64. Growing Detachment from Digital Intrusive Advertisements

Source: love2Dev.com

The digital behavior of people is changing at a rapid rate. People are protecting their privacy on the internet than ever before. Today, people want to enjoy their content without any interruptions. Digital users are paying to have no ads. An example of this is the Saavn music application, which has subscription that enables users to enjoy their content without advertisements.

Most of the intrusive ads are irrelevant to the users, even if they may or may not be a part of a brand’s target audience. Usually, these ads are dreadful in terms of quality, and are often click –baits in most instances. We all know of intrusive ads that are heavy on data usage, that take over the screen with auto-play videos. Sometimes, these ads are also characterized by flashy headlines to draw a user’s attention.

Here, enters the Ad Blockers, which seems like a gift from the gods. Today, Ad blockers across all platforms are overwhelmingly popular. Numerous third-party apps block intrusive ads aimed at a better user experience. Users can also see the number of times they have dodged intrusive ads. According to Global Ad Blocking behavior 2019, around 30% of all internet users now use ad blockers.

Hence, in a way, we see the growing detachment from intrusive advertisements. It is high time that brands realize that user experience on digital platforms should be considered a high priority. However here is the problem. Big companies depend on ad revenues. Thus, we see a rise in these intrusive advertisements at the same time.

 Here lies the opportunity for brands to use earned media, which brings in credibility for the brand. At this instance, I would like to pause and quote Al Ries and Laura Ries (The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR), “Advertising is the wind, and Public relations is the sun.”