Time to face facts: consumers hate Flash.

"If you must offer a 'skip intro' option, shouldn't your better
judgment kick in?" asked Anna Murray, President e*media inc.,
during a panel on Marketing to Women at the recent AD:TECH
conference.

On October 29th, Murray ran a poll garnering responses from 579
consumers voting for their favorite of two home page variations
for "Acme Haircare".   One version started with a Flash intro, the other was static HTML. (Link to original poll below.)

80% of respondents voted for the site *without* a Flash intro.

So, why do so many consumer packaged goods firms -- including
Coke, 7 Up, Lipton, General Mills, and Clairol -- not to mention
many advertising agencies, love to plaster Flash intros on their
sites? (Perhaps it reminds them of good old television?)

Here's more data from Murray's poll, plus the top three other
homepage design mistakes she sees Fortune 500s make.

    -> Flash intros & Flash navigation

70% of those who took Murray's survey have jobs that do not
include marketing or advertising. Of that number, 80% chose the
site without Flash. (Those within the industry disliked the Flash
site even more at just over 80%.)

Respondents' comments revealed how deeply anti-Flash feelings run
these days. "People really waxed poetic about how much they hated
Flash," Murray says.

A few sample comments:

o "Flash sucks. If I want a movie, I'll go to the theater. I
    just want quick information,"

o "Flash should be banned from the face of the earth - such a
    pain."

o "If I'm going to a Web site, I want information. I want
    information quickly. It could be written in 10 point pica
    for all I care. I'm already interested in what might be
    there, why turn me off?"

o "When searching the Web, my most immediate concern is
    generally time, how quick can I find/do it. This leaves
    little room for animation."

Murray concedes that Flash may have its place, such as with user-
initiated requests to see something "rich." For example, one
respondent said that animation in the corner of the screen is
okay if you have the option to turn it on or off, and a few
mentioned that Flash can be useful when demo-ing products.

But, don't fool yourself into thinking it's slow Internet
connections that causes people to hate Flash. In fact, the
respondents who had cable or DSL disliked the Flash intro by more
than 80%.

More interesting stats:

o 75% of non-marketing professional women said no Flash.

o 81% of non-marketing professional men said no Flash.

o The youngsters of those polled (ages 18-24) also chose the
    non-Flash intro, at over 65%.