Enter: The Pop-Under Ad - Part 4

As users became familiar with the new media form of the Internet, they began demanding personalized content with which they could directly engage. Thus, pop-up ads, and the peripheral cues which they utilize to attract user attention, were ineffective. Advertisers soon realized they needed to innovate to be successful in the digital age. As it was clear users could not be swayed into processing the messages contained in advertisements with flashing lights and exclamation points, marketers finally began an attempt to develop a tool which would allow them to engage users through the central route to persuasion. This tool, the “pop-under,” sought to minimize the flashy and invasive nature of the pop-up, and engage users on their own terms. While pop-up ads are often shown and closed instantly, pop-under ads stay underneath the current browser window. They only appear after all other browser windows are closed.

As pop-under ads remain hidden until the user has completed their task on the main website, they do not disrupt users’ activities, and are not considered invasive. This prevents users from instinctively engaging their reaction to close the pop up window without even seeing it. Without the intrusion, internet advertisers believed this first alternative to the pop-up would produce better results by allowing for more time to process. Users would be able to centrally process the information on the ads after they finish with their own online activities.

The article, “Central and peripheral routes to advertising effectiveness: The moderating role of involvement,” (http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a783685454) cites the importance of the central route of processing in permanent attitude change. Attitudes created via the central route of processing are less resistant to change and influence (Petty, Cacioppo, & Schumann, 1983). By using the pop-under instead of the pop-up, advertisers hope to take advantage of the permanent staying power of centrally created attitudes.

The creation of the pop-under marked a new era for online advertisers. They realized the importance of not disrupting the user’s online experience and influencing users via the central route. However, ads were still very non-specific and not necessarily reaching their target audiences. A more personalized form of advertising needed to be created to match the intimate experience of the internet.