Why are people using AdBlock?

HOW TO FIGHT AGAINST ADBLOCK

Ad-blocking software has been causing chaos in the digital marketing industry. This impact will spread further if it becomes more convenient to block ads on mobile as well as desktop.

Why are people using AdBlock?

Very few people love ads, even advertisers. Ask yourself if you ever spent your time watching a complete promotional video or reading the entire text of a banner to see what it is about? Rarely anyone does that, unless it is related to what they do.

Ads have been around for a long time, and if users don't like them, they can immediately click off or skip as soon as they are displayed. Today, however, users have more options to get rid of ads entirely. They use ad-blocker add-ons, such as AdBlock Plus. These add-ons work right in your web browser, on your computer, or mobile device, and can be used on any website: Facebook, YouTube, etc.

The viral factor also contributed significantly to the explosion of ad-blockers. With attractive ads like ‘an ad-blocking app that saves battery power, protects data, increases web browsing speed’, users can easily try it out, and entice relatives and friends to use it.

How are companies dealing with AdBlock?

Some major newspapers, like Forbes and Business Insider, have made their moves to resolve this problem. They block people from using ad-blockers entirely. Others, such as The Guardian, take a more subtle approach, and try to capture the flow of readers' thoughts.

Recently, news sites have attempted to trick ad-blockers using different techniques.

Several researches have tried auto-running about 20 to 30 separate snippets of code on a news site with the intention to insert ads into the page, even though the page is already using ad-blockers. When the ad-blocker attempted to block the actual advertisements, another script and ad is placed in the ad slot.

Another interesting method that companies are using is to turn the site's server into the ad server. This tricks the ad-blockers on the browser into thinking that what it sees isn't an ad. This method can trick regular users, but the savvier users can easily block those ads with a right-click setting in their ad-blockers.

As a digital ad agency, what should you do?

Andrew Goodman, founder of Page Zero Media, said: “Since specific devices guide the concepts of mobile phones, voice search, facial recognition, AI and machine-learning, etc. the whole concept of interrupting people with advertising can be ruined.”

Going forward, Goodman sees companies such as Apple and Microsoft in a potentially advantageous position, because they "can rely on business models that provide features to consumers rather than on advertising to complement any customer who can pay for the functionalities.”

As the ad-blocking activity expands, the advertising industry will be forced to produce increasingly quality ads, improving the ad delivery process to become more transparent and safer. All of this contributes to a healthier and better digital ecosystem.

Don't see the ad-blocker explosion as an end to the market, but see it as a growth opportunity. Only players who seize this opportunity and make timely changes will stay afloat.

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