Why digital advertisements need a review in 2025
We need to talk. Digital advertising in 2025 increasingly feels like a pyramid scheme. Not because advertisers have bad intentions, but because the entire system has been built for years on the wrong foundations: clicks, views, and volume. And we are paying the price for that today.
- System problem: Digital ads built on the wrong foundations - clicks, views, volume
- User resistance: Ad blockers, cookie banners, skip buttons as self-defense against pollution
- Laziness epidemic: Superficial metrics, content for algorithms instead of people, no real value
- Solution direction: Content as a product, optimization for interaction, owned assets, UX focus
- New paradigm: Trust is the new reach - earning instead of buying attention
How it all started: attention as currency
Online advertising started with a simple premise: whoever captures attention can make sales. But what began with banners on the side of news websites has now become an intrusive cocktail of pop-ups, pre-rolls, cookies, trackers, and content written solely to please algorithms.
“Ad blocking solutions are projected to cost publishers $54 billion in lost ad revenue in 2024, representing approximately 8% of total digital ad spending.”
Source: Backlinko - Ad Blocker Usage and Revenue Impact
If you look at the average B2B company today, you'll see banners that nobody clicks, white papers that nobody reads, and sponsored content that's so generic it could just as easily have been written by an AI copywriter from 2019. Meanwhile, users are bombarded with messages but rarely feel personally addressed.
The real problem? Laziness disguised as strategy.
Digital advertising has become lazy. The model rewards superficiality. A page view? Great, here's your CPM. Whether someone read the piece or even stayed for a second doesn't matter. Let alone whether it had any impact.
The result: a landscape full of digital noise. And users who are increasingly adept at ignoring that noise. Ad blockers, cookie banners, skip buttons... These aren't random trends; they're self-defense mechanisms against a polluted ecosystem.
“Globally, 31.5% of internet users use ad blockers at least sometimes when they are online, with more than 912 million ad-blocking users worldwide in Q2 2023.”
Source: Backlinko - Ad Blocker Usage Statistics
The reader isn't the problem. We are.
When websites beg you to disable your ad blocker because you're 'destroying' their journalism, they're really just showing how dependent they've become on a model that no longer works. The truth is: people don't hate ads. They hate irrelevant, intrusive, slow-loading ads that add no value.
The problem, therefore, isn't the user, but the fact that we've started creating content for algorithms instead of for people. We build sites for robots and measure success with figures that say nothing about real impact.
“Nearly a third of Americans (32.2%) use ad blockers, with desktop leading the way at 37% and men blocking more ads than women (49% vs 33%).”
Source: Cropink - Ad Blockers Usage Statistics
So what should you do? Build ownership, trust, and relevance.
The path forward isn't easy, but it is clear. Brands that want to survive must treat content as a product, not a marketing gimmick.
Create content that helps your target audience, not distracts them. Clear formats, persona-based segmentation, valuable insights, no bullshit.
Optimize for interaction, not just views. Scroll depth, time on page, returning visitors: these metrics tell you something about relevance.
Use retargeting with moderation and respect. If someone has shown interest, give them a reason to return. No spam.
Ensure your UX is frictionless. Users don't want a jumble of banners, sidebars, trackers, and autoplay videos. They want speed, clarity, and simplicity.
Invest in owned assets. Think of valuable evergreen content, a strong newsletter, templates, tools, podcasts, or gated hubs. Build an ecosystem where people voluntarily return.
“The most cited reason for ad blocking is that websites are more manageable without banners, but consumers also want to avoid irrelevant or offensive messages and prevent tracking.”
Source: Statista - Ad Blocking User Behavior Research
Advertising isn't dead, but it needs to be reinvented
The shift we're experiencing now is painful but necessary. Those who continue to pour budget into generic banners and display ads without a strategy are burning more than just money: they're damaging their brand trust.
The future belongs to brands that dare to prioritize long-term thinking, invest in authority, relevance, and empathy, understand that trust is the new reach, and recognize that the only metric that truly matters is: Do customers return?
So, let's stop buying attention and start earning it.
“Advertisers reported a 22% decrease in return on investment (ROI) for digital campaigns in markets with high ad-blocking rates.”
Source: SEO Sandwich - Latest Ad Blocking Statistics
Are you an SME looking to build sustainable marketing results that actually work? Then it's time for a different approach. At ClickForest, we're here to help you leave that old model behind.
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Frequently asked questions about digital advertising in 2025
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Because the model relies too heavily on superficial metrics like page views and impressions, instead of focusing on actual impact or relevance to the user. This results in content that caters to algorithms but offers no real value.
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The current system is oversaturated, slow, impersonal, and often disruptive. Many ads are blocked, ignored, or perceived as annoying. The result? A lack of trust and conversions.
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No, they are a reaction to poor user experiences. They force marketers to come up with better, less intrusive strategies that are actually valued by users.
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Scroll depth, time on page, returning visitors, conversion rates, and engagement (such as shares or comments) are better indicators of genuine impact.
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Because they are rarely relevant, visually ignored, and often detract from the brand experience. They create noise instead of value.
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By focusing on owned channels (such as newsletters, tools, and guides), thought leadership, and empathetic content that addresses the needs of their target audience.
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Not if it's done right. Semantic SEO, structured data, and content clusters that answer real questions are essential to stay visible and relevant — without resorting to clickbait.
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You're thinking about the format, distribution, target audience, timing, and value. Just like you would with a software tool or service. Content should be usable, discoverable, and sustainable.
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Yes, provided it's done respectfully. No spam or obsessive repetition, but relevant follow-up based on genuine interest or behavior.
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Audit your current ads. Invest in UX. Focus on your own platforms. Create educational or useful content for each persona. And think long term: building trust takes longer but pays off much better.
Sources and references
Ad fraud and programmatic advertising
Statista: "Estimated cost of digital advertising fraud worldwide in 2023 and 2028" - https://www.statista.com/statistics/677466/digital-ad-fraud-cost/
AdMonsters: "Digital advertising malware in 2024: lessons for 2025 and beyond" - https://admonsters.com/digital-advertising-malware-in-2024-lessons-for-2025-and-beyond/
MarTech: "How to tackle ad fraud in 2025" - https://martech.org/how-to-tackle-ad-fraud/
Ad blocker usage and user behavior
Backlinko: "Ad blocker usage and demographic statistics in 2024" - https://backlinko.com/ad-blockers-users
Cropink: "Ad blocker usage statistics 2025: who blocks ads and why" - https://cropink.com/ad-blockers-usage-statistics
Attention economy and marketing effectiveness
McKinsey: "The attention equation: winning the right battles for consumer attention" - https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-attention-equation-winning-the-right-battles-for-consumer-attention
Startups Magazine: "Marketing in 2025: winning in the attention economy" - https://startupsmagazine.co.uk/article-marketing-2025-winning-attention-economy
Made-for-advertising sites and loss of quality
ExchangeWire: "The MFA report 2024: from made for advertising to made for attention" - https://www.exchangewire.com/insights-and-attitudes/the-mfa-report-2024/
Lumen Research: "3 key findings from the made-for-advertising landscape in 2024" - https://lumen-research.com/blog/3-findings-mfa-landscape/
Digiday: "What are made-for-advertising sites (MFAs)" - https://digiday.com/marketing/wtf-are-made-for-advertising-sites-mfas/
