Pop-Up Ads Lead to Consumer Revolt, Ad-Blocking

securitas writes "The New York Times' Saul Hansell reports on pop-up advertising and the consumer backlash against intrusive advertising. It's worth noting that pop-ups and pop-unders are the most effective, lucrative and annoying online advertising form. The article discusses the boom in ad-blocker software, with AOL, Yahoo and Google getting into the game. Microsoft says that it will include pop-up blocking in IE when it releases WinXP SP2. According to one pop-under ad agency, 20%-25% percent of Web users have pop-up blocking enabled, double the rate of a year ago - Earthlink's numbers bear that out, with 1 million of its 5 million customers using its ad-blocking software 18 months after release. DoubleClick says that it is 'developing technology that will enable pop-up ads to evade the blocking software.' Why isn't that surprising?"

Poor Windows XP users...

[shawnce]

Isn't it nice that they have to wait for a whole XP service pack to be qualified and released before they can get an update to IE so they can block pop-ups, something that most other current browsers provide and some of those for a while.

That is innovation for ya ;-)

You're Stealing the Internet!

[Slashdolt]

You realize that if you block pop-ups, that you're stealing Internet service. In fact, this is even worse than what TIVO users are doing by stealing television. At least in TIVO's case, it can't skip over "live" broadcasting.

You are all just a bunch of sick criminals.

--
Jamie Kellner
Chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting

I have a crazy idea..

[Exantrius]

Why not try and advertise something that someone *WANTS* to purchase-- Maybe *THEN* you won't have to evade a protection I put on my computer because I don't want to deal with your crap.

Why is this so hard? Google's apparently doing a pretty good job of it-- Sure you need a lot more customers, but for the love of frank, I don't need any goddamned spy cameras, I don't have a babysitter or a cheating spouse, or for that matter a misbehaving dog. /Ex

Microsoft says that it will include...

[NewbieProgrammerMan]

Golly, I'm glad Microsoft is all over this one, because God knows nobody else [mozilla.org] would ever have thought [opera.com] to do it.

Re:I have a crazy idea..

[kurosawdust]

I don't need any goddamned spy cameras, I don't have a babysitter or a cheating spouse, or for that matter a misbehaving dog.

How do you know unless you have the spy camera?? There could be a babysitter in your house right now without your knowing!

Bring it on!

[Luscious868]

Bring it on Doubleclick! It'll be a fucking frosty day in hell when I ever buy anything from any company that advertises with you. Doubleclick will do all of that work only to have companies that make pop-up blocking software figure out a way to block the new kind of pop-up ads and shut them down again. The problem is that as long as even 0.0001% of users are stupid enough to click the pop-ups and actually buy something there will always be scum sucking, bottom feeding companies that will do what Doubleclick does. It's just like the spam problem. All of us pay because of the few rocket scientists who buy things that are advertised via pop-ups and spam. I just hope these tools don't reproduce, but we all know they will. In fact, they are the type that tend to reproduce most.

"Hey, what the hell Bobby Sue, let's have another 13 kids we can't afford to feed. Hey, Bobby Sue, lookie here, it says here in my e-lectronic mail that they've get these new fangeled pills that can enlarge my penis. Heeeee hah! I'm saving this here message and if I can't find these babies at Wal-Mart then I'll just click this here website and buy these puppies. Your 4 credit cards aren't still maxed out is they Bobby Sue?"

Re:Does advertising have to be annoying?

[Carnildo]

Which companies are these? I haven't seen a popup or pop-under ad in years.

Re:But look how FEW people few use it ...

[Artifakt]

"Is there any other industry where regular, daily users of a technology are nevertheless bumbling novices at it?"

Do you drive?

Re:Feh

[catch23]

There's also another really GREAT way of blocking pop-ups. It's called "lynx". Just try to write javascript to pop up another terminal window!!!

Pity poor guy

[BobaFett]

> "These pop-up blockers, as they become too
> widely used, will definitely cut into my
> income," said William Smith, who runs 40
> Web sites from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
> "A guy has to make money," he said.


"These bank vaults, as they become too widely used, will definitely cut into my income," said Smilliam With, bank robber and safecracker. "A guy has to make money," he said.

Re:Does advertising have to be annoying?

[alex_ant]

It's amazing how books can be such ominous foreshadowers of the future. In "It" by Stephen King, there is this sadistic monster clown that comes up through the drain pipes and terrorizes little kids. Quite a scary prospect I think - we ought to look very seriously at how we develop our sanitation systems from now on, and keep a steady watch over our kids' bathroom activities in order to keep them from falling victim to these maniacal, killer clowns.

Lucrative?

[chiph]

It's worth noting that pop-ups and pop-unders are the most effective, lucrative and annoying online advertising form.

Lucrative? That's because people were accidentally clicking on the ad in their haste to hit the close button.

Chip H.