Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
Summary: Ads in apps are nothing new, and a recent survey found that about half of them that get clicked by users are clicked by accident. Not very many sales can be happening that way.
Ads in apps are nothing new, and a recent survey found that about half of them that get clicked by users are clicked by accident. That bears repeating for those whose business plans rely on revenue generated by ad-supported free apps: almost half of ads clicked in apps are done by accident. I am not an advertising expert, but it's pretty clear to me that ads clicked by accident don't end up in sales.
The problem is due to small phone screens that don't leave much room for error. My clumsy fingers can attest to how easy it is to tap something on the phone screen, only to have the dreaded ad get clicked. The feeling of stupidity for the error is quickly replaced by anger at the app developer for putting the ad there in the first place. That anger turns to fury if the ad inside the app I am using takes me out of the app. The browser opens and takes over the phone, so the company behind the ad can try to sell me something.
With half of the clicks done in error, many of you have probably made the same mistake. You are particularly exposed to the "bad ad tap" syndrome if you're one of the millions who use an Android phone. Many app developers offer their Android apps for free, with ads tucked away to make the developer some money. The truth is that if so many ad taps are spurious, then in-app ad revenue is in essence a house of cards. Someone has to ultimately buy something to make the money paid for ads worth something, and it sounds like that's not what's happening. The mobile ad industry may be in for a rude awakening as advertisers figure this out.
Image credit: Flickr User Steve Snodgrass
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Talkback
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
You mean
The fancy animated ads that take over half your screen with the itty bitty "x" somewhere of to the side almost invisible so that by the time you find it the ads over or worse yet the animated ad closes and you are actually clicking on the ad? Yes, love those ;)
I do it just to drive up the cost
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
I block all ads with Firefox...
I find ads useless
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
Not surprised
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
ZDNET alone is probably responsible for half of my lifetime accidental clicks.
Ads benefit users
From an advertiser's perspective, mobile ads are no different from TV, radio, or web ads. The truth is, most people change the channel during the commercials, ignore the web ads and hope they go away as quickly as possible, just as they ignore mobile ads. This is the same game just using a new delivery method.
Mobile ads are here to stay for one simple reason. More and more people are spending time on mobile devices that used to be spent on the non-mobile web, watching TV, or listening to radio. There is no way advertisers are going to give up on targeting this growing market.
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
Edit: that said, even Pandora puts the ad half a millimeter from ALL of the functions of the program. So they are still inviting accidental clicks.
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
That is fine but when the Ad basically forces itself on you by popping up or sliding down, has annoying audio, or is so huge that it is near impossible to navigate the page without hovering over it or clicking on it that causes some other intrusive act then it is not advertising at all. It is more like harassment. I find that these types of ads are way too common and need to stop. I understand that they generate revenue and I appreciate that but there is no excuse for how some of the ads are presented to people.
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
It's not the ads themselves that most people object to; it's the sneaky tactics employed to get us to click on them.
Let's be honest--If an ad moves out of the way, hides the "X" to close it, or otherwise employs trickery to sell something, how honest does the seller seem?
Ads are fine, in reasonable numbers and if done properly. Dirty tricks are not fine, and a merchant who employs those tricks will never get my money.
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
RE: Ads in mobile apps: Half are clicked accidentally
Doesn't bother me at all...I keep my hosts file reasonably up-to-date and forward all of the annoying ads to the loopback. Easier on and Android device than IOS, but it solves the problems nicely. Full disclosure: I am a developer, albeit not a mobile one.