The Most Annoying Types of Ads & What to Do Instead [New Data]

Picture this: you visit a new website, eager to dive into the content that caught your eye. But before you can read even a single word, a giant pop-up ad takes over your screen. You scramble to find the tiny "X" and close it out, only to be hit with yet another pop-up blocking the text you‘re trying to read. Sounds familiar, right?

If this scenario instantly spiked your blood pressure, you‘re in good company. Annoying digital ads have become so prevalent that they‘re literally driving consumers away in droves. In fact, 47% of people say they‘ve changed their media consumption habits just to see fewer ads.

Many are even installing ad blockers to shut out marketing messages entirely. 42.7% of internet users worldwide now use ad blocking tools. And can you blame them? Today‘s online experiences are so cluttered with invasive, disruptive, and flat-out annoying ads that it‘s enough to make anyone want to swear off digital content for good.

But of course, advertising isn‘t exactly going away anytime soon. It remains a critical tool for brands looking to reach and convert new audiences. So what‘s a marketer to do? How can you continue leveraging the power of digital ads without inadvertently repelling the very people you‘re trying to attract?

To find out, my team recently surveyed over 300 consumers about their most loathed ad types and what they‘d rather see instead. The results were eye-opening to say the least. Let‘s take a look at what the data tells us about where many advertisers are going astray—and the big opportunities to create ads that people actually want to see.

The Most Annoying Advertisement Types

When we asked our panel of consumers to name the most annoying types of digital ads they encounter, a whopping 58% pointed the finger at pop-ups that disrupt the user experience.

Picture those intrusive pop-ups that rudely jump in front of the content you‘re trying to view, often expanding to monopolize your whole screen. Or maybe they pop up from the bottom of the page and start encroaching on the text you‘re reading, complete with a flashing, impossible-to-find "close" button. Is your blood pressure spiking again?

It‘s not hard to see why these ads draw so much ire from consumers. They‘re a massive barrier between people and the content they‘re trying to view. They feel spammy and aggravating. And when overdone, they can make a website borderline unusable.

The impact of this ad type is bad news for both publishers and advertisers:

• For publishers, littering your site with pop-ups is a surefire way to annoy visitors and send them running for the hills—likely to never return again. That means less traffic and engagement, which eventually translates to lower ad rates and revenue. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.

• For advertisers, plastering your brand all over intrusive pop-up ads practically guarantees a poor first impression with potential customers. Not only will most people be in way too much of a rush trying to dismiss your ad to actually register what it says—they‘ll likely come away from the experience with a negative gut reaction to your brand as a whole.

Unskippable Video Ads: A Close Second

The next most irksome ad type, according to 27% of respondents, are pre- and mid-roll video ads that play before or interrupt the video content someone is trying to watch. Even more aggravating is when these ads can‘t be skipped, holding the viewer hostage while hawking a product or service they have zero interest in.

How much do people hate this ad format? Research by RevJet found that 100% of consumers will skip a video ad the moment the "skip" button appears. 100%! Basically no one is sticking around to watch these ads voluntarily.

That certainly doesn‘t mean video ads are altogether ineffective, though. It just means you need a smarter strategy than simply forcing people to sit through your commercial. More on that later!

Dishonorable Mentions

A few other top annoyances that came up in our survey:

• Invasive personalization: 34% of respondents said ads that follow them around the web based on products they viewed or topics they searched for feel creepy and stalkerish. Just because personalization capabilities exist doesn‘t always mean you should use them.

• High ad frequency: If you‘re hammering people with the same ad over and over (and over and over), don‘t be surprised when they start to tune you out. 72% of consumers say they dislike repetitive ad messaging.

What Consumers Want to See in Ads Instead

Alright, so we know what people don‘t want in their ads. But what do they want to see? Our research points to a few key themes.

1. Prioritize Seamless User Experience

First and foremost, the most welcome ads are those that mesh naturally with the user experience vs. disrupt it. When evaluating potential ad placements and formats, always consider:

• Are you enhancing the content experience or intrusively cutting into it?
• Does the ad feel helpful and relevant to what the user is currently doing?
• Is your ad something people will appreciate or find valuable in the moment?

For example, while pop-up ads are largely loathed, they can work well when used sparingly and in the right contexts. Set them to appear only after someone has spent a certain amount of time engaging with your content, or after they‘ve visited a few different pages. That way, your ad acts as a helpful suggested next step for someone already interested in what you have to offer.

The point is, the user experience should be your north star—not just cramming your ad in the most visible possible spot. Today, 60% of consumers say they prefer ads that don‘t disrupt their shopping or browsing experience over ads that do.

2. Find Your Ad Frequency Sweet Spot

Serving up your ad too many times is a quick way to irritate and alienate people. But the reality is, most consumers need to interact with a brand multiple times before they‘re ready to convert.

So what‘s the sweet spot? It depends on your unique product, audience, campaign, and goals. Snapchat found that 1-2 ad exposures per week was the ideal frequency for most of their direct response campaigns. Facebook, meanwhile, reports that click-through rates decline after about 10 exposures.

The key is using A/B testing to find your own frequency sweet spot—the cadence that keeps you top of mind without overwhelming or annoying your audience.

3. Get Personalization Right

People appreciate when ads are relevant to their interests and needs. In fact, 80%+ of consumers say they want personalized ads tailored to their interests, shopping habits, and real-time behavior. The catch? It has to be done in a way that feels helpful, not creepy or invasive.

Steer clear of hyper-specific ad personalization based on someone‘s search history or other potentially sensitive personal data. Instead, experiment with personalization based on demographics, location, or the context of the page they‘re currently viewing. An ad for blenders shown to someone browsing smoothie recipes will probably go over way better than that same ad following them around the web days after the fact.

4. Aim for Short & Sweet Video Ads

We‘ve established that forcing someone to watch a long video ad they‘re not interested in is pretty much the cardinal sin of digital advertising. So what‘s the antidote?

Two words: Brevity and choice.

The longer your video ad, the more likely viewers are to abandon it (and the content they were originally trying to watch) entirely. After the 10-second mark, 28% of people ages 18-44 will jump ship.

Alternatively, unskippable six-second "bumper" ads on YouTube have an astonishing 75-90% completion rate. The takeaway? Keep it short and punchy, with your key message or CTA right up front. And whenever possible, give people the choice to skip or continue watching if it grabs their interest.

How to Create Ads People Actually Want to See

Annoying, disruptive digital ads aren‘t just a bummer for consumers—they‘re bad for brands and publishers too. After all, what‘s the point of an ad no one pays attention to or associates with a negative experience?

The common thread in all the data we‘ve shared here is clear: To create ads that people welcome vs. resent, you need to put the consumer first. I know, easier said than done when you‘ve also got aggressive marketing goals and ROI targets to hit. But increasingly, those two things go hand in hand.

Happy prospects who enjoy interacting with your brand are much more likely to become loyal customers than annoyed prospects who can‘t wait to close out of your ads.

As you build your digital ad strategy, keep these core experience design principles in mind:

1. Strive for seamless user experience integration. Choose formats and placements that enhance the content experience vs. disrupt it.
2. Strike the right balance with ad frequency. Aim for steady exposure, but not so much that you become grating or inescapable.
3. Keep personalization helpful and relevant. Use personalization to provide value and save people time—not in a way that feels invasive or uncomfortable.
4. Frontload video ads with hooks and key messages. You‘ll have way more success with short ads or longer ads that reel viewers in from the get-go with a compelling, skippable intro.
5. Continuously test and iterate based on your unique audience. Every brand, campaign, and target market is different. Use A/B testing to understand what resonates with your specific consumers.

Is it more effort than blasting the same pop-up or pre-roll ad to everyone, everywhere? Absolutely. But it‘s how you‘ll cut through the noise with experiences people actually enjoy and take action on. When you let consumer preferences and behaviors lead your ad strategy, everybody wins.