Banner ads used to work. Display campaigns used to drive traffic. Social media ads used to offer dependable returns. Then the world changed. Click rates fell. Prices soared. Ad blockers became standard. Audiences learned to ignore formats they’ve been served a million times.
Most businesses can tell when their advertising isn’t working anymore. They struggle to know what to do about it. The problem isn’t advertising is no longer working. The channels and formats that used to drive results just aren’t doing it anymore. To maintain visibility, businesses need to find different channels and formats because audiences have tuned out the “old normal.”
When the Old Playbook Crumbles
Display advertising is under siege in 2025. Ad blockers sit on 83% of browsers. Even without the software, audiences have learned not to notice sponsored content and banners anymore. Their brains switch it out. It’s the autopilot function.
Social media advertising has hit the wall too. The price of a click keeps climbing, while engagement numbers keep sinking. Organic visibility across social media platforms is virtually impossible unless you’re paying— and even then, nothing is guaranteed. Audiences have flooded social feeds with so much advertising they’re expert at ignoring all things sponsored.
It’s a tough spot for any business when channels designed to attract customers stop performing, or at best, with dismal results. Many companies simply throw more budget at the channels they rely on when the performance dips. It’s a mistake. Budget injection figures burn just as fast as—if not faster than— underwhelming campaigns these days.
Finding Channels With Eyes on Ads
The companies that keep up their visibility have switched to channels and formats audiences haven’t learned to ignore.
One format gaining traction reaches people through browser notifications even when they’re not actively on a website. Learning about push notifications ads reveals how this approach delivers messages directly to users’ devices without competing for attention against web page content. The format works because it arrives at moments when users aren’t overwhelmed by other advertising.
Video content on platforms built specifically for video also maintains stronger performance than traditional banner ads. People expect and accept video ads on streaming platforms in ways they don’t tolerate banner ads cluttering article pages. The context matters as much as the format.
Native advertising that genuinely matches the surrounding content still outperforms obvious display ads. When the advertising looks and feels similar to the content people came to consume, they engage with it more willingly. The key word there is “genuinely”—lazy native ads that scream “sponsored content” face the same resistance as traditional banners.
The Multi-Channel Reality
Once it was a risky business relying on one channel for advertising. Now it’s impossible.
What works today might not be relevant next quarter as audience behaviors change or platforms change the rules of engagement. The best businesses have adopted a multi-channel strategy that diversifies advertising budgets across various channels and formats. They test new formats while still leaning into what works and most importantly, they keep an eagle eye on the performance of each channel.
Testing Matters
Testing has always been critical in advertising. Now it’s more important than ever.
What works for one business doesn’t always work for another in the same market segment. Audience behaviors are different. Geographic location has a role to play in which formats work better for certain audiences. It’s an extra challenge testing formats when audience behaviors change so rapidly, but it’s a worthy exercise in ensuring businesses stay visible.
Adapting Without Panicking
When advertising takes a nose dive, the knee jerk reaction is to panic and throw everything but the kitchen sink at the problem without thought. A smarter approach is to focus on tried and tested methods— mindfully.
What’s causing advertising formats to stop working? Is it the cost of clicks? Conversion rates? Is traffic on social media platforms in a downward spiral? These are all unique problems that require specific solutions rather than one blanket solution that ignores the behavior changes that triggered the problem in the first place.
Focus Your Testing Efforts
That means pivoting the testing process rather than haphazardly throwing new formats at the issue. Identify where target audiences spend their time these days. If its mobile devices, test mobile-friendly formats that don’t interrupt their digital lives.
If they’ve moved onto other community platforms, test advertising formats that cater to these platforms rather than traditional social media platforms built for social engagement rather than professional networking.
The Future of Advertising
Advertising isn’t going anywhere. It will evolve alongside digital consumption. What works today won’t always be around tomorrow.
Companies that stay visible over the long-term know how to adapt. They see testing as a key part of their advertising plan rather than hoping for a silver bullet in the form of a single format that worked for audiences a few years back.
Advertising is a long-term endeavor these days, and audiences are all about testing new content formats instead of passively accepting ads cluttering their feeds.
