The Demographic Profile of an Ad Blocked User
Ad blocking software has created a vast hole in online advertising and the first to reach these users will have a significant competitive advantage. Those who use ad blocking software are, in most cases, the most coveted by advertisers; they will be the deciding factor in the future success of many of your businesses. These premium audiences (high income, educated Millennials) are sending a clear message and it’s time to start listening.The wide-spread use of ad blockers isn’t covered frequently in the media but, have no doubt, is a growing and serious problem. Industry averages estimate that 27% of the US population use ad blockers (Guttmann, 2019). However, this is only a partial glimpse of the real threat. The true number is much higher, as the tracking and detection software most often used, is highly inaccurate and in most cases, does not work. Ad blockers are, can or will block all Javascript, the basis for most ad-tech software; detection, tracking, analytics, optimization, advertising, and most others.Prime demographics are using ad blockers at alarming rates. We estimate, based on Pew Research and our own data, up to 50% of high-income, college-educated millennials are joining the trend. Industry averages don’t take into consideration the inaccurate data, skewed by the critical impact of demographics.
The increased usage by premium audiences is clearly overlooked, to the detriment of advertisers and publishers.Consent-based solutions are the key to pairing advertisers, publishers and their ad blocking audiences. Users desire true value from advertisers and, our data has shown, most are not opposed to seeing valuable and relevant advertising. Many users complain that there are too many ads, the information is annoying and irrelevant, and ads are far too intrusive (Ahmad, 2019). It is essential that the user has control over the experience; giving ad block users the choice to opt-in to see ads is a monumental step in the right direction.
When users willingly opt-in to allowing valuable ads, they engage at a much higher rate than industry averages.Our data shows that putting consumers in the driver's seat and asking for consent results in up to 75% of ad block users opting in to see ads and more than 4X industry average performance metrics. We have learned that ad block users, who have the power of consent, are even more valuable for two reasons: they are not desensitized, constantly bombarded by annoying ads, and advertisers know for certain their campaigns are being seen by real people and not machine-driven, fraudulent bots.Sources:
- https://www.emarketer.com/content/heres-how-kfc-burrow-and-absolut-are-combating-ad-blockers
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/804008/ad-blocking-reach-usage-us/
- https://digiday.com/media/ad-blocking-still-substantial-threat-publisher-revenue-streams/
- https://www.niemanlab.org/2016/07/heres-how-people-who-block-ads-justify-it-convenience-control-and-avoiding-slow-load-times/
- https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/global-ad-blocking-behavior-2019-infographic/551716/
- https://www.emarketer.com/content/demanding-a-better-ad-experience
