Pop-ups, Pop-unders, and Fake Dialogue Boxes
Another type of advertising some consider questionable are those that open in a new window. The prime example, of course, is the pop-up ad, which appears in a small window in front of the main browser window. The pop-under is similar, but appears behind the main browser window, so a user doesn't see it until they close that window. In both cases, advertisers may be hoping that users will inadvertently click on the window while attempting to close it and thus be taken to the advertiser's site.

Though both forms of advertising are widely used, both risk irritating the potential customer. Research shows that pop ups are the most hated advertising technique. Another reason not to use them is that most people block them. And although these ads have a high click-through rate, most of those clicks may happen inadvertently when people try to close the window. Pop ups may work for content, but are not well-accepted for ads.

Then there are ads that look like system messages from your computer -- those gray rectangles that pop up on your screen with a message and an "OK" button. The user may think clicking "OK" will close the window, but instead it takes them to the advertiser's web site.

"There’s nothing good that’s going to come from that approach," says Neil Hair, an assistant professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology who has researched people's perceptions of online ads. "You’ll just make people mad. … It’s just destroying your image longer term." Younger people especially react negatively to those types of ads, he says.

Interstitial or prestitial ads – pages that appear before the expected content – may also be perceived as irritating but are generally accepted if users have an option to bypass the page by clicking a "Skip this Ad" link.

Overlays are ads that appear over existing content, but in the same window rather than in a new window. They're also known by brand names such as Eyeblaster or Shoshkele. They're usually Flash movies. They may feature animation that moves freely over the site content. These ads are generally disliked if they cover up content; overlay ads on video have received a mixed response.

Another concern for online publishers is that all the ad types mentioned in this section may contain scripts that can crash browsers. (For more on the pros and cons of such ads, see "Pop-Up ads - Pros and Cons - Pop-Unders, Overlays, and Intrusive Ads.")

Recommendations
As people learn to ignore banner ads, is it realistic to ask advertisers not to use pop ups, overlay ads, and the like? What do you do to get people to notice your ads?

First, give up old ideas about the importance of click through. "The aim isn’t to get people to click, because they don’t. It’s recognition," says Neil Hair of the Rochester Institute of Technology. In other words, online advertising is becoming more like traditional advertising.

Hair and his colleague Susan Barnes are looking at which banner ads work and why. "It has to do with colors that are used, and whether they’re using fancy movable text, which people loathe." They also are finding that large text works better than small – so keep your message short.

Another technique that works is humor. The bottom line, says Hair, is to "use a softly-softly approach. You’ve got to build these relationships over time."

Martha Spizziri is a Boston-based freelance writer who writes frequently about business topics. She can be reached at mspizziri@rcn.com.

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