The internet's most annoying campaigns

Devastation through irritation

"Annoying" is mostly in the eye of the beholder. Our opinions are guided by our individual sense of humor and personal interests. Thus, different folks have different ideas of what a marketing faux pas looks like. However, there are a few universally irritating online marketing missteps that almost everyone can agree on. In the worst cases, these ill-conceived online ads can prove financially devastating for brands, as irritating ads can be costly while simultaneously ruining brand reputation.

Yet, annoying marketing campaigns continue to proliferate on the web -- junking up the websites we browse, interfering with our internet viewing capabilities, slowing down our searches, boring us to death with excessive repetition, offending us in unimaginable ways, surprising us when we don't want to be surprised and, ultimately, wasting our precious time.

For this article, we asked a panel of industry experts to discuss their picks for the most annoying marketing campaigns -- from creepy retargeting methods to ill-placed banner ads that are bound to irritate even the most forgiving internet user. Read on to find out what brands shouldn't do to get attention on the internet, and gain insight into how companies can avoid advertising mishaps that might ultimately result in considerable reputation damage.

In the end, perhaps Mom said it best: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.