Brands pay big money for their display ads. It makes sense that they want them to get as much as attention as possible. But not all attention is positive attention.
Marketers should think very carefully before producing interruptive ads, such as pop-ups or large overlays. While consumers do find these ads memorable, it’s likely for the wrong reasons.
In a HUGE research study, 60 participants were asked to complete various tasks that demonstrated their daily Internet routines over a 45-minute period. These routines included perusing news headlines, finding the latest sports results, booking a flight and selecting a restaurant. Basically all normal, everyday Internet uses.
The recall rate for interruptive ads significantly outperformed that of standard display ads. Forty-one percent of our sample could recall at least one aspect of an interruptive ad, while 11% remembered specific ad messaging. Display ads didn’t perform nearly as well with a recall rate of 2.2%.
While this rate of recall may seem attractive, a brand has to pay more than higher CPMs to get this level of attention. There’s a significant degree of negativity associated with interruptive impressions.
One respondent commented, “They are very annoying. Very annoying. Those full ads…I don’t mind banner and sidebars, but don’t make me stop and click and close a window to get to where I’m going.”
Another participant succinctly said, “F**k!”
Advertisers need to tread carefully. The last thing anyone wants is to make a lasting bad impression.
