Posted April 02, 2018 07:23:10 If you’re on the internet, you’ve probably seen some kind of punch-back ad.
If you’ve ever seen a TV ad or ad for a certain product, you’re probably familiar with the punch-backs.
But, as with any ad, there’s a catch.
Punchback ads are usually designed to grab the eye.
They’re meant to be fun and light, and they usually have a simple punch-in at the end that looks a little like this: The problem with punch-downs is that they tend to look silly.
“The punch-down can be pretty silly, like a big cartoon drawing that you can’t quite get out of your head,” says David Wojnarowski, a professor of marketing at Stanford University and a prominent critic of punchbacks.
“But they are also a good way to sell a product.”
In fact, a recent study found that advertisers spend nearly $10 billion a year on punchbacks, which is about a quarter of all advertising revenue.
Punchbacks are not always bad ads, though.
“Punchbacks can help sell a really nice product, and in some cases they can actually be really good,” says Wojnarski.
“There are a lot of examples of companies that have really hit the mark with these punch-ins.
But when you really want to get a specific message across, you should go with a more subtle approach.”
Wojnicowski says it’s important to remember that punchbacks are about more than just creating a funny punch.
“They can be very effective in getting people to pay attention to what you’re saying,” he says.
If you’ve been paying attention to social media, you might have noticed the trend toward “punchback ads.”
For instance, you may have seen an ad for the iPhone 6S, which features an “a-ha moment” shot of the iPhone’s new face-scanner technology.
The shot has an awkward angle, so it’s not clear who the puncher is, and the shot is mostly blurry.
But that’s just one of the ads that have a punch-up.
Another, for the HTC Vive, has a camera strapped to the side of the screen.
That’s not exactly a perfect image, but it’s still an interesting idea.
The problem is that these ads are often very awkward to get the eye on, Wojnik says.
“The punch is a very small part of the story,” he explains.
“So, the story is not really telling you what the phone looks like.
The punch is telling you, ‘Hey, this is how the phone will look.’
So the punch has the potential to make you think twice about your purchase.”
Woznarowski points out that the “pinch” and “snapping” are also sometimes common features in these ads.
“These things really work to draw people in to your brand, and then the punch helps draw them back out,” he notes.
“You get the punch in there.”
You can find punchbacks on Amazon, Google, and even in your local grocery store.
“People are paying attention,” Wojner says.
Wojnikski also says that punchback ads can be effective in bringing in more eyeballs to a brand.
“If you have a good punch, people are drawn to your ad,” he adds.
“It’s just a matter of getting the punch into the right place.
If it’s a good design, people will want to click on it.
If they’re not going to click, the punch won’t make them do it.”
So why does a punchback work?
Wojniawski says the problem with a punch back is that it’s more than an ad.
“We have to get into the mind of the person who’s watching,” he tells TechCrunch.
“That’s the hardest part.”
“You’re trying to make them think that you are not just some other ad,” says Chris McBride, senior director of social media at Adweek.
“Your message is not just a headline on the front page.
You have to build that rapport with that person and build a relationship.”
McBride says that it can be hard to create an effective punchback ad that is not “too cute,” because it could be hard for people to connect with the message.
“This is the hardest thing to do,” McBride explains.
McBride also points out how punchbacks can be misleading because they aren’t “the perfect ad.”
“Punches are a way of marketing to get people to spend money,” he said.
“And they work in some instances, but in many instances they’re just not the right ads.
There’s always room for improvement in the way they’re done.”
