Ads for Eggheads
Ask.com has a new campaign that touts the merits of “the algorithm.”
What’s an algorithm? Since I slept through most of my math classes, I won’t attempt to answer that question. Suffice it to say that they’re talking about the way Ask.com searches for information.
But this campaign misses the mark. They’re trying to make “the algorithm” cool by positioning it as super-smart. In doing so, however, they skip over the heads of most people who only give a mere seven seconds to processing any form of advertising. Just look at that banner ad citing Dmitry Sklyarov (computer programmer charged with violating software copyright). And there are other ads that reference the Unabomber. Huh?
In an age when everyone else is trying to make technology “friendly,” this campaign just makes the product more aloof. I’m afraid I don’t care much about “the algorithm.”
