Pros of "Intrusive" Ads
There are some really good reasons to use and support the more intrusive ads.
- Click-through rate
The eyeblasters, shoshkeles, and other overlay ads are much more effective than the original banner ad. Up to a 15% click-through rate, compared to .3%. Even pop-up/pop-under ads have a click through rate of 6.5% (New Architect, Feb. 2003). - Branding
When the ad is the only thing on the page, either as a pop-up or through an overlay, there are no other images to conflict with the brand you're trying to sell. - Cost
While these types of ads generally cost more than a basic banner ad, they are often more effective than banner ads. So their return on investment is much higher.
Cons of "Intrusive" Ads
But there are also some really good reasons to avoid them.
- Customer reaction
Probably the number one reason to avoid intrusive ads is that many people [strong style="color : #000000;]hate them. - Browser response
Many of these ads have scripts in them that can crash browsers. - Blocking tools
Because these ads are so annoying, there are now many tools available to block pop-up ads. Mozilla and Opera have built-in pop-up blockers.
Once you understand the differences between the various ad types available, you can make a more informed choice about the ads you use and the ads you display on your site.
Resolution
Ultimately, these types of ads will be chosen by their effectiveness at getting people to click on them and purchase what they are selling. If the majority of people viewing these ads never click on them, they will go away. Unfortunately, this can take a long time. However, as you may have noticed, About has reduced the number of pop-up ads on its sites, mostly due to customer complaints.
