This is the second article in a series where we will be discussing the various digital platforms and their relationship to native direct response advertising. Over the next several articles, we will highlight the top digital advertising platforms and networks and how they impact your advertising strategy.
Internet advertising spending is constantly increasing, leading to a growing number of internet ads. However, as a marketer, it’s getting harder and harder to get your ads noticed online. That’s in part because adblocking technology is on the rise, particularly in the US.
According to Statista, in 2021 it is estimated that roughly 27 percent of internet users are blocking advertising on their connected devices. Loosely translated, this means that a quarter of paid advertising messages will never reach their audiences.
First, let’s discuss the rise in ad blocking technology in the USA Â
Ads that disrupt the browsing experience or delay access to content can frustrate consumers. This has led to overwhelmed internet users turning to adblockers in an effort to browse webpages without display ads slowing them down (Statista).Â
To improve the consumer experience, leading international trade associations and companies in the online media world – including Google – joined forces to create the “Coalition for Better Ads.”
The Coalition conducts research to develop data-driven standards for online advertising. The goal is to measure consumers’ preferences about the types of ads they least prefer to help the global marketplace take steps to deliver a better ad experience.
The Coalition’s consumer-focused research results define Better Ads Standards that identify the ad experiences that fall beneath a threshold of consumer acceptability.
Which Ads Are the Most Disruptive?
The Coalition identified four types of desktop web ads and eight types of mobile web ads that rank lowest across a range of user experiences. These factors fall beneath a threshold of consumer acceptability.
For Mobile devices, the eight types of advertising that are most disruptive to the consumer experience are:
• Pop up ads
• Prestitial Ads
• Ad density higher than 30%
• Flashing animated ads
• Auto-playing video ads with sound
• Postitial Ads
• Full-screen scroll over ads
• Large sticky ads
And for Desktop, four types of advertising are most disruptive:
• Pop up ads
• Auto plant video ads with sound
• Prestitial ads with countdown
• Large sticky ads
In 2018 Chrome began to support and abide by the “Better Ads Standards,” which was initially set in place by the Coalition to which Google is a member.
At first, the advertising community thought that Google’s changes could negatively affect native advertising, but the opposite is true.
As more ads comply with the Better Ads Standards, fewer people use ad blockers.
Relevant Ad Placement Equals Better Brand Perception
However, many consumers express willingness to disable adblockers in return for the ability to view relevant content. This creates a window of opportunity for marketers, who can conquer ad blocking by offering personalized advertising and increasing the chances it will reach their target audiences.
Statista performed a study in the second quarter of 2020 on the influence of advertising placed around relevant online in the United States. The study found that 41 percent of respondents said that such ad placement had a positive effect on their perception of brands. At the same time, 48 percent stated that it had no effect on their views on brands.
Google is Light Years AheadÂ
Optimized user experience is what the Coalition, the Better Ads Standards, and Google are striving for.  And there’s one form of advertising that is personalized to each consumer’s experience – Native Advertising.
Anyone involved in advertising is most likely familiar with the idiom, “Content is king.”
But what is it that makes content great?
To start, content that is engaging. It’s something that consumers seek and track down themselves. The catch, however, is that if the user experience surrounding that content isn’t satisfactory, the content may get left in the cold.
The changes that Google implemented to improve advertising are something that Native Advertising already does.Â
That’s Why Google Loves Native Advertising
In essence, Native advertising has many, if not all, traits that Google was seeking to implement.
- Native is Well Integrated:Â
Many add formats sit alongside contact. However, native ads sit within the content. That makes them better integrated and therefore less noticeable and less disruptive. In essence, native ads are content and have a much higher interaction with the consumer.
- Native Ads Work for Everyone:Â
Native ads are formats that benefit everyone, from publishers to advertisers to content viewers. Because of the integration for people viewing content, they get a more enjoyable experience. A more satisfying experience leads to more interaction with the advertising.
- Advertisers Can Use Native Advertising in Any Platform:Â
Advertisers and publishers constantly look across the spectrum from a mobile, tablet, desktop, SEO, social media, etc as places to run their advertising. Across all of these areas, native advertising is the ideal choice to engage consumers with useful content that promotes the advertised product.
Native – The Future of Advertising
In the end, Google is striving for the most ideal content experience for all users, which could mean more native ads everywhere, regardless of the content, regardless of the device. The reasons why native ads fit Google’s new standards are the same reasons why it is here to stay for the long-term and is the future of online advertising.
Want to learn more about engaging audiences at the sites they are visiting? Then connect with the pioneers in the native and digital advertising space. Contact Tapstone today.
