BinaryWolf

The Most Hated Advertising Techniques

January 28, 2005 | In marketing |

The Most Hated Advertising Techniques described by Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox:

• Pops-up in front of your window
• Loads slowly
• Tries to trick you into clicking on it
• Does not have a “Close” button
• Covers what you are trying to see
• Doesn’t say what it is for
• Moves content around
• Occupies most of the page
• Blinks on and off
• Floats across the screen
• Automatically plays sound

Conversely, users preferred ads that clearly:

• indicate what will happen if people click on them,
• relate to what people are doing online,
• identify themselves as advertisements,
• present information about what they are advertising, and
• provide additional information without having to leave the page.