{"id":4133,"date":"2014-03-06T16:32:07","date_gmt":"2014-03-06T21:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepowertoprovoke.com\/?p=4133"},"modified":"2014-03-06T16:32:07","modified_gmt":"2014-03-06T21:32:07","slug":"reddits-efforts-toward-positive-advertising-user-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/responseblog.wpengine.com\/2014\/03\/reddits-efforts-toward-positive-advertising-user-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Reddit\u2019s Efforts Toward A Positive Advertising User Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

reddit CEO Yishan Wong doesn\u2019t like<\/a> \u201cbusiness models that are overly dependent on advertising,\u201d which has led to the creation of alternate revenue streams like reddit gold<\/a> and reddit gifts<\/a>, but also to a community-oriented take on reddit advertising that prioritizes the user experience over ad revenue, in hopes of aligning \u201cads and the will of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, reddit\u2019s attempts to foster positive community sentiments toward ads on reddit have included<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    banning intrusive and retargeted ads,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    regularly placing non-ad content within ad units,<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    allowing users to customize their ad experience, and<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    positioning ad revenue as a force for community and social good.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Whether these attempts have truly fostered widespread positive sentiment requires further data, but regardless, reddit has done quite a bit to make \u201cads suck less\u201d (in the words of reddit sales director Mike Cole<\/a>).<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    No Intrusive Or Retargeted Ads<\/h2>\n

    As posted on the reddit blog<\/a> subreddit in April 2013 by Jenna Donlin, reddit advertising manager, \u201cOur primary goal is to make advertisements on reddit as useful and non-intrusive as possible. We take great pride in the fact that reddit is one of the few sites where people actively disable ad blockers. reddit does not allow animated or visually distracting ads, and whenever possible, we try to use ads as a force of good in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

    reddit\u2019s effort toward a non-intrusive ad experience have succeeded: at most there is a single promoted link within post links and a single static ad, often below the fold. Both units also contain discussion threads specific to each ad, where redditors aren\u2019t afraid to praise or decimate.<\/p>\n

    \"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

    A sponsored top link and side ad.<\/em><\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    The discussion thread<\/a> for a LEGO sponsored link.<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Non-Ad Content Within Ad Units<\/h2>\n

    Non-ad content such as games<\/a>, silly pictures of moose<\/a>, and even pictures that thank users for not using adblockers will often be seen within reddit ad units. The resulting user attitude toward the unit is thus hopefully more positive than units on other sites that only display annoying ads.<\/p>\n

    \"\" \u00a0\"\"\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

    The subreddit r\/ads<\/a> is solely devoted to discussing ad unit content within reddit, and asks that users \u201cplease don\u2019t hesitate to let us know if you see anything that\u2019s offensive, malicious, or anything you don\u2019t want to see!\u201d Other major social networks lack a public community like r\/ads \u00a0to discuss user ad experiences, and it reflects a willingness from reddit to be critiqued by the community so it can improve the experience for everyone.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Community discussions about ads within the r\/ads subreddit.<\/em><\/p>\n

    Customized Ad Experiences<\/h2>\n

    Users may upvote or downvote ads which, similar to Pandora votes, will increase or null the likelihood of that ad being served to you. According to Jenna Dolin<\/a>, reddit advertising manager, \u201cIf you \u2018thumbs down\u2019 an ad, we won’t display it to you again, and you can give us feedback to improve the quality of reddit ads in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Users may downvote ads they don\u2019t like.<\/em><\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Ad Revenue As A Force For Good<\/h2>\n

    In a February 2014 post titled Decimating Our Ads Revenue<\/a>, reddit CEO Yishan Wong announced that \u201cwe will donate 10% of our advertising revenue receipts in 2014 to non-profits chosen by the reddit community \u2026 We want to show that advertising doesn\u2019t just support the reddit platform, it also directly supports the causes and goals of reddit as a whole.\u201d Giving the community decision-making power is a sign of thanks for users putting up with the ads.<\/p>\n

    Related Posts:<\/em><\/p>\n