Click Here

We’ve all been in contact with various types of advertising: TV and radio commercials, newspaper ads of different sizes, large billboards, skywriting and aerial banners, etc. It’s amazing to see how far vendors will go to increase the public’s demand for their products. And the internet is no exception.

The other day I visited a web site (dictionary.com, one of my favorites) and was quite disgusted by an advertisement. The advertisement consisted of two images. One was a horrible thing: a large, flabby, frumpy gut bouncing up and down, and to make matters worse, it bounced up and down again and again. The other image was a perfectly toned, flat stomach. The caption read something about losing weight—no surprises there.

Since then, another advertisement has sprung up about botox for hair, promising to reverse the damage done to hair from years of blowdrying and sun exposure. Another advertisement that I’ve seen about cybertown shows several people dancing for joy that their mortgage rates were reduced and tells surfers that they, too, can save thousands! There was even confetti.

All of these advertisements have one thing in common: the words “Click Here.”

“A very simple and effective tactic,” I thought. After attracting the surfer’s attention with images of contrasting ideas and color, the ad commands him to “click here.” Many are strong and can resist, but the weak ones, like me, just can’t help themselves. They must find out where they will go once they “click here;” they have to satisfy their curiosity, like Eve biting the apple. Slowly, the mouse pointer is pulled to the link like a pin is drawn to a magnet. Once it is in place, the crushing weight of a finger, pulled by gravity and pushed by muscle, selects the link, and the reader is carried to another web site where the condensed advertisement explodes. Here, testimonials, doctor endorsements, directions for use, ordering information, opportunities for free trials, and so much more can be accessed at the click of a button. There’s even a “fine print” link too.

Although it seems trivial, the internet has certainly changed advertising. With only a newspaper ad or billboard, advertisers of the past were limited to a few, catchy words or an all-defining image. With radio and TV, a memorable jingle and video helped capture people’s interest and remind them of the product and its location. Even though audio and video allowed for more information to be given, advertisers were still forced to leave out a great deal. They had to rely on the quality of teh advertisement to propel people out of their homes and into businesses where everything else could be relayed to the consumer. But now, consumers can access everything at the click of a button, so to speak. They no longer need to visit store after store comparing prices, quality, or testimonies. Advertisers merely establish a website that does all this for them. Once limited to a few words and images, now advertisers can say everything they want to say in a well-built web site. All they have to do is get me to “click here.”