The three most annoying mobile ad formats are those which prevent content being consumed, according to a new study by Inskin Media, in collaboration with On Device Research.
People regard pop-up ads (cited by 28 percent of respondents) as the most annoying mobile formats, closely followed by ads that sit in the middle of the screen (26 percent), along with ads that delay the page loading (18 percent) – all of which interrupt content being consumed. In contrast, ads which compete for attention, such as those that move down the page alongside the content (13 percent) or sit at the top and bottom of the page (8 percent) are much less annoying.
“It’s not rocket science; advertisers simply have to put themselves in people’s shoes and be more considerate about the mobile advertising user experience. There are some easy things here. For example, un-skippable ads, ads which obscure content or those that don’t have a close button should be avoided. If a video ad is autoplay, then at least it should be without sound. If content is hidden by interstitial formats, then they should be easy to close,” said Steve Doyle, COO, Inskin Media.
The research also revealed that people are 134 percent more likely to remember the ads that sit around the content and move with it, compared to the average mobile ad. One of these type of ads tested – known as a Pageskin format – generated 239 percent greater ad recall among viewers than the average ad.
“As an advertiser you need to respect people’s right to choose whether to look at ads, and it’s simply common sense not to interrupt or annoy users. Letting them decide when they’re ready to interact with your ad increases its chances of success,” added Mr Doyle.
It’s not only ad formats that annoy people; 18 percent of respondents say irrelevant ads annoy them to some degree. “For ads seen multiple times, irrelevant ads are 33 percent more likely to anger people so it’s vital not to waste money on ads placed in the wrong context. Ads in the right context, such as cosmetics ads on beauty websites, are much better received than in an unrelated context. ‘Right person, right place, right time’ is a minimum standard for media but far too often buyers overlook the quality and relevance of the environment,” concluded Mr Doyle.
