Worst Banner Ad in the Whole Wide World

Okay, to be fair, this may not be the worst banner in the whole wide world, but it’s certainly a contender.

We’re not even going to talk about the white type on the yellow background or the mildly hacky clip job on the image.  The real problem here lies in the image itself.  What the hell is going on here?  Of course we understand the intent: a loving grandma doting on (what we are to assume is) her grandson.  The big problem is the disconnect between her expression and his.  She’s thrilled to the point of bursting, while he’s stoic at best, and mortified at worst.  The impression we’re left with is that of an eager cougar clamped onto her latest, shame-filled conquest, like one of those clip-on koala bears that were so popular in the 80′s.  The placement of her arm isn’t helping… but maybe that’s just us.  Also, why are they wearing matching t-shirts?  If you squint at the picture, they look like some sort of two-headed Benjamin Button monster with a bipolar disorder.

If anything, the lesson to take away from this unfortunate design incident is the importance of photography in your online marketing efforts.  We always recommend taking your own pictures, simply so that you’ll have more control over the outcome and usage restrictions, but even if you’re going to use stock photography, choose carefully.

… unless your target market is predatory cougars and/or semi-willing boy toys.