Unless you are an advertiser or someone who’s been running a business successfully for some time now, you probably aren’t aware of what they call the ‘annoying-ads business model.’
Nonetheless, you must be familiar with the following scenarios.
You are playing your favorite game on your smartphone and are just inches away from winning the level and claiming your spot at the top of the leaderboard when suddenly – POP! An unwanted ad appears on the screen.
You are on your way back home, listening to your all-time favorite playlist on Spotify when the song is interrupted by yet another advertisement for something or the other.
You are browsing the web, doing your research for an important project and reading, or rather trying to read a great article that you just found, but those bold attention-demanding ads on either side of the page just won’t let you concentrate properly.
Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet or a computer, anyone who uses a so-called ‘free’ app on any electronic device definitely experiences such infuriating moments several times a day. And it’s simply because many businesses, app developers and service operators have become heavily reliant on online advertisements to attract customers and generate revenue.
Introducing the Annoying-Ads Business Model
The annoying-ads business model is not particularly new. Marketers and business owners have been using the technique called ‘freemium’ for quite a long time now.
The idea is to let people download an app free of cost and then constantly interrupt its usage through ads so much that they are forced to pay for a premium ‘ad-free’ version in order to get rid of the annoyance.
Advertisements are an integral part of business operations – there’s no disputing that. And if you are the app developer, publisher or a business owner, ads are sure to bring you some big bucks from the advertising company.
But judging by the way this revenue-boosting strategy has taken a downturn for some of the most renowned giants in the industry, the annoying-ads business model probably does more harm than the short-term benefits that it provides.
Annoying Ads Are Not Good for Any Business
Annoying ads do not necessarily mean that the ad itself is bothersome in terms of the content, design, and layout. A simple pop-up banner asking the user to sign up for an ad-free version can be maddening enough for many people.
Bombarding the app users with irrelevant ads is bound to make anyone turn red with rage. Although the use of technologies like geo-location has enabled publishers to feature targeted advertisements, online ads still ruin the user experience.
While some people do subscribe for the premium version, others simply start searching for better alternatives, leaving the publisher with less advertising revenue. As for a business website, ads are not always good because they distract the visitor from what the brand is trying to sell in the first place.
A study conducted by Pandora found that users who were interrupted by a lot of ads listened to music for fewer hours than their counterparts who were served with little to no ads.
Therefore, if you don’t want to compromise your customers’ loyalty, it’s probably best to steer clear of following the annoying-ads business model. Search for better alternatives for driving sales and generating revenue.
