Image courtesy of Matthias Ripp’s photostream
I don’t have a background in advertising, but I know this much: Online Ads that drive me away from a website and possibly even a brand, aren’t achieving their purpose. Here are my three top offenders:
1. Floaters: Those annoying ads that follow readers around a page – it’s almost like a game trying to catch them and close out. A game I never wanted to play.
2. Blackouts: Those ads that black out the rest of the page until you’ve listened to the message, watched the video or simply stared at the graphics for long enough to satisfy the powers-that-be. Only then does the option pop up to close out. Not cool.
3. Automatic Videos: If you’re going to have videos on your site – and you should because videos are important – give the user control of when to watch/listen. Who among us hasn’t been sitting in a quiet environment, nonchalantly perusing the news of the day, when our computer starts screaming and disturbs the peace? That’s embarrassing!
For more on the types of ads consumers find annoying – and a few stats that prove I’m not crazy for feeling like they’re getting worse – check out these pieces:
Online Ads Are Getting Even More Annoying (Business Insider)
Everybody Hates Mobile Advertising (Business Insider)
The Most Annoying Types of Ads on the Internet (Adweek Infographic)
