Ads are everywhere. It has taken over all social networking sites, mobile apps, and even news and blog sites. What’s more, they’re tailored for every internet user. If you love makeup, chances are Sephora’s ads would pop up on each website or app you visit. If you order food online, ads from that restaurant or fast-food chain will follow you everywhere.
The ability of ads to reach the right people has drawn conspiracy theories that our mobile and smart devices listen to us. In a way, that’s correct, although our phones are not literally listening in. Instead, we are already providing it what it needs: cookies. First-party cookies are the data websites collect from users so that it “remembers” that user’s online activity. That’s why the ads of the brands you visited online seem to stalk you.
Third-party cookies, on the other hand, are collected by third-party marketers partnering with the first-party website or app. The latter will give the marketers access to the data they collected so that the marketers can deliver the “right” ads to specific users.
Therefore, consumers who find ads annoying permitted those ads to reach them in the first place. This favors brands and marketers, but the consumers’ negative feedback can hurt them. If consumers will always complain about ads, how will businesses market to them?
The Truth About Advertising
In a perfect world, there would be no ads. But that’s not true; consumers only think that because of bad ads. If brands and advertisers do their ads right, consumers will find value in the ads and not avoid them.
To make ads effective in getting leads and encouraging a purchase, they should balance the needs of these three: the advertisers (companies who make the ads), the publishers (companies who broadcast the ads), and the consumers.
But of course, the job of making ads effective will only fall on the first two, the advertisers and the publishers. While it may be impossible to please all consumers with ads, they can minimize the negative feelings consumers have toward them.
Common Problems in Video Ads
Consumers consider video ads particularly disruptive. After all, video ads tend to suddenly play in the middle of a YouTube video, game, or mobile app doing its work. But we can’t remove video ads from the Internet because they’re essential in promoting a brand.
The key is to correct the common problems in video ads. So here are the issues most video ads have and how to fix them.
-
Video Taking Over the Whole Screen
Interstitial ads take up the whole screen, covering the actual content of a website. For a time, they were widely used by brands and had an important role in mobile advertising. But interstitial ads are intrusive. Thankfully, brands are starting to avoid them and have focused on non-invasive formats.
Aside from avoiding intrusive ads, brands can also use storytelling to capture their audience’s attention from the get-go. Since video ads are unpopular, it needs a compelling power to avoid being skipped. One way to compel an audience is to make the ad like a film. Involving celebrities will be a bonus, but it won’t be necessary if there’s a team of skilled scriptwriters and producers behind the ad.
-
Ads Requiring Plugins to Play
What if a brand has a fantastic and viral ad, but it isn’t compatible with some devices? Often, video or other forms of ads require a plugin if it’s refusing to play. But consumers will be too bummed to install the required plugin, so the brand has lost them instantly.
It is the publishers’ responsibility to make video ads playable on all devices. If a video ad requires a plugin, its format is possibly dated or too sophisticated to be supported by old devices or OS. To fix this, publishers should use a smart video player with HTML5 software. HTML5 delivers everything consumers and brands want to do online without having to install additional plugin software.
-
Inauthentic Content
In the past, highly produced video ads were the golden standard. But consumers are more conscious of their purchases now and won’t tolerate inauthentic or grandiose claims by ads. So brands must keep it simple and real. Consumers seek video content that feels raw, which is why ads with an emotional impact easily go viral. They’re more relatable, so consumers find them valuable.
Brands have no reason to keep on using annoying and intrusive ads, especially at a time when consumers can express their negative feedback on the comments section of every social networking site. The internet’s algorithm may favor brands more, but they shouldn’t forget that they’re encouraging a purchase from consumers; hence, they should give quality, engaging, and useful content.