Chinese tech giant sparks outrage

Baidu Maps operates in the digital mapping division of China's largest search engine. Photo: Medium .

Baidu Maps has recently come under fire for inserting ads directly into its navigation interface. The information is embedded into the road surface, and cannot be turned off in the options menu.

This form of "overly creative" advertising has caused a wave of outrage on social networks. Many people believe that this reflects excessive commercialization that reduces the user experience. Others question the ethics and safety of doing business on software that guides people.

Online community condemns

User Angie from Xiaohongshu, China's version of Instagram, said that while using Baidu Maps for directions, she discovered a 3D lane on the navigation interface displaying the words "Tired and sleepy, drink Dongpeng energy drink". Her post quickly attracted attention from the community and was widely shared on Weibo and Douyin.

The online community was outraged because the text was not only printed directly on the lane, but sometimes accompanied by a pre-recorded voice. Some versions even appeared as virtual billboards erected on the roadside, overwhelming the user interface.

The reaction from the online community was mostly negative. In the comments section of related news articles, many users said that this form of advertising was "excessive" and "unacceptable". Some even announced that they would uninstall Baidu Maps and switch to other navigation apps.

Angie shares about Baidu Maps advertising. Photo: Xiaohongshu.

According to QQ News , this form of advertising is invasive and coercive. The navigation interface, which is supposed to display core information for driving, has now been turned into an advertising platform.

More worryingly, this type of advertising has the potential to impact road safety. On complex urban routes or when traveling at high speeds, the sudden appearance of advertising text can distract drivers and even obscure important navigational information.

According to one user experience expert, the navigation interface design violates the principle of “minimal interference” to ensure that drivers can quickly and accurately grasp the necessary route information. “Visual interfaces in the driving context require a high level of information minimalism, and any non-essential elements can slow down perception,” he said.

Why does Baidu Maps install ads despite the risks?

From a business perspective, this decision is not without reason. Baidu's 2024 financial report shows that the company's total revenue reached 133.1 billion yuan. However, behind that impressive figure, the company has long stopped releasing separate financial results for Baidu Maps. This shows that the business situation of this segment is not very optimistic.

In recent years, as Internet traffic growth has slowed, major platforms have been experimenting extensively and diversifying their advertising formats. Baidu Maps currently holds the leading position in the domestic navigation map market, with an active user coverage rate of 70.8%.

Baidu Maps' risky form of advertising. Photo: Xiaohongshu.

The market has been struggling recently. Despite having a large user base, navigation apps have had difficulty generating revenue. AutoNavi, which is now fully acquired by Alibaba, has also been losing money for years.

Traditional ad models like splash screens and information streams are less effective when users are focused on traffic, which is what led to Baidu Maps’ bold idea to add value to advertisers.

The amount of money spent by Dongpeng Special Drink, the first partner of this form of lane-level advertising, has not been disclosed. According to QQ News , based on the exclusive display format and the fact that users cannot turn off the ads, it is likely a high-value cooperation deal.

On the other hand, Baidu Maps’ commercialization efforts clearly reflect the growth concerns that have forced the entire internet industry to shift from prioritizing user experience to monetization efficiency. The approach of one of the big companies like Baidu is likely to be learned by other competitors.

Some netizens have expressed concern that competitors like AutoNavi and Tencent Maps will soon follow suit. If true, this would completely change the user experience standards in the field of mobile navigation.

Source: https://znews.vn/ong-lon-cong-nghe-trung-quoc-gay-phan-no-post1552227.html