Banner blindness and the fight for attention

Have you noticed that you barely even notice ads on websites anymore? So much so that you mute them or close them, but how many users actually know what the ad content was a moment later?

You are not the only one. This is a phenomenon experts call banner blindness—and it is not a user problem, but a reality for advertisers.

The average person sees between 6,000 and 10,000 ads per day

In the age of digital content hyperproduction, the numbers are staggering. Various studies estimate that the average person sees between 6,000 and 10,000 advertising messages per day—from billboards on the road and ads in apps to email, packaging, and of course online ads.

The problem? The human brain simply cannot process it. To protect themselves from cognitive overload, people develop filtering mechanisms. One of these is ignoring ads—especially those that look like… well, ads.

The fight for attention: who will win in 3 seconds?

In the flood of information, the question is no longer how much advertisers invest, but how quickly they capture the user’s attention.

A well-known example is Netflix’s campaign, where ads in Times Square used “dead zones”—where passers-by look past—to surprise them with short but shocking questions (“What if your favourite series looked back at you?”).

The same applies to TikTok, where brands often have less than 2 seconds to keep a user before they “swipe on”.

Today’s advertisers’ tactics: more subtle, smarter

In response to banner blindness, advertisers are using increasingly sophisticated approaches:

Content marketing

Instead of classic ads, brands create value-driven content—articles, videos, guides. For example: an online bank, instead of ads about low interest rates, produces a series of videos titled “How to save smartly as a student”.

Influencer marketing

People trust people more than logos. Advertisers therefore work with influencers, who naturally integrate a product or service into their content.

Interactive formats (quizzes, AR, giveaways)

Users participate because it entertains them—not because it is an ad. This way, the cognitive filter does not kick in.

Relevance above all

If the message is timely, contextual, and useful, it is more likely the user will accept it. For example: if you search for “best climbing backpack”, an ad with a review of climbing backpacks will be far more effective than a generic ad for a sports store with a photo of a footballer.

What can you do as an advertiser?

• Find out what the user really needs—not what you want to say.
• Optimise ad messages so they work as part of the content, not as an intrusive distraction.
• Test different formats—from videos and native ads to collaborations with content creators.
• Do not just advertise—build trust.

Conclusion: attention is the currency of the future

Banner blindness is not a sign that advertising does not work—it is a sign that the world has changed. People still take in information—they just choose how and from whom.

The winners will be those who understand that it is no longer enough to “be seen”. You must be relevant, timely, and authentic. Everything else the user’s mind will simply skip.