I had this conversation yet again last week. The question came up once again:
Why do we have URLs on adverts?
It really cracks me up when a URL is on a banner ad. Isn’t the point of a banner ad — you can just click on it and to the site?
Print applications, though, are my major gripe. Ever been driving down the interstate at 70 miles an hour, when you come upon the most amazing billboard (ha!) and been so moved that you release the steering wheel to type in the URL posted in the lower lefthand corner only to die in a fiery crash as you careen off a cliff? No, me either.
Or been walking through an airport, see the catchy short URL on a duratran and miss your connecting flight because you were so terribly engaged with the ad’s web content? I didn’t think so.
My favorite URL is on a podcast or tucked inside an audiobook. Isn’t there are smarter way to help people get additional information rather than rattling off a long string of characters that even the world’s best typist won’t be able to catch?
Or better yet, why even bother? In this day and age it should be evident that if someone wants more information about something a company is offering, it can be found online. If the message is good enough, people will actively search for it themselves.
Focus your energy on creating those messages, and quit hanging your hat on the URL.