AdReaction Survey: Over content ads are acceptable

The last thing a marketer wants to do is intrude on a user's engagement with a content, social or gaming site. That could be brand suicide. According to the recent Dynamic Logic AdReaction 5 Study, over content ads aren't seen as intrusive to the user when done correctly.

by Kristina Knight

The correct way to use over content ads? Slowly. This doesn't mean an ad should appear at a snail's pace; it means over content ads should be seen no more than twice per hour of surfing.

The study found that consumers believe two over content ads per hour of surfing is an "appropriate" number; this is consistent with results from both the 2003 and 2005 surveys. These ads are especially welcome - or at least not hated - when exchanged for free content.

Still, about 20% of consumers say over content ads are never appropriate, even when served in small doses. This should only solidify the thought that over content ads should not be the main focus of any advertising campaign.

The survey also found that about 66% of consumers believe advertising on their most-visited websites has increased over the past six months. Why do they feel this way? Because of the clutter on most websites. Think about this: many content hubs have news aggregators, social areas, weather information and may even offer links to favorite blogs. Add even one more ad on any page than was previously seen and the clutter could cause a consumer to feel overwhelmed.