How ad placements can make or break your relationship with consumers

This blog post was created without the use of AI

93% of consumers skip or block ads when they have the option (Jones). People are targeted with ads on almost every site they visit. Some are more disguised than others. How and where a company decides to place its ads affects not only the success of the ad but also how the public perceives them.

“Content is king, but context is God.” (Vaynerchuk)

Without the correct context, it doesn’t matter how great your content is… it can still flop. In Vaynerchuk’s article on the subject, he discusses tips on aligning your content with context, such as:

Respect the platform and audience
Don’t interrupt the experience

Know your audience and meet them halfway

Advertisers need to meet their intended audience where they already are. An ad is not just a way to sell a product, but “a bridge between a brand’s identity and its audience’s aspirations” (Nucleus). To create this connection, a brand needs to understand its target market’s psychology. By respecting your audience, you can create content they will be interested in.

You also need to know what platforms they visit. Then, you need to understand the context of each platform. Vaynerchuk points out that a 40-year-old woman will be in a different mindset when scrolling on Pinterest than when she is on Facebook. Brands need to align their ads’ intended message with the appropriate environment to ensure their audience is not only alert but also receptive to their content (Nucleus).

Don’t be in the way

Vaynerchuk tells a story about being on the ESPN mobile browser when an Acura ad popped up. While he was trying to exit it, he clicked on it, which brought him to the Acura website. Not only did this count as an “impression” for Acura, but it disrupted his experience. The context in which Vaynerchuk interacted with the brand left him with a negative view of Acura, leading them to lose a potential customer.

Not interrupting a consumer’s experience while still grabbing their attention is a fine line. Advertisers can choose to use native ads or traditional display ads.

Native advertisements mimic the content around them to not disrupt the platform’s flow. This route makes the content feel natural and builds a deeper trust between the brand and the consumer (Life360 Ads). Native ads encourage consumer engagement because they are typically context-based.

Display ads are the typical ads you see that scream, “Look at me!” They utilize eye-catching designs to disrupt the user experience to increase visibility (Life360 Ads). Display ads are more useful for building mass awareness (Malkhasyan).

Using ads to speak to a consumer

When building a campaign, a brand must focus on its goals. Building brand awareness or trust? In most cases, it should be both. Brands should use all the tools and advertising types together to solidify their brand voice. It’s important to remain consistent across all media while ensuring their content is best suited to the specific context.