the Lure of Click

How does the internet - the ultimate user-centred medium - accommodate advertising, the number one suspect and traditional spoilsport of the media world? This book examines the complex relationships between three players forced to coexist on the internet: internet users, websites and brands. Using the example of interactive display banners, this book juxtaposes rhetorical theories of politeness with classical theories from Information and Communication Studies (Goffman, the Palo Alto School and E.T. Hall) to examine the key concept in the advertising sector: intrusiveness. This exploration of what is, ultimately, the classic state of a relationship in its early stages suggests that experimentation must enable the various players with divergent interests to achieve a harmonious relationship - the key to a fruitful encounter between a brand and its target audience online. After all, one funds what the other views... A piece of work that will spring to mind every time you click the close button on a pop-up advert!