Ad blockers are decidedly the bane of online advertiser’s existence. Just as people race past ads on their DVR-recorded shows, and some OTT services even offer “ad skip”, web browsers are under more and more control by users, and one of the most contentious issues (besides privacy, cookies, and content control for children) is users gaining control over the advertising they see in their browser.
Teads, the inventors of native video advertising and a global monetization platform for publishers, today released a comprehensive global study that examines why people use ad blockers online. Notably, the survey, conducted by Research Now, reveals that intrusive and forced ad formats are the number one driver of ad blocker adoption. Three out of four U.S. respondents say that intrusive ads were the largest motivator for installing ad blockers. Additionally, 80 percent of respondents would reconsider installing ad blockers if the ad experience provided them with the choice to skip or close the ad.
To download a copy of Teads’ Global Ad Blocker study, please visit: http://info.teads.tv/ad-blockers-en
Additional notable findings in the U.S. include:
- Intrusive Formats: 52 percent of respondents who have installed ad blockers rate pre-roll as the most intrusive video format. Unsurprisingly, pop-ads are the largest driver of ad blocker adoption with 88 percent of respondents using ad blockers to remove these ads from their online experience.
- The Power of Choice: 80 percent of people would reconsider installing ad blockers if the ad experience provided them with the choice to skip or close the ad.
- Word of Mouth: 44 percent of people who installed ad blockers on a mobile phone or desktop found out about ad blockers from their peers.
- Your Web Browser Matters: 67 percent of respondents, who are active ad blocker users, reported using blockers on Chrome versus 38 percent on Firefox.
- Profile of an Ad Blocker: On mobile, respondents were 22 percent more likely to be male than non-blockers. Respondents were also 78 percent more likely to be Hispanic than non-blockers. On desktop, respondents who have installed ad blockers were 32 percent more likely than mobile blockers to be willing to see non-intrusive ads.
“People around the world have expressed an aversion to intrusive ad formats but providing people choice is a global solution,” said Rebecca Mahony, CMO, Teads. “The rise of ad blockers signals a wake-up call for the advertising industry and we must pay attention to the demands of consumers for advertising that respects their online experience. Teads is proud to offer a solution that gives users the choice to opt-out and we look forward to continuing our mission to inject sustainable advertising into the ecosystem in 2016.”
Teads surveyed over 9,000 respondents globally for the study, representing three groups – active ad blockers on desktop/laptop, active ad blockers on mobile (smartphones/tablets), and respondents who are aware of blockers but have not yet installed. The Teads’ ad blocker study was conducted in major media markets across the world including the United States, Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina) and the European Top 5 including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France and Italy.
Several interesting findings across the global markets include:
- Respondents in the United States were the most likely to have aversion to intrusive formats with 74 percent of respondents who agree intrusive advertising is the #1 motivator to block ads versus Italywith only 60 percent of respondents who agree.
- The largest number of respondents who list ads that provide a choice to view as motivation not to block ads were found in Mexico and Spain, with 89 percent of respondents agreeing this is the biggest motivator.
- Argentinians were the most turned off by pre-roll ads, with 57 percent of respondents ranking pre-roll as highly intrusive. Interestingly, respondents from Argentina showed to prefer in-article native video ads, with only 13 percent of respondents finding these units highly intrusive.
- In Germany, the home of Adblock Plus, respondents’ motivation to block ads due to intrusive formats is very high at 72 percent and respondents who reported a consideration to avoid using ad blockers due to formats that offer choice is also very high at 83 percent.
