'Jaws drop and brows furrow' over excessive online ads

Marketers are being urged to adopt a less-is-more approach to advertising, amid claims that intrusive ad formats “feel as if they’re bought by people who never use the Internet”.

That is according to The Fame Index report by The Guardian, which quizzed 1,800 website users – and observed a further 20 in-depth – on how they browse online.

Looking at website users in “high-ad environments” it found that most “showed signs of facial confusion in a high ad environment. That’s jaws dropping, brows furrowing and faces showing fear”.

And its survey found that, overall, 73% of readers trust publishers who operate “low-ad environments” versus 56% in “high-ad environments”.

The Guardian, which claims to turn down “millions of pounds every single year” in advertising because of the long-term harm it causes, reckons readers feel happier on websites which have less advertising clutter and so feel more positive towards the marketing they see.

The Guardian head of strategy Lara Enoch said: “Audiences have the highest amount of trust in digital publishers within the low-ad environment. And trust in the publisher has a direct halo effect on trust in the advertiser.”

The research also found it was easier to distinguish between advertising and content in a lower ad environment.

Enoch added: “Content really needs to feel like the main event, not just something squeezed in between endless ad slots. When publishers get this balance right, the whole experience improves for readers and publishers alike. And we feel that this is something all publishers should be striving towards, even if it’s at the expense of those few extra ad slots.”

The worst offenders in advertising on publisher websites were found to be pop-ups, perceived as intrusive, distracting, and pushy, and stickies (ads which follow you round the web) as users feel they cannot escape.