Going Deeper into Online Advertising

Advertisements on the web is like butter and bread, making them somehow cannot be separated. The internet is a source of free information where any people with internet connection can search for almost anything, anywhere and anytime. Free contents, cheap cost and the urge to be seen are some causes that trigger the growth of online advertisements seen today.

Online ads, like any other types of ads on any media, have different methods for approaching their viewers. It is already a fact that most people do not like ads because they are said to be interfering, confusing, misleading and sometimes irritating. Targeted ads are getting more popular because these ads are specifically shown based on various traits such as demographics, purchase history, observed behavior and so forth. Ads on social media sites and search engines also use targeted ads from the information gathered to show only the ads that are related to the user/viewers. Because of this, targeted ads have a better chance to attract interest.

Types of Ads

There are many types of ads available all over the internet:

  • Banner ads: This is the old standard of the web ads. They are generally displayed at the top and bottom of websites.
  • Skyscraper ads: Skyscrapers are similar to banners, only instead of being horizontal, these ads are vertical. They are generally displayed on the sides of web pages.
  • Square ads: These ads are encroaching on the content of Web pages. They are a big square ad in the middle of the page.
  • Pop-up and Pop-under ads: These are ads that opens in a new window, usually with JavaScript. Pop-ups opens above the open web page while pop-under opens beneath an open web page.
  • Interstitial ads: An interstitial ad loads when a link is clicked. It loads between the open page and to the next page.
  • Rich media ads: Rich media ads can fit into any of the above formats. They are essentially any ad that goes beyond straight images and text - from forms to Flash.
  • Eyeblasters, Shoshkeles, and Overlays ads: Overlay type ads are built by various companies, generally using Flash, but rather than playing in a specific space, they generally take over the entire page, overwriting the page, replacing the background or just fluttering around.

Ethical Issues

When ads are merely seen and usually neglected by visitors, advertisers have many ways up their sleeves to make those ads seen and somehow attract visitors' interest. The web faces the same ethical issues as other media, plus a few of its own. Here are some rules for online ads.

When it comes to advertising, it is a given that making untrue claims, bait-and-switch offers, and the like are unethical. But those are not the only ethical issues to consider. Interstitial ads, pop-ups and pop-unders, contextual links, and overlay ads, to name a few, while not all unethical in and of themselves, all come with ethical hazards.

Why should an advertiser care about this? Because ethically questionable ads can have a negative impact on their brands. When users dislike an ad, they tend to extend that dislike to the advertiser. Negative reactions can also come from media companies. They may be unwilling to accept certain ads because they will drive traffic away.

Though both types of advertising are widely used, almost all of them are risk irritating the potential customer. Research shows that pop-ups are the most hated advertising technique. Another reason not to use them is that most people block them. And although these ads have a high clickthrough rate, most of those clicks may happen inadvertently when people try to close the window. Pop-ups may work for content, but are not well-accepted for ads.

Then there are ads that look like system messages from your computer -- the gray rectangles that pop up on your screen with a message and an "OK" button. The user may think clicking "OK" will close the window, but instead it takes them to the advertiser's web site.

Interstitial ads – pages that appear before the expected content – may also be perceived as irritating but are generally accepted if users have an option to bypass the page by clicking a "Skip this Ad" link.

Overlays are ads that appear over existing content, but in the same window rather than in a new window. WIth its Flash content, these ads may feature animation that moves freely over the site content. These ads are generally disliked if they cover up content; overlay ads on video have received a mixed response.

Another concern for online publishers is that all the ad types mentioned in this section may contain scripts that can crash browsers.

Pros and Cons

Pros of Intrusive Ads

There are some really good reasons to use and support the more intrusive ads.

  • Clickthrough rate - the eyeblasters, shoshkeles, and other overlay ads are much more effective than the original banner ad. Up to a 15% clickthrough rate, compared to 0.3%. Even pop-up/pop-under ads have a click through rate of 6.5%.
  • Branding - when the ad is the only thing on the page, either as a pop-up or through an overlay, there are no other images to conflict with the brand the advertisers are trying to sell.
  • Cost - while these types of ads generally cost more than a basic banner ad, they are often more effective than banner ads. This make their return on investment much higher.

Cons of Intrusive Ads

But there are also some really good reasons to avoid them.

  • Customer reaction - probably the number one reason to avoid intrusive ads is that many people dislike them.
  • Browser response - many of these ads have scripts in them that can crash browsers.
  • Blocking tools - because these ads are so annoying, there are now many tools available to block pop-up ads. Mozilla and Opera have built-in pop-up blockers.