Why Do Big Brands Still SPAM Customers With Pop-Under Ads?

January 26th, 2008 | | Email This Entry

When will they ever learn? Delivering your prospects — let alone existing customers — with pop-under browser ads equates to nothing more than annoying, offensive spam. Companies that spam usually are not interested in building long-term customer relationships. They’re out for quick conversions with vulnerable, simplistic people. Spammers view them as gold, and unfortunately there’s a good number of suckers who end up as prey, keeping said spammers in business. It’s just bad business and bad karma all around.

So why is Netflix — a company which my family has a special lifetime membership with — spamming me with not one, but two pop-under ads, at exactly the same time? Yes, POP-UNDERS! I thought they went out of style with X10.com back in 2003. Apparently not. I’ve received quite a few this week.

Listen up, Netflix: I thought I liked you! For yeares I’ve steadily advocated on your behalf, converting more real, high-value customers than your spam antics ever will. Your product actually is pretty good. So why are you smacking Internet citizens like me in the face with such disrespect? Why do you cozy up with the likes of Tribal Fusion and Casale Media to clog up my bandwidth, CPU, desktop and mind with intrusion? Engaging with hired guns is a far more serious crime than going it alone. Think about it: When you spam, what really becomes of your message? Do you really want prospects and customers to hate you? You’re conducting a negative campaign against yourself!

Please stop spamming us, Netflix. Acknowledge your wrongdoing and correct the problem.

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kraw 11 months ago 1 point
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You know, I've often wondered to myself (silently - anything else would elicit stares and laughter) why we haven't yet tried Netflix. Until this morning, I haven't really been able answer the question. After all, we're movie-lovers and enjoy escaping life's thrills as often as we can (mostly because we have difficulty shutting off our brains otherwise). However, your post this morning was nothing short of a personal epiphany: I realized why I haven't yet tried Netflix.

It's the pop-ups (or in this case - pop-unders). Seriously.

Somewhere in my subconscious domain, I think I've developed an apprehension to Netflix precisely because of their pop-ups. Wow. Yep, that's it. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Or more appropriately, like a pop-up ad.

The real question is: Will the pop-ups prevent me from eventually trying Netflix in the future? I honestly don't know. With the proliferation (eventually, we can hope) of real-time, streaming movie content, I anticipate that I will certainly have a lot of choices. And should Netflix continue their pop-up strategies, I reckon that my choices will be narrowed by one.

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maxkalehoff 11 months ago 1 point
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Kraw,
Thanks for your feedback. Great quote: "Somewhere in my subconscious domain, I think I’ve developed an apprehension to Netflix precisely because of their pop-ups. Wow. Yep, that’s it. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Or more appropriately, like a pop-up ad."
Max

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http://www.attentionmax.com

Amanda Mooney 11 months ago 1 point
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I also hate ads hidden in hyperlinks of blog posts. It's so annoying when I'd like to check out a link I think the author has posted to direct me to more information on the issue he or she is discussing and I see that I'm linked to some e-commerce site.

That frustration certainly doesn't encourage me to buy anything.

So the advertiser is paying for what most likely results in incredibly low return and the author is shooting him or herself in the foot by annoying engaged readers.

Great post though Max:)

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maxkalehoff 11 months ago 1 point
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Amanda,
Thanks for your comment. Regarding: "So the advertiser is paying for what most likely results in incredibly low return and the author is shooting him or herself in the foot by annoying engaged readers."...I would argue the advertiser is engaging in a negative advertising (or affilliate) campaign! Not just low return, but negative return whereby the act is making customers HATE him!
Max

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http://www.attentionmax.com