Banner Blindness is too big to ignore

Trend Spotlight: Why Your Ads Are Invisible (And How to Fix It).

In The News: Key trends reshaping marketing strategies this week, from the dominance of short-form content to Duo’s demise.

Live Training: Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working (And What to Do About It)

Let’s dive in.

Trend Spotlight: Banner Blindness is Beating You

The Psychology of Why People Ignore Your Ads

Consumers are surrounded by ads at all times, but most never register. People have learned to tune out marketing that feels disruptive, irrelevant, or manipulative. This phenomenon is called Banner Blindness, and it’s causing brands that rely on outdated tactics to lose attention, trust, and revenue.

The modern shopper expects ads that are relevant and engaging. Instead, they are bombarded with content they don’t care about.

What’s Happening?

Years of digital advertising overload have reshaped how people respond to marketing:

• 90% of users skip video ads as soon as they get the option.
• 70% of consumers don’t trust online ads.
• Only 2% of display ads receive clicks, and up to 60% of those are accidental.

Ad blockers, premium content subscriptions, and consumer preferences all point to one thing: people want control over what they see.

What’s at Stake?

• Cognitive Overload Is Real: People process thousands of brand messages every day. Anything irrelevant gets ignored.
• Ad Fatigue Lowers Engagement: When brands rely on repetitive, intrusive ads, engagement drops, and audiences disengage completely.
• Intrusive Ads Create Backlash: Pop-ups, auto-play videos, and aggressive retargeting don’t increase conversions. They frustrate users and damage trust.

What Should You Do?

• Make Relevance the Priority: Most ads fail because they don’t match consumer interests. 70% of people engage only with ads that reflect what they care about.
  
• Choose the Right Format: Video ads under 15 seconds see higher engagement than longer ones. Email remains the most trusted marketing channel.
• Stop Overloading Customers: Overexposure leads to negative brand associations. Instead of pushing the same ad repeatedly, offer fresh content that adds value.
• Make Ads Worth Watching: Effective ads entertain, inform, or solve a problem. When brands focus on storytelling, engagement increases.

At Ugly Mug Marketing, we help businesses create ad strategies that work. No wasted impressions. No outdated tactics.

 News Roundup

• Videos still sell: Short-form videos drove 55% of holiday purchases and interactive videos showed 300% higher engagement rates.
• Google flips the script: Google’s transition to JavaScript-driven search results pages impacts AI models and SEO tools.
• Simply Pop launch: Coca-Cola introduces Simply Pop, its first prebiotic soda line, targeting Gen-Z and millennials.
• NikeSkims debut: Nike collaborates with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS to launch NikeSkims, a new women’s training brand.
• Duolingo’s Duo demise: Duolingo’s owl mascot, Duo, was ‘killed’ in a marketing stunt involving a Tesla Cybertruck.

Let’s fix your marketing strategy!

If any of the following sounds familiar, this exclusive training is for you:

 “I need more customers, but I don’t know how to consistently attract them.”
 “I’m putting myself out there, but nothing seems to be working.”
 “I’ve tried different marketing tactics, but they don’t turn into real sales.”
 “I don’t have time to waste on things that don’t actually grow my business.”