Greg Sterling says, “According to Nielsen’s “Global Trust in Advertising” report, Millennials (21–34) showed “the highest levels of trust in online and mobile formats.” Below is a comparison of ad types (digital and traditional media) and generational trust levels that reflect this finding. What’s very interesting about this data is that it seems to be contradicted by ad blocking surveys that have been done by multiple parties. For example, a study from Sourcepoint and comScore found that usage of ad blocking is more common among the young (Millennials in particular) and among... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “Gearing up to create your next piece of marketing content? If you want it to stand out from the rest of the noise on the internet, you have to be focused on producing something both delightful and engaging. That said, there’s some planning to be done before you jump right in. What’s the purpose of this piece? Where can you fit in credible data and examples? Who’s gonna edit it once you’ve written — and rewritten — your draft? How do you plan to spread the word about it so, you know, people actually read it? You need a strategy. To... [...]

Carly Stec says, “What’s the most viewable ad size? How does page position influence viewability? Is viewability affected by ad blocking applications? And what’s an average viewability rate, anyways? These are the questions many were left with when the Media Rating Council lifted its Viewable Impression Advisory back in 2014. As a result of this change, marketers and advertisers switched their focus from served impressions to viewable impressions. What’s the difference? Quite simply, served impressions are counted when the ad is displayed. As for viewable impressions, take... [...]

Chad Pollitt says, “It’s no secret that many consumers are fed up with banner advertising. That’s one reason why ad blocking software adoption is gaining in popularity worldwide. It’s not just consumers, either. Many marketers complain about their effectiveness, too. Publishers are stuck in between both party’s complaints and many of them are reacting to this pressure. It may sound cliché, but according to Solve Media, you’re more likely to. . . . . . survive a plane crash than click on a banner ad. . . . get into MIT than click on a banner ad. . . . complete Navy SEAL training... [...]

Adam Phillips says, “Following the recent launch of Apple’s newest iOS 9 software, many publishers and digital marketers are left wondering how their content will reach consumers. The new ad blocking Safari extensions allow consumers to effectively avoid unsolicited content (advertisements, scripts, trackers) on all ad platforms. Downloads of the ad blocking apps continue and it has already been estimated that ad blocking will lead to $22 billion in lost advertising revenue this year. Instead of panicking, marketers should focus on what they do best – providing good content. Marketers... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, ““We messed up. As technologists, tasked with delivering content and services to users, we lost track of the user experience.” That’s the IAB’s admission of industry complicity in the swell of discontent about digital advertising and use of ad blockers. In reaction to this screwup and in the face of rising awareness and availability of ad blocking tools, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced it is launching a new approach to ad standards. The new L.E.A.N. Ads program — an acronym for light, encrypted, ad choice supported, non-invasive ads —... [...]

Max Prin says, “Ad blockers have been around for some time now and are widely used. The question around the end of the “free internet” and the impact on sales is not a new topic, and I won’t discuss it here. But as of September 16, 2015, ad blockers entered the world of iOS devices when Apple announced they would allow third-party development of “content blocking” apps in its new operating system, iOS 9. One of them, Crystal, became in a few days one of the most downloaded paid apps from the App Store. Unfortunately for website owners, Crystal (and probably other content blockers)... [...]

Jack Simpson says, “With ad blocking being such a talking point in the digital marketing world at the moment, there has been much debate around what advertisers and publishers could do to help tackle the problem.  One thing that has almost certainly contributed to the rising popularity of ad blocking software is the fact that many publishers insist on using hideous or intrusive ads in the form of giant flashing banners or autoplay videos. I covered some examples of this in my post about ad blockers a couple of months ago, but here’s a quick reminder of the type of nightmare I’m referring... [...]

Jack Simpson says, “Since the announcement that Apple would allow ad blocking software on the latest version of its operating system, it’s hard to browse the internet without stumbling across a discussion on this topic.  The debate on how to manage the rise of ad blocking has been fierce so far. Publishers are worried their industry will fold in on itself as the primary source of income dries up, while ad blocking consumers simply want a better user experience or are ignorant (wilfully or otherwise) about the way ‘free’ content works. But this post is not about putting my opinion... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “When Apple unveiled its new iPhone and iOS 9 operating system two weeks ago, it dropped a proverbial wet blanket on marketers everywhere: A new feature in the operating system called Content Blockers will now allow iOS 9 users to install ad blocking applications from the App Store. These ad blocking applications will let people easily block advertising, trackers, and other third-party scripts. The new feature isn’t a total shocker: Apple gave the go-ahead for iOS 9 app developers to build ad blocking extensions for Safari, its default browser app, back... [...]