

It’s clear you don’t care.  Four interruption ads in a span of 16 images?  When did you become so disrespectful?

The sad part is that it’s happening on streaming video products like YouTube.com or iPad apps like WSJ Live.  In the YouTube.com world, the video you want to see sometimes starts with an ad and a short countdown which forces you to see some of the advertising before you have the option to “skip the ad” and watch the real video you were intending to watch.  This is still interruption marketing and it still requires the reader/viewer to take a direct action to cancel the interruption.  Worse, on the WSJ Live streaming app (on iPad and AppleTV), the nine second ad actually must play before your content carousel continues to the next story.  This happens each and every time with no options to skip the ad.

Look, I understand the need to monetize the production values here.  I get it.  That said, CNN.com’s “CNN Photos” example was the most intrusive and most offensive because it is a dirty bait and switch tactic that should have ended long ago.  Well, it hasn’t.  People complain about Apple’s “army of zombies” but this has nothing to do with it.  Apple has an army of “fanatical fans” because they are amazed at some of the thought put into the product, the user experience, and almost fault proof use-cases of their portfolio of iProducts from iCloud, iTV, iTunes, iPhone, iPod, iPod Touch, and iPad.  Yes, some experiences are bad but en masse, it is a raging success story.

Relevance in a time-deficient world is essential.  Interruption marketing is dead.  But it continues with media properties like CNN.com.  I guess that’s okay if you want to crap on your readers.  Good luck with that.  

Or in Tyler Durden’s words (see 1:46), “How’s that working out for you?”