Ask.com Television Campaign

One word to describe this ad: "WOW" (and not in a good way)

When I saw this TV spot for Ask.com, I was reminded of a conference I attended in Vegas a couple years ago during which Seth Godin gave a speech about why he believed internet companies should NEVER, under and circumstance, advertise anywhere but online. Why market to people who are away from their computers when you could target people who are staring at the monitor and ready to respond? Are there not enough people online for Ask.com to drive traffic and awareness via the internet? His point was that internet companies should BE MORE CREATIVE! There are literally thousands of ways to generate awareness online without resorting to a television campaign.

Seth was brutal in his portrayal of internet companies who market via traditional advertising mediums. The thing I enjoyed the most was watching the guy in the front row act awkwardly uncomfortable. As it turns out, it was the Chief Marketing Officer for Ebay and he was on deck to speak about his “Found it on Ebay” television campaign.

What do you think about internet companies advertising on television? Post comments.