New Research Defines the Most Objectionable Ad Experiences

Is there such a thing as a “bad ad?” Yes, if you ask the The Coalition for Better Ads.

The Coalition’s research identifies ad experiences in North America and Europe that ranked lowest across a range of user experience factors. These were the ads most highly correlated with an increased propensity for consumers to adopt ad blockers. The results define initial Better Ads Standards that identify the ad experiences that fall beneath a threshold of consumer acceptability.

Six desktop web ad experiences and twelve mobile web ad experiences fell beneath this threshold. The Coalition encourages the marketplace to use these results to improve the consumer experience. The Coalition has released standards for desktop and mobile web that reflect consumer advertising preferences in North American and European markets.

The initial Better Ads Standards are based on comprehensive research in which consumers comparatively ranked different ad experiences presented to them while they read online articles. More than 25,000 consumers rated 104 ad experiences for desktop web and mobile web.

Learn more about the Coalition and its findings.