Dive Brief:

• The Coalition for Better Ads asked more than 25,000 consumers to rank 104 ad experiences so it could identify user experience factors that are most highly correlated with the propensity to adopt ad blocking tech, per a press release.
• The results show six desktop and 12 mobile ad experiences that fall beneath the threshold of acceptable experiences. For desktop they are: pop-up ads, auto-play video ads with sound, prestitial ads with countdown and large sticky ads. For mobile, the offending formats are: pop-up ads, prestitial ads, ads with density greater than 30%, flashing animated ads, auto-play video ads with sound, poststitial ads with countdown, full-screen scrollover ads, and large sticky ads.
• By focusing on the least preferred ads, the Coalition's goal is to leave open the possibility for continued innovation in the development of new ads experiences while helping advertisers identify formats that are currenlty not working.

Dive Insight:

While it is hardly groundbreaking news that consumers find pop-ups and flashing animation annoying, the research is noteworthy because it is the first major effort to come out the Coalition for Better Ads, which was formed last fall by a group of major advertising trade groups and big brands to address the growing use of ad blocking software. The group views the trend toward ad blockers as reflective of the poor quality of digital ads and having the potential to undermine the entire digital advertising ecosystem if ad quality is not improved.

Ad block software remains a challenge for the entire digital advertising ecosystem, and the new Coalition for Better Ads standards are the latest move to combat the issue. The Coalition described the new standards as “initial,” with the research intended to be ongoing.

The research will serve as a foundation to the LEAN Scoring System, which is currently under development by the IAB with the goal of providing tools to improve the user experience across interactive screens. The system is based on the idea that digital ads must be light, encrypted, AdChoice supported and non-invasive.