Block Annoying Online Ads

Do you enjoy seeing a pop-up ad when browsing a website? Have you accidentally clicked on one of the sticky ads when you are scrolling down? Do you feel embarrassed in library when some video ads just play automatically with sound? And don’t forget those creepy display ads stalk you everywhere. Admit it, you hate it! Those annoying digital ads!

Here comes the good news. Google Chrome is going to block some of the most annoying ads, including pop-up ads, prestitial ads with countdown, autoplay videos with sound and sizable sticky ads for desktop PCs. For the mobile devices, more ads will be muzzled (Allan, 2018). It doesn’t mean that you’ll see no digital ads on websites. Only those failed to meet the “Better Ads Standard” will be killed.

What does it mean for marketers?

In fact, it is not the first time that web users display negative attitudes toward online advertising. Many of them use ad blocking software or apps to avoid digital ads. According to a report from PageFair, there are 615 million devices from PC to mobile blocking ads by the end of 2016, which represent a 30% annual increase (O’Reilly, 2017). The survey also reveals the reason why people download an ad blocker. The top three reasons are exposure to virus and malware, interruption, and slow website loading time (O’Reilly, 2017). Marketers are not the only one to be worried. The majority of digital publishers rely on the adverting revenue and a large part of it is digital ads. Basically, it challenges their business models.

Do ad blocker users hate the brands featured in ads? Not really. A recent study shows that 40% of ad blocker users blame the software when they are interrupted by an ad. And 28% blame the website. Only 14% blame the brand (“Ad Blocker Users don’t Blame Brands for Annoying Ads”, 2017).

Do they hate advertising generally? The answer is still no! People hate advertising because it gets in the way of what they want. People hate it more when those bad, intrusive and annoying ads display everywhere (McKelvey, 2015).

It’s about the time for marketers and advertisers to find a new strategy to engage the consumers and provide them the best experience. Please bring your A game. Image a near future, more creative, funny, or informative ads that you resonate with. Isn’t it nice?

References:
Ad blocker users don’t blame brands for annoying ads. (2017, June 14). Retrieved from https://www-warc-com.libproxy2.usc.edu/newsandopinion/news/ad_blocker_users_dont_blame_brands_for_annoying_ads/38824

Allan, D., (2018, Feb. 14). Google Chrome’s ad blocker goes live tomorrow to kill annoying online ads. Retrieved from http://www.techradar.com/news/google-chromes-ad-blocker-goes-live-tomorrow-to-kill-annoying-online-ads

McKelvey, S., (2015, Feb 17). People don’t hate advertising. This is what they hate. Retrieved from https://scottmckelvey.com/people-dont-hate-advertising-this-is-what-they-hate/

O’Reilly, L., (2017, Jan. 31). Ad blocker is up 30% – and a popular method publishers use to thwart it isn’t working. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/pagefair-2017-ad-blocking-report-2017-1