NewsLine Column: Banishing Pop-Ups
MSN recently announced plans to become the first major online media owner to phase out the sale of pop-up advertising on its network of websites, after research discovered it to be a major cause of irritation to internet users. MSN UK’s digital marketing manager, Amanda Anthony, explains the implications of the decision…
Over the last couple of weeks, there’s been a raft of coverage about MSN’s decision to cease selling pop-up ads and phase out pop-under ads in the UK; a clear reflection of the strength of feeling on the subject of pop-ups.
Recent customer research conducted by MSN revealed that pop ups are a key contributor to user dissatisfaction with respect to online advertising. Consumers found them highly intrusive and since our goal is making the consumer’s experience as easy and enjoyable as possible, we decided that pop-ups were no longer the best way forward in terms of online advertising.
Interestingly, since implementing this decision, the response from our advertisers has been massively positive. In fact, we’re happy to say that we haven’t received any negative feedback at all.
We believe that we’ve got a real chance to change the way the industry thinks about online marketing and we hope that our competitors will follow suit. Ultimately, we all have our consumers’ interests at heart and we don’t want to be turning away our life blood by making their internet experience unpleasant or confused.
It’s not only consumer user experience that counts, however, by refining online marketing, we can make it better suited to advertisers needs. In addition, we also believe that we will be helping drive online creativity forward. At MSN, we think it’s possible to not only balance consumer needs against advertisers’ needs but to come up with a solution which satisfies both needs simultaneously.
Creativity has moved on in leaps and bounds, online is maturing and now, more than ever before, online is providing brands with an opportunity to really get close to consumers in a unique, strategic and measurable way unrivalled by other mediums.
The emphasis is now on consumer ‘friendly’ advertising that delivers great results for advertisers and there is a wealth of options for online advertisers. Utilising really creative deliveries at the right time and in the right places can provide much greater impact and user response than pop-up and pop under ads and MSN is committed to providing alternatives.
Rich media formats allow advertisers to utilise sound and moving images to reach their target audiences with much greater impact and large, integrated areas allow greater standout without interfering in the user experience. In fact, it’s now arguable that advertising can add to the consumer’s internet experience.
There’s no doubt that brand building opportunities online are getting better and better. And the sheer size of the UK online audience gives brands massive reach whilst the micro-targeting credentials of the new communications tools such as MSN Messenger and MSN Hotmail enable brands to fine tune their target audience to suit desired demographics. Where else can a brand choose to serve ads solely to 18-24 year old males and then proceed to monitor exactly who watches the creative until the end?
At MSN, we do want online to provoke a strong reaction from consumers – but for all the right reasons.
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