In response to the article on the “Moulin Rouge” ads, at least I can make the Microsoft paper clip disappear with a simple right click.
The “Moulin Rouge” Internet ad is one of the most intrusive and irritating examples of an online campaign I’ve ever seen. The cartoon pasted an ad directly over the text of the article I was reading, forcing me to wait for it to disappear, since there was no mechanism to close the ad. Whoever decided that standard pop-up ads weren’t enough of a pain must have a high tolerance for interruption or a very short attention span. This type of campaign is akin to being interrupted in the middle of a conversation. It’s plain rudeness.
Sanchari Chakravarty’s assertion that consumers were not irritated by the ad is an exercise in self-delusion. I might not have a degree in communications, but I would imagine the last thing an ad campaign should do to build brand awareness and loyalty is piss off the consumer. And furthermore, gitchee gitchee get that damn song out of my head.
•Steve Trumpeter, Systems administrator, Windy City Publishing,Chicago
