MSN allows users to comment on their advertising
Today I noticed on MSN that they are inviting people to comment on some of the advertising that appears on their site. After checking an @hotmail.co.uk email address of mine, I logged out, and my browser was redirected to the UK MSN page, as per usual. Underneath the ubiquitous “Kong” movie-trailer ad, there was a link asking me to “Please feed back on this advert”.
The link takes you to a page which asks the following questions:
- How do you feel about this advert?
- Please explain why you feel this way about this advert.
- Did this advert affect your opinion of MSN?
- Please rate this advert in each the following areas by using a scale of 1 to 9, where 9 = “Outstanding or Extraordinary” and 1 = “Unacceptable or Poor”
- As a result of this advert, are you more/less likely to use MSN?
- Did this advert affect your opinion of the advertiser?
- Which statement best reflects your intention to look into this product?
Obviously a lot of this information can be used to “improve” the advertising. In particular, items 1, 2, 6 and 7 will give MSN valuable information to pass on to their advertisers. This will allow them to charge a premium for selling this information, or allowing advertisers access to this feedback. The other questions, though, give people a chance to communicate their annoyance about these ads direct to MSN. Of course, MSN are free to throw this straight into the bin. However, I doubt they’ll do that, since it’s valuable feedback that gives them a useful insight into their users’ thoughts. If a significant number of people say they find the advertising annoying, and that it significantly detracts from their experience of the MSN website, then people in suits in MSN offices will start discussing what can be done about it. And maybe we’ll start a slow shift away from the trashy, ad-laden websites that clog up the web.