Adblocker use on the rise: can the tide be turned?
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 10:36 am
When the first images of the Paris attacks appeared online last month, outraged reactions quickly emerged from people who were bothered by the non-skippable advertisements. Before the horrible images, visitors had seen cheerful advertisements and even an advertisement for a funeral insurance policy. Many found it inappropriate and incomprehensible. 20 percent of Dutch people have now installed an adblocker and this number is expected to increase if the sector does not intervene, according to the IAB study on adblockers.
The game of online advertising between consumer and advertiser is getting fiercer. American IAB CEO Scott Cunningham already sounded the alarm last month: marketers have screwed up.
The reason is not hard to find. Advertisers and marketers have managed to outdo themselves in annoying commercials. Where you used to find a small banner somewhere on a page, more and malaysia telegram number list more innovative ways are now being devised to attract attention. Homepage takeovers, skins, banners that you cannot click away or that hang halfway over your content or retargeting banners that continue to haunt you, sometimes even when you bought the product months ago.
User-friendly advertising
The IAB has been studying the use of adblockers and recently published their research. It is clear that advertisers and marketers are not waiting for software that blocks their advertising.
After the shock surrounding the cookie law, you would think that the industry would have learned its lesson and that user-friendly advertising would have become the highest priority. Well, not really, unfortunately. But there is hope on the horizon. It is not too late to turn the tide, but it is now code orange. Let's take a look at some figures from the IAB study.
Biggest annoyances with internet advertising
The Dutch consumer is annoyed by internet advertisements because there are simply 'too many' (73 percent), but also because they cause slow performance (42 percent). Another reason to install an adblocker is to avoid retargeting (36 percent).
At the same time, a whopping 69 percent understand that these advertisements are necessary to keep the sites running and that they are an important part of the income. Yet 41 percent think that advertising does not belong on the Internet. In contrast, only 23 percent are willing to pay to not have to see advertisements.
The disadvantages of adblockers
The satisfaction ratings for adblockers are great. Of current users, a whopping 97 percent would recommend the use of adblockers, and 80 percent of former users would do the same. With these high numbers, you almost start to wonder why the use of adblockers is not increasing significantly. Currently, 20 percent of Dutch people have installed an adblocker, and 12 percent have installed them in the past.
It is mainly problems with the adblockers themselves that people stop using them. For example, 30 percent indicate that they give them slow internet, 27 percent experience problems with other software and 26 percent find them to be malfunctioning because, for example, they do not block all advertising.
Screenshot IAB 3
Graphics courtesy of Sasuga
Privacy and advertising
Many consumers attach great value to their privacy, as much as 78 percent. Yet a large proportion still feels safe on the internet. 'Only' 57 percent of adblocker users think that their privacy on the internet is constantly at stake.
Consumers are most annoyed by advertisements that cannot be clicked away (59 percent), advertisements that largely cover the website (54 percent) and advertisements that start with sound (41 percent).
Whitelist
The main reason to whitelist a website is because otherwise one will not get access (53 percent). But there is also hope for advertising: as soon as the advertising is experienced as appropriate and not disruptive, these sites end up on the whitelist for 32 percent. Yet more than one fifth consciously allow advertising, because they know that this is income for the website (22 percent).
The game of online advertising between consumer and advertiser is getting fiercer. American IAB CEO Scott Cunningham already sounded the alarm last month: marketers have screwed up.
The reason is not hard to find. Advertisers and marketers have managed to outdo themselves in annoying commercials. Where you used to find a small banner somewhere on a page, more and malaysia telegram number list more innovative ways are now being devised to attract attention. Homepage takeovers, skins, banners that you cannot click away or that hang halfway over your content or retargeting banners that continue to haunt you, sometimes even when you bought the product months ago.
User-friendly advertising
The IAB has been studying the use of adblockers and recently published their research. It is clear that advertisers and marketers are not waiting for software that blocks their advertising.
After the shock surrounding the cookie law, you would think that the industry would have learned its lesson and that user-friendly advertising would have become the highest priority. Well, not really, unfortunately. But there is hope on the horizon. It is not too late to turn the tide, but it is now code orange. Let's take a look at some figures from the IAB study.
Biggest annoyances with internet advertising
The Dutch consumer is annoyed by internet advertisements because there are simply 'too many' (73 percent), but also because they cause slow performance (42 percent). Another reason to install an adblocker is to avoid retargeting (36 percent).
At the same time, a whopping 69 percent understand that these advertisements are necessary to keep the sites running and that they are an important part of the income. Yet 41 percent think that advertising does not belong on the Internet. In contrast, only 23 percent are willing to pay to not have to see advertisements.
The disadvantages of adblockers
The satisfaction ratings for adblockers are great. Of current users, a whopping 97 percent would recommend the use of adblockers, and 80 percent of former users would do the same. With these high numbers, you almost start to wonder why the use of adblockers is not increasing significantly. Currently, 20 percent of Dutch people have installed an adblocker, and 12 percent have installed them in the past.
It is mainly problems with the adblockers themselves that people stop using them. For example, 30 percent indicate that they give them slow internet, 27 percent experience problems with other software and 26 percent find them to be malfunctioning because, for example, they do not block all advertising.
Screenshot IAB 3
Graphics courtesy of Sasuga
Privacy and advertising
Many consumers attach great value to their privacy, as much as 78 percent. Yet a large proportion still feels safe on the internet. 'Only' 57 percent of adblocker users think that their privacy on the internet is constantly at stake.
Consumers are most annoyed by advertisements that cannot be clicked away (59 percent), advertisements that largely cover the website (54 percent) and advertisements that start with sound (41 percent).
Whitelist
The main reason to whitelist a website is because otherwise one will not get access (53 percent). But there is also hope for advertising: as soon as the advertising is experienced as appropriate and not disruptive, these sites end up on the whitelist for 32 percent. Yet more than one fifth consciously allow advertising, because they know that this is income for the website (22 percent).