Brands are wasting adspend on annoying ads that irritate 70% of Brits

More than two thirds (70%) of British adults find digital advertising annoying and unpleasant while 72% said their perception of a brand has been negatively affected by bad advertising experiences.

According to research from YouGov, commissioned by Picnic, which surveyed more than 2,000 UK-based adults, annoying or intrusive advertising experiences may be doing more harm to brands than good. 71% of adults agreed these experiences make them less likely to purchase from that brand in future.

“Too many ads” was identified as the number one most annoying user experience (UX) issue and 86% of respondents said that too many ads on a webpage makes them feel overwhelmed to the point where they are more likely to ignore the advertising altogether.

Blocked screen content, accidental clicks, slow load speeds and unstable page content rounded out the top five most annoying UX issues.

Digital ads in their current form are suffering from resoundingly negative sentiment from consumers, with an affinity for ad blockers identified among those who chose to comment on ad UX issues. Comments included “all advertising is annoying” and “[ads are] annoying full stop”.

“We as an industry can drastically reduce the amount of wasted adspend”

Despite a resoundingly negative attitude, respondents were still fundamentally open to the idea of an ad-funded web. More than half (56%) of those surveyed agreed that they enjoy viewing free content from reputable publishers and 39% said they like discovering new products and brands on the open web.

In terms of where people hope to see improvement, 71% of Brits are more likely to possess a positive sentiment towards ads if they were fast-loading and didn’t force clicks or block content.

Matthew Goldhill, Founder and CEO at Picnic, said of the findings: “If brands and media planners can shift their approach towards prioritising ad solutions that resolve user experience issues on the web, we as an industry can drastically reduce the amount of ineffective, wasted and even damaging ad spend. This would not only be better for the environment, but would also help to drive more meaningful engagement and returns for brands.”

Sean Golding, Digital Development Director of AKA UK, added: “Minimising wasted ad spend is a top priority in terms of efficiency and brand safety. To prevent waste and increase engagement, we need to find ad solutions that deliver a positive user experience on trusted, high-quality publishers.

“It’s a win-win for all. Advertisers will see improved campaign performance, and publishers will benefit from delivering ads that do not ruin their on-page content – keeping their readers engaged and coming back for more.”

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. The total sample size was 2006 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 13th - 16th October 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Also published in: Performance Marketing World