We had a similar situation with an inhouse-ad on our site. The polished version performed ok, but just for the fun of testing, we switched to a rough screenshot image. It performed more than five times as good.
Just because one doesn't like it, doesn't mean it won't work. My learning was: Always, test everything.
Just because one doesn't like it, doesn't mean it won't work. My learning was: Always, test everything.
This is a point that every single commenter on HN needs to be aware of. There are far too many people who seem to think that just because they don't like something, it can't work, won't work, should be priced lower...
Even further: asking people if they like the page would result in different results compared to testing if they end up paying for the advertised product.
Just because one doesn't like it, doesn't mean it won't work. My learning was: Always, test everything.