People Hate Ads! No! People Love Ads!
Now the tag line of this article might be a bit misleading, but it's equally inappropriate to suggest that all viewers hate ads. Unfortunately though, many Internet users, especially technologically adept ones, despise advertising on their favorite websites.
However, what is the root of their hatred? What have advertisers and publishers done to viewers to alienate them so badly? An example of their fervor is that one of the most popular Firefox plug-ins is an ad blocker plug-in. Users will go to great lengths to avoid seeing what they consider annoying ads. For the most part, even though I am an advertiser and a publisher, I tend to agree with them. Many ads ARE annoying, and totally misplaced. For example, there is a banner ad (you've probably seen it) that shouts “HELLLLOOOO!” at you when your mouse floats over the ad. I've seen entire forum threads vilifying this ad. It's intrusive, obnoxious and anyone I've shown it to hates it immediately. In fact, for some people I know, this ad was the sole motivation for them to install ad blocker software. This deleterious effect has most likely caused numerous other advertisers to lose exposures to potential eyeballs, since some ad blockers can indiscriminately block all ads on a site.
On the flip side of the coin, “annoying” or stand out ads are often the most effective ones for certain ad distribution models. Because they are often distributed on a CPM basis (cost per thousand impressions), and are distributed to a very large base of Internet viewers all at once, the small percentage of clicks they get add up to a large number.
So who is to blame? The advertiser? Or the publisher? Clearly, the publisher carries most of the responsibility to ensure that only tasteful, relevant ads show up in front of their audience. As a publisher, if you fail to do so, you risk losing or alienating part of your audience. Unfortunately, publishers are desperate for income, and many don't vet their ads as well as they should. Also, there isn't always a good venue for publishers to sell their ad space. And, many ad syndicators don't take the time to make sure the ads they deliver are tasteful or relevant to the demographic of the site upon which they are being served.
The real point I want to make today though is that the real burden is ad targeting. And that is where most advertisers, publishers and ad syndicators are failing. Many people love targeted ads. In fact I could probably argue that most people - in one form or another - enjoy reading or perusing certain types of advertising. Fisherman will want to know what the latest greatest deals are on new fishing equipment, and health and fitness nuts will always want cheap deals on quality supplements. My father looks forward to receiving his weekly flyer from the a large home supply depot chain. Sears has made a tradition of their seasonal catalogs. I recall perusing the toy sections of department store catalogs for hours on end as a youngster.
Incendia Media is committed to niche specific advertising. We know that quality, targeted ads command a premium rate from advertisers because we deliver highly targeted, receptive user attention. And we don't inundate users with advertisements that they're not interested in. This helps build up increased user loyalty and results in higher conversions for advertisers.