Watch
Disguised ads 0:30
A 30-second explainer of Disguised ads, narrated over the same demo you can try yourself.
Try the interactive Disguised ads demo
What this video covers
Disguised ads are adverts that mimic content or interface elements, so users click them thinking they’re something else. For example, a fake 'Download' button beside the real one, or an ad styled to look like a search result or article - all deliberately blur the line between editorial and paid, on purpose.
Did you click the real link first time, or one of the impostor "Download" buttons? Disguised ads bank on exactly that confusion - dressing adverts in the page's own clothes so a misdirected click pays out. The fix is honest separation: ads that look unmistakably like ads and are labelled as such, so you always know what you're clicking. Camouflage that defeats that is deception, not advertising.
