Its all about the ads
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| hsx.com |
Have you ever heard of HSX or Protrade? Probably not. Both of these are fake stock exchanges online, but you are not trading stocks in corporations, but rather movies and athletes respectively. HSX allows users to buy fictional stocks in movies, actors, actresses and even production companies like Warner Bros. and Dreamworks. Protrade was a place where people could buy and sell stocks of any athlete, team, or sport as a whole. But what is the purpose of both of these, how do they make money? I know there is no membership fee or transaction fee, so how does it stay alive. Its all about the ads. The little pictures on the side that say "Buy a Honda" or "McDonald's". That's where any and all revenue is produced, and that is why websites can stay afloat. But why do ads have such power in a company that they can solely create its revenue? The advertisements give people a subconscious reason to go to the other company, therefore creating a sense of need for the product. The mutual helpfulness is endless, but for HSX and Protrade, it is their life.
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| protrade.com |
Brandon, I have a question for you. I'm not sure if you use Protrade or not, but do you know what the point of this is? Is it just a fun thing that guys do on their spare time, similar to fantasy sports teams? Or does it serve some other purpose? I don't really understand what the use of this site would, but if they are getting paid to put adds on their site, they must be doing something right and I must be missing something. What is it that I don't get?
ReplyDeleteSoph, I have never used these sites either but according to Brandon's post it does sound like something along the lines of a fantasy sports team. It actually seems pretty interesting. These sites show the importance of interactivity because such interactive elements help keep this website appealing to the audience. To me, what was most interesting about this post though was the power of advertising. I did not realize how much websites rely solely on revenue from these ads. My question is mostly related to the last part of your post Brandon, do you really think these ads give people a need to buy the product? If so, what about a blinking add that says "Buy a Honda" diverts people from the page before them and makes them automatically want the product?
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