ByKat G Hours Updated
Comments 18 Comments

Admin / Tech / Ads

Hi guys – I saw some of the reader complaints re: audio ads late yesterday; my apologies to everyone for the audio interruption. The people who manage the ads on this site are all under strict instructions to never let audio ads in  (and, my goodness, certainly not ads for things like KY jelly, whether audio or not). Sometimes ads slip past our filters (which makes me like the advertising companies even less, but that's me). In order to stop these ads I need two pieces of information:

a) Which ad spot you saw/heard the audio ad or offensive ad (because I work with different companies to manage different ads) — if you can say “the one at the top of the sidebar” or “the one at the bottom of the sidebar,” that's very helpful.

b) If possible (pretty please), if you could click the link on the ad and send me the full URL to forward to the ad company — sometimes there is helpful information in the URL like campaign, ad network, etc.

I've been refreshing the page all morning and haven't seen any offensive ads myself, and of course only heard one of those delayed audio ads just as I was opening a new site, so I couldn't grab the info myself. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you guys for your patience with this (and all our tech troubles this week — we're trying to sort them out).

Happy weekend, everyone!

Update: I just heard a delayed audio ad for Verizon. Very annoying — grabbed the URL myself.

18 Comments

  1. Hi Kat,

    It has almost always been the below-the fold video ads in the sidebar that are auto playing w/ sound, and actually affecting the way that the page is loading/allowing users to scroll. In addition, the sound that is playing doesn’t always match the video. For instance just now the audio for a Verizon ad was playing while the video itself was for Oreos. I’ve also had some of the videos loop and start an instant replay while still below the fold, or force my screen down to the videos in the middle of trying to read an article.

    I’m not sure which ad networks you are selling your inventory to, but they have some not-great practices (or at least quality control) happening. Specifically, autoplay video (even without sound) shouldn’t start playing until it is in the users view (ie not when they are below the fold). It’s a non-compliance to IAB standards of view-ability. That tells me that either your inventory is being sold through “junk” networks, or the implementation is all a mess (I suspect a little of both). I would reach out to your contact and let them know all of this. If you have any questions regarding vocabulary, etc, feel free to email me. I work in Ad Tech at a digital ad agency so this is my jam.

  2. Kat – it is consistently the last ad on the right sidebar that auto-plays. Even when there is a mute button, if I click it for one ad, it will turn on again for the next one. There is no Ad Choices icon on these, which makes me think you are not using a reputable ad network, and that really makes me wary of visiting this site in the future.

    1. Hi Roses,

      The Adchoices icon actually just allows users to opt out of 3 rd party behavioral re-targeting. If the advertiser is not using any sort of behavioral re-targeting, there is no need to have the ad choices icon implemented on the ads–it wouldn’t serve any function.

  3. Right now, I see two Allstate autoplaying autoaudio ads (the same one, one on top of the other) on the right hand column, below the fold.

    Eta: when I hit submit, it turned to Cricket wireless and TD Bank.

  4. Experience as follows, using Firefox:
    1) Dove ad playing with Verizon audio, located above FB page info
    2) Switched to a Dove ad with Dove audio
    3) Clicked on Dove ad to capture URL (lost URL during step 6)
    4) Switched back to a Dove ad with Verizon audio, and then a second Verizon audio played over the first track
    5) Corporette page crashed with error: A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, open the script in the debugger, or let the script continue. Script: https://corporette.com/2015/05/09/admin-tech-ads/:23
    6) Closed Firefox and reopened
    7) Dove ad playing with Verizon audio, located above FB page info
    8) Corporette page crashed with error: A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, open the script in the debugger, or let the script continue. Script: https://corporette.com/2015/05/09/admin-tech-ads/:23
    9) Closed Firefox and reopened
    10) Country Crock ad playing with Country Crock audio, located above FB page info
    11) Clicked on ad for following URL: http://www.countrycrock.com/crockcountry/media/909111/-baking-
    12) Corporette page crashed with error: A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, open the script in the debugger, or let the script continue. Script: https://corporette.com/2015/05/09/admin-tech-ads/:23
    13) Closed Firefox and reopened
    14) Several video ads played, did not seem like it was the full ad
    15) Dove ad with Dove audio
    16) http://www.dove.us/Products/Deodorant/Advanced-Care-Protection/Advanced-Care-Original-Clean-Antiperspirant-Deodorant.aspx?utm_source=Ultra&utm_medium=Traditional&utm_campaign=DAC&utm_content=Equity

  7. Kat —

    I am one of the people who complained the other day, and experienced a few of these ads this morning (in Chrome. All the ads were on the right sidebar, and all when I was not viewing the part of the screen with the ad. I heard and clicked through to the following two URLs. I also heard a KY ad in between these, but (similar to the others) the video for that one did not match the text. The site is moving at a snail’s pace for me as well. Really terrible user experience — I think you need to get on your tech people/ad networks immediately. I also work in ad tech and may be able to help provide information if you want to to email me.

    Lysol ad: http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?Find=Find&_refineresult=true&ic=16_0&search_constraint=0&search_query=Lysol%20Disinfectant%20Spray%2C&facet=retailer%3AWalmart.com&srccode=cii_111417414&cpncode=40-72371
    Pedicure thing ad: http://www.amope.com/

    Good luck!

  8. We know that if we click on the And link just to send url to you, you Will be paid for that because that the way it’s working…. Very disappointed

    1. I’m not asking you to click on the link because I”ll be paid for it (these are CPM not CPC ads) — even if they were I am asking you to click on the link so I can send my ad company the campaign information hidden in the URL (that long string of numbers or whatever so they can track how ads perform).

      1. And I believe that, but it does seem weird that it seems like its always up to your readers to fix these tech problems. I’ve never heard of another site asking readers to send screen shots.

        1. Thanks for reading, Anonymous. We’re at a weird size because we are a lot bigger than other little blogs (so we have more problems), but not big enough that I can hire a huge team to help me. I’ve taken the ads down until I hear from my ad company (or at least I”m trying to).

        2. It’s actually pretty common. When Ask A Manager ran into a similar issue she needed her readers to give her info in order for her to fix it.

  9. This morning I’m getting a Yoplait ad with auto audio on the right side bar in the middle. The bottom ad on the right side bar is also auto playing, but that one does not have sound. The site is moving sluggishly.

    It switched to Craftsman Pro Series riding mower (? – that seems random) when Yoplait finished.

  10. The ads at the top, middle, and bottom of the right sidebar are auto playing, some with sound, some without, sometimes over each other, sometimes they take turns. The sound seems to be from the middle and bottom right hand ads only, not the top. There are ads from Verizon, KY jelly, Lysol, Nissan, Schiff, etc. etc. See some links below.

    https://stags.bluekai.com/site/16875?phint=event%3Dclick&phint=aid%3D4552218&phint=pid%3D116620189&phint=cid%3D8624380&phint=crid%3D62780284&done=http://www.verizonwireless.com/mothers-day/%3Fcmp%3DBAC-C-HQ-MOM-S-AW-NONE-NONE-2B0OO0-MB-DE-BN-8624380_1557503_116620189_62780284

    http://www.choosenissan.com/altima/?dcp=zmm.117459221.&dcc=0.290410401&src=SpecificMedia_FY14_Vidply_VSP_utm_source&utm_medium=117459221&utm_content=0.290410401

    http://www.amazon.com/Digestive-Advantage-Probiotics-Supplement-Capsules/dp/B000NJBE3K/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&keywords=probiotics&linkCode=ur2&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=1-34&sr_1_34%3Fs=hpc&tag=digadv-20&linkId=UOSZPEQ5ZHZNPHC3

    http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/amope-pedi-perfect-electronic-pedicure-foot-file/ID=prod6258731-product

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