As an experienced web user, I've always had a relationship of tolerance with online advertising. I've never installed ad-blocking plugins, always trusting in the good sense of those who host them on their sites and those who develop them.
I work for an Italian publishing group, where I'm responsible for developing and innovating graphic interfaces for journalistic content. Recently, however, the need arose to develop our own advertising products, and consequently, my focus on this topic has intensified.
I believe a good chef must love food. In the same way, to develop an effective advertising product, it's essential to understand it deeply, putting yourself in the shoes of those who 'consume' it.
However, as I mentioned, my relationship with ads has always been one of minimal, tolerant perception. I saw these box-like elements relegated to a small 300x300px space or a page header. But things changed when these advertising elements started to become invasive, more interactive, and much larger.
I prefer ads that sit alongside the content rather than overwhelming it, and I believe this idea is shared by many users, perhaps even you who are reading this.
I find it truly frustrating to close ads that interrupt my browsing, and even worse when I navigate from one page to another and a similar intrusive ad appears again.
Surely, the reason these commercial elements are introduced is economic: the more an ad is seen and forces user interaction—even if it's just to close it or an accidental click—the higher its economic value.
However, while there's an economic reward on one side, there could be user alienation on the other.
Why should a user repeatedly endure an annoying experience?
Only one subtle answer comes to mind: for the exclusivity of the content.
As a user, I am so interested in reading that content, watching that video, or intrigued by those images that I am even willing to endure an advertisement for several seconds.
It makes you wonder if this strategy, as ubiquitous as it is, is truly forward-thinking, or if it's slowly eroding the trust of the most precious resource of all: the end user.
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