I Skip ‘em — They Look Like Marketing
And what that tells us about how people really see your messages.
We were reviewing a digital portal. 9/10 user satisfaction. Glowing feedback.
And yet, a throwaway comment kept surfacing:
“I skip those. They look like ads.”
Not just once. Repeatedly. Different users, same reaction. These weren’t banner ads. These were helpful messages:
Reminders to top up KiwiSaver before the end of tax year
New product nudges
Useful prompts that could genuinely benefit the user
But the second they looked like marketing, they were invisible.
The Message Is the Problem
(When It Looks Like One)
It’s not that people hate being helped. They just hate being sold to.
We’ve all been trained — subconsciously — to skip the shiny box, the bold headline, the promotional tone.
Like banner blindness, but for any comms that feels like it’s trying too hard.
So if you want someone to read it?
You’ve got to hide the sell. Make it contextual. Make it part of the experience. Embed the message in content they’re already engaging with. Make it feel like information, not interruption.
Which is probably why plain text emails still work.They feel like something from a real person. Not a campaign.
From Add-Ons to Afterthoughts
We’d started with two simple in-app modules.
Important, timely updates. Helpful stuff.
As always, the list grew. Four modules.
A little shoutier. A little boxier. A little more… marketing.
And that’s when users tuned out. Not because the content was bad — but because the delivery looked like something they’ve been trained to avoid.
The Shift
These insights have changed how we approach comms design.
It’s no longer just: “Where can we add a message?”
It’s: “Where will a user already be, and how do we blend the message into that moment?”
It’s no longer: “How do we grab attention?”
It’s: “How do we earn attention by respecting the moment?”
Because let’s be honest — people aren’t looking to be marketed to. They’re looking to get things done. And if your message helps them do that, great.
Just don’t make it look like marketing.
