90% of people find digital ads intrusive – Here's a 2022 solution to it

Whether it’s watching bedtime stories on YouTube or listening to our favourite podcast on the way to the office, one cannot simply disregard the importance internet and smart devices have in our lives. 

An average person spends about 7 hours on the internet, across their desktop and smartphones. This means that the brands now have more opportunities than ever to connect with their audience. 

As a result, brands have been investing in creating a strong online presence. From social media ads to search engine ads – every year, the digital ad spend by brands is rising exponentially. They spent upwards of 450 million dollars on digital ads in 2021 alone. 

But with rising internet usage, some brands are also seeing a rise in negative emotions among their users towards digital ads. 

Research from American market research and analytics company ”Harris Poll and Double” verified in early 2020, highlighted that 90% of consumers find digital ads intrusive.

The fundamental idea behind most digital ads is to show users ads of things they have searched on the internet or e-commerce websites, to make them decide about purchasing the same soon. But modern netizens mostly consider digital ads an annoyance because of their irrelevancy and intrusive nature that can spoil people’s web experience. 

There are many types of digital ads that are annoying to users in different ways. 

https://marketoonist.com/2017/06/annoying-ads.html

Users majorly have two problems: they either find digital ads interruptive to their online activity, or invasive to their privacy. According to a HubSpot survey, 58% of respondents claimed ads that ruin their web experience are most annoying, while 31% claimed that ads based on past searches are most invasive. 

To dodge these ads, people are now employing ad blockers and taking premium membership on streaming platforms. 

Three out of four people avoid digital ads, while 47% have made changes to their media habits in order to see fewer ads, said a study by Edelman Trust.

Why are netizens avoiding ads?

- Ad-Fatigue - An average internet user is overwhelmed by over 10,000 ads in a day. We have become so accustomed to seeing them that some types (like banner ads, display ads on websites) fade into the background without even being noticed. Other ads like Pop-ups and video ads are not so subtle and make us feel annoyed. 

- Consumer-Centric Evolution - In the pre-internet era, people had little to no choice of skipping brand messages. But now there are ad blockers, skip ad options and options to opt-out of seeing ads as well. Social media has also given consumers a platform to raise their voices and hold brands accountable for the values they propagate or the products they sell. 

- Rising privacy concerns - Most of the ads today are personalised using demographic data and other psychographic and interest-based indicators based on user activities online or offline. An extreme example that is very common today is users being served an ad on something they are speaking about with an acquaintance in the physical world. Most likely picked up by the microphone of their mobile handset. Clearly, this is very invasive and creepy as advertisers are tracking everything users are doing or intend to do in their life. 

What are consumers looking for?

Gone are the days when just a good product would sell. Consumers want brands to step down from the pedestal of being a mere entity and be more humane. 

- Humane brands

Consumers want brands to espouse certain values they relate with, a unique voice, opinions, and carry social responsibilities. 

Many brands are doing an amazing job of reciprocating values to their consumers. 

Let’s talk about Dunzo, the delivery app. Dunzo is a fun brand with its nostalgic creatives but also takes a stand for delivery agents who work day and night to make the company a success.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Dunzo (@dunzo_it)

Brands are using social media platforms as a medium to establish their voice. 

- Be entertained (The 2022 solution we promised)

Entertaining and engaging your audience with content is the way marketers need to take in 2022 and in the years ahead. 

In the current landscape, everything of value online needs to be presented as entertaining content to catch consumers’ fancy. 

- Videos, Reels, and More

Brands have their own YouTube channels and even media houses to make sure that they are engaging their users with content. 

Netflix, the popular OTT platform, has its own YouTube channel with over 16 million subscribers. And the brand has done some amazing collab videos with influencers and celebrities that their audience enjoys. 

- Conversation Media Marketing

Some brands got more creative and used conversation media marketing, a marketing technology that can make brands a part of the billions of online conversations with the help of conversation media formats like emojis, stickers, and GIFs. 

Let’s talk about ITC Bingo’s conversation media marketing campaign, carried out in collaboration with Bobble AI.

With the help of relatable conversation media content and hyper contextual targeting, ITC Bingo’s campaign garnered over 48 million views and 1.3 million shares. 

CMM’s (conversation media marketing) biggest boon is its shareability. These bite-sized content pieces have the benefit of cross-platform availability with Bobble AI’s keyboard applications. 

Entertaining shareable content makes users your brand ambassadors.

Think like a user. When was the last time you shared an advertisement with a friend? Now think about the last time you shared GIFs, emojis, YouTube videos, reels, etc. 

Conclusion

Digital ads are annoying your audience and in the sea of so many brands, your users are most likely to miss out on the ads. Even if you try reaching them with custom targeting parameters, it is likely your ads get dismissed. 

As a brand, you can either ruin users' web experience with intrusive and disruptive ads or you can enhance the same with shareable entertaining content. Or maybe you can find a sweet balance between the two. In any case, the changing emotions of users require a change in your marketing strategy. So start experimenting!!