SE keyword targeted promotion

text banner like the ones on google

[ritualcoffee]

hey all - I need some opinions here...

this is the situation:
the product groups in my organization want to buy keyword text banners - having those link to a page that had little information and big long form to fill out for cd or something. I'm telling them that this is more of a interest generating method and not really a lead gen type of advertisement. Searchers are trying to find information not give it.

I'm trying to convince them that it would be better to have the text banner link to an information page that might have a link somewhere on it that asks them if they want to have a rep call them with more information and thats it - not a 15 question form! (what they are trying to do is comperable to having a goto listing linked to a form for some random offer!)

I have read that search engine results have more of a branding impact then traditional banner ads do, and I am afraid that if we start treating these se promotional banners as if they are traditional ones they will lose thier affect. what do you guys think about these up and coming se keyword targeted promotional tools whether they are text banners or sponsored links? How do you think we should treat them?

[Brett_Tabke]

There is no quicker way know to get a surfer to hit the back button than to throw a form of almost unknown origin at them asking personal information.

[ritualcoffee]

the problem is - how to I quantify my reasons against their obvious stupidity? Do you know of any research on searchers and how they react to text banners? I'm in a struggle with an outsourced media agency that is actually recommending keywords like "process" - a little generic don't you think- especially for our software developer target market! Do you think it is appropriate to treat these text banners like they are normal/traditional banners or do you think we should treat them like we do the goto.com process?

[ifyouonlyknew]

rc,

I read your post and wanted to reply so I filled out a form, the only reason I did was because I knew the outcome and felt involved and not because I saw the form first. If the forms page is not involving and only intrusive then having a visitor directed to it should be out of the question.

Another alternative would be to throw in a script that pops up a window when a user leaves the page that way you did give them a chance fill out a form just not initially.