The research, which was based on an online survey of 2,006 adults carried out between 13th and 16th October, found that 72% of respondents felt that bad advertising experiences would negatively affect their perception of a brand.

In addition, 86% felt that too many adverts on a web page made them feel ‘overwhelmed’ and likely to ignore advertising altogether.

Too many advertisements were the top user experience issue cited by respondents, followed by blocked screen content, accidental clicks, slow load speeds and unstable page content.

The research found support for an advertising-funded internet, with 56% agreeing that they enjoyed reading free content from reputable publishers and 39% saying they liked discovering new products and brands on the open web.

Also, 71% of participants said they would be more likely to feel positively towards adverts if they were fast-loading and did not force clicks or block content.

Matthew Goldhill, founder and chief executive officer at Picnic, said: “If brands and media planners can shift their approach towards prioritising ad solutions that resolve user experience issues on the web, we as an industry can drastically reduce the amount of ineffective, wasted and even damaging ad spend.

“This would not only be better for the environment but would also help to drive more meaningful engagement and returns for brands.”