The above title might sound a bit off, or confusing, especially to advertisers and publishers who have had to fight against lost CPMs due to ad-blocking users. Some companies merely write them off. Well, ok, so there’s that segment, goodbye.
But, of course, the question is why? Does having an ad blocker mean you are out of the publisher/advertiser loop forever? That you can abuse the web and receive free content without giving anything in return?
The truth is, many people in the industry see users as an obstacle, or as freeloaders. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
While not every online user is happy to find a fair, middle approach, the overwhelming majority of ad-blocking users surprisingly are. I can repeat that. The overwhelming majority of ad-blocking users are not against seeing ads, and actually acknowledge the importance of advertising to a fair and healthy web.
Let’s back this up with a dose of data:
- A recent study by YouGov revealed that the majority ( 80%) of online users acknowledge the importance of advertising to a free internet.
- According to the same report, 83% of online users would be happy to see ads as long as they are not intrusive and are relevant.
- We currently have over 220 million Acceptable Ads users who have consented to seeing nonintrusive ads. That means each of these users (ad-blocking users) sees ads that have been deemed nonintrusive by the independent Acceptable Ads Committee.
The quick and short of it is that ads are seen by ad-blocking users as important to sustaining a free and open web. However, the data also shows that they want to see ads that are not intrusive or irrelevant. They want ads that don’t ruin the time they spend browsing. Ad-blocking users are not against advertising, but they do want to change the way things are and have been. They want a streamlined online experience without huge interruptions, which, ironically, also means that they aren’t ‘ad blind’ and actually see the ads that are on the pages they visit with Acceptable Ads.
Antagonistic models of dealing with ad-blocking users essentially hurt all parties. The middle way provided by Acceptable Ads is forging the path for a sustainable online future.
