NEW YORK — Out of nowhere they appear and quickly sweep across your computer screen. Sometimes unstoppable and often annoying, Internet ads have some consumers threatening never to buy from companies using them.

        “The first time, an ad may be cute to look at, but after the 10th time, it sure isn't,” said Mike Pollock, 36, a New Yorker who spends as many as eight hours a day online.

A “shoshkele” ad uses a cartoon figure moving across the screen and text. (Associated Press photo)

        The last year has been a bumpy one for online advertising. The slowing economy and failure of many dot-com businesses have significantly dampened revenue growth, and many established companies cut back their online ad budgets.

        “The industry is going through a tough time, and many sites are lucky to sell a fraction of their ad space,” said Patrick Keane, senior analyst at Jupiter Media Matrix, a New York-based online consulting and tracking firm. “As a result, people are willing to push the creative envelope a bit.”

        X10 Wireless Technology Inc. did just that with a relentless ad campaign for its tiny $80 wireless video camera. When a user goes to one of the many sites where X10 advertises, its ad immediately opens underneath the browser. When the browser is later closed, the ad appears and the user is forced to close it separately.

        Virtually overnight, the “pop-under” campaign made X10 a recognized name.

        According to the online research firm Nielsen/NetRatings, the company had 388,000 unique visitors to its Web site in January.

        Not everyone is thrilled with X10's practices. Internet chat rooms buzz with angry Web users who want to know how to disengage the ad. Numerous articles have been written on ways to make the ads go away. Even the company's Web site informs consumers how to turn off the ad for 30 days.

        X10 did not return requests from the Associated Press for comment.

        “It is a tightrope they are walking on,” said Peggy O'Neill, an analyst at Nielsen/NetRatings in Milpitas, Calif. “They have made a name for themselves in a short hurry, and that's impressive. But there is also a backlash out there of people who despise these ads and think less of the brand.”

        Web surfers can use software tools to block these ads from popping up on their screens. Consumer advocates, however, say the onus should not be on computer users.

        Pop-under ads aren't the only new formats. Last month, Ford Motor Co. launched an ad that basically took over Yahoo!'s home page. When the first page loaded, animated birds perched on Ford's banner ad began to fly around the screen before eating away at seed to reveal an ad for the Explorer.

        Growing in popularity are ads, sometimes known as “shoshkeles,” which look like cartoons floating over text and pictures. Such ads have been used by a wide range of companies, including Monster.com and Domino's pizza. One ad for airline JetBlue Airways featured a picture of one of its planes “flying” over the Web site Travelguys.net.

        And “superstitial” ads load into a computer's temporary memory while a user is viewing a Web page and appear instantly when the person clicks to another page on the same site.

        Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group, is monitoring consumer response.

        Robin Webster, IAB's president, said online advertising “is hardly tried and true. It is not TV. We haven't had 40 years to figure it out. ... We have to be willing to try new things.”

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