Adverse advertising: the impact advertisements have on webpage content retention

This study examined the effect of Web-based advertising on Webpage content retention. A single-factor experiment was conducted on three groups of subjects (n=105). Each of the three groups differed only regarding the absence or presence of advertisements and the congruity of these advertisements to the thematic design of the Webpage and the informative content. A post-experimental questionnaire assessed the subject\u27s retention of Web page content as well as the subject\u27s retention of any present advertisements. The results suggest advertisement presence significantly reduces a subject\u27s ability to retain informative content. The results do not suggest the congruity of the advertisement to the content affects retention of either the advertisement or the informative content