Tag: ad filtering

Personalization, video ads, and blanket ad avoidance: considerable motivations for blocking ads.

Posted on by AAX Team

As recently as 2017, think pieces proliferated with headlines like “Why personalised advertising is your lifeline in an age of ad blockers.” The idea? That people wouldn’t block ads if they were served ads that were relevant to their own experiences.

But that’s not the whole story.

As we discussed in our previous posts in this series, the major reasons the ad filtering public turned to the practice of ad blocking have to do with the irrelevance and sheer number of ads cluttering up their browsing experience./p>

However, fear of personalization (or checking “To stop ads being personalized based on my browsing history” when asked “Why do you use an ad blocker?”) ranked #9 out of the Top 12 reasons people block ads. True, that’s not exactly topping the list…but that doesn’t mean it should be discounted. 29.8% of ad filterers selected personalization as a reason for ad blocking.

As for the #7 and #8 reasons behind ad blocking, they are, respectively:

– “To avoid having to see video ads before watching clips/shows” (36.4%)

– ““I try to avoid all ads wherever, whether on TV or online” (34.6%)

These answers are divided in terms of central motivation: the reasons behind the reasons given.

The answer “To avoid having to see video ads before watching clips/shows” reflects the fact that some respondents see ads as being detrimental to their browsing experience, or ads being a source of annoyance. This is aligned with some of the primary reasons given for blocking ads, such as “There are too many ads on the internet” (the second most popular reason given) or “[I block ads] to speed up loading times” (the fifth most popular reason).

But “I try to avoid all ads wherever, whether on TV or online,” stands out because it suggests a blanket avoidance that has less to do with the ins and outs of user experience, and more to do with a general practice or philosophy.

Trying to avoid ads at all times is a move made out of principle, one that’s more aligned with the early days of ad blocking, where a scorched earth policy—No ads, ever—reigned supreme. However, this mindset is primarily a relic of an earlier time. Today, 95% of people with ad blockers are engaging in a practice called “ad filtering.” Ad filterers consent to be served ads—as long as they’re respectful, non-intrusive ads.

These ad filterers are who we’ve examined in our forthcoming Why Block Ads? Behind User Reasons and Motivations, a study that examines, well, the reasons and motivations behind ad blocking habits.

And that’s not all. We also look at how ad filterers’ motivations and reasons have shifted over time, how they differ between sub-demographics, and why all this matters.

And if you’re interested, check out some of our previous ground-breaking studies. Last November we released Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA, which shed light on the subject of how ad filterers spend time online…and how they spend their hard-earned dollars.

And back in January of 2020 we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

Why Block Ads? Behind User Reasons and Motivations will be published in April, but we’ll be teasing its release with a number of posts just like this one.

Why block ads? Size, speed, and intrusiveness.

Posted on by AAX Team

In our last post, we looked at the top three reasons why ad filterers—the 95% of ad blocking users who opt to be served less-intrusive ads—give for ad blocking.

But, never satisfied with just scratching the surface of an issue, we wanted to look a little deeper, examining even more reasons why users choose to install ad blockers on their devices.

And what we found was that users are motivated by browsing and user experience. First, the numbers. When asked why they use an ad blocker…

… 46.2% answered “Ads are too intrusive.”

… 43.3% said “To speed up loading times.”

… and 37% agreed that “Ads take up too much screen space.

First of all, these answers represent a large percentage of ad filterers, ranging from more than ⅓ to slightly less than ½ of users. That’s too significant a segment of the population to ignore.

Secondly, when we take a look at the reasons given, a pattern begins to emerge. Ad filterers can see ads as compromising browsing and user experience.

That’s the common ground shared by the statements “Ads are too intrusive” and “Ads take up too much space,” the fourth and fifth most common motivation for ad blocking. And the sixth— “To speed up loading times”—speaks to a perception of ads further diminishing the ability to browse.

But this pressing issue of browsing and user experience runs deeper. After all, two of the top three reasons for ad blocking, which were explored in depth in our last post, also have to do with browsing and user experience. When the segment of the population that answered “Too many ads are annoying or irrelevant” and “There are too many ads on the internet”—59% 52.6% of respondents, respectively—are considered, the picture of ad blocking motivations becomes even more crystal clear.

Ads are seen as negatively affecting browsing and user experience. That makes it a matter of urgency to start addressing the annoyance that users have with the way they’re currently being served ads.

That’s one of the reasons that we compiled Why Block Ads? Behind User Reasons and Motivations, a study that examines, well, the reasons and motivations behind ad blocking habits. We’re especially interested in why ad filterers—users that curate their own ad experiences by opting to be served some but not all advertisements—choose ad blocking.

And that’s not all. We also look at how these motivations and reasons have shifted over time, how they differ between sub-demographics, and why all this matters.

Why Block Ads? Behind User Reasons and Motivations will be published in April, but we’ll be teasing its release with posts just like this one. And if you’re interested, check out some of our previous ground-breaking studies.

Last November we released Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA, which shed light on the subject of how ad filterers spend time online…and how they spend their hard-earned dollars.

And back in January of 2020 we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

The top three reasons for ad blocking

Posted on by AAX Team

Last November we released Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA, which shed light on the subject of how ad filterers spend time online…and how they spend their hard-earned dollars.

And back in January of 2020 we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

Now, we’re excited to announce our new study is slated to be published this spring. After spending time researching in the vaults that the GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet user behavior, we’ve compiled Why Block Ads? Behind User Reasons and Motivations.

You probably won’t be surprised to hear that the study examines, well, the reasons and motivations behind ad blocking habits. We’re especially interested in why ad filterers—users that curate their own ad experiences by opting to be served some but not all advertisements—choose ad blocking.

And that’s not all. We also look at how these motivations and reasons have shifted over time, how they differ between sub-demographics, and why all this matters.

The top three reasons to block ads

The primary reason that the ad filtering demographic blocks ads is as follows:

– 59% find that “Too many ads are annoying or irrelevant.”
– 52.6% agree with the statement “There are too many ads on the internet.”
– 47.3% are worried because “Ads sometimes contain viruses or bugs.”

While all of these issues are clearly of concern, it’s notable that the primary reason—”Too many ads are annoying or irrelevant”—leads the pack. This ad blocking behavior is tied to emotion and frustration, as well as the feeling that the ads being served are simply of not the best quality or relevance.

So what makes these annoying ads so annoying? According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the most annoying ad elements are:

“Ads that block content, long video ads before short videos, ads that follow down the page as the user scrolls. [And] consumers that use ad blockers are even more annoyed by these ad elements, especially auto-start ads.” (Source)

This suggests something interesting: the idea that non-intrusive and non-obnoxious ads would be considered fine (or even of interest!) by this demographic. It also suggests that ads that are considered more pertinent to the users’ lives and interests would no longer be lumped into the same undesirable category as “annoying” ads.

There’s also no denying that this sentiment is tied to the next one thematically. The statement “There are too many ads on the internet” is both a statement that’s referring directly to a number and an expression of frustration that can arise when ads are…annoying or irrelevant. After all, any number of annoying, irrelevant ads would be considered too many.

And of course privacy and security concerns, which are always a hot topic where user satisfaction is concerned, are among the top three reasons for ad blocking. Additionally, there’s a clear connection between “annoying and irrelevant ads” and worries about “viruses and bugs.” One of the more serious reasons these ads are so annoying is because of user anxiety surrounding security—and that anxiety is especially directed towards ads that seem suspicious or irrelevant.

From now until Why Block Ads? Behind User Reasons and Motivations is published in the spring, we’ll be scheduling regular posts that look a little more deeply into the study’s insights.

Stay tuned!

Meet AAX: Euan Johnston, AAX’s Business Intelligence Manager

Posted on by AAX Team

For Euan Johnston, business intelligence is a field that works best in a state of perfect balance. It’s mathematically rigorous, but it requires understanding the people affected by the numbers being crunched. It’s all about different human perspectives, but it requires staying grounded in hard data.

Now AAX’s Business Intelligence Manager, Euan explains that he was always drawn to this blend of the logical and the interpersonal. “In BI, and this is what excites me,” he says, “It’s imperative to do both things at once: to put yourself in clients’ shoes and do the analytical work.”

Rikki Decker

Euan joined AAX having held positions in a selection of diverse companies ranging from the arts to the sciences and beyond. This speaks to the far-ranging applicability of not only business intelligence in general, but Euan Johnston’s passionate, curious, and creative approach to business intelligence.

“BI can be whatever you want it to be,” he explains. “If there’s something that needs to be measured, that someone can think of, there are no limits.”

We spoke to Euan about all things BI, the steps that led him to find AAX, and his predictions for the future.

 

AAX: Why don’t we start off on the subject of business intelligence: how did you find BI?

Euan Johnston: My love of maths really started as the result of studying with a number of fantastic maths teachers. I think these interests often have a lot to do with the kind of mentors you have early in life.

Then, I studied econ and maths at uni. But I wasn’t totally focused on hard skills; my ideal future didn’t involve only being in front of a computer. I wanted to be around a variety of people, learn about a variety of perspectives. I liked the practical side and the methodology, but I also liked the idea of using numbers to tell a story, to sell.

And it turned out that that combo—people and numbers—sits at the heart of business intelligence.

 

AAX: Was it that combination of right- and left brain thinking that drew you in?

Euan Johnston: That’s part of it! You need to understand different human perspectives even as you’re looking at the numbers. And I enjoy both. I think you need both. You can do all the numbers-crunching you want but if you don’t have an ear inside the company the work is lost. I’ve always been curious about how a company functions, and knowing the work is being used.

But that’s not the only thing that’s exciting about business intelligence. There’s also a sense that, with BI, the possibilities are endless. And this has definitely played a part in my career: I’ve had the opportunity to work with many different kinds of people, see the world through a variety of lenses.

For example, I went from working at a company that worked in flight simulation to what’s essentially the polar opposite: startup ecommerce with a focus on design. It was a similar role in a completely different company, but it afforded a completely different perspective.

 

AAX: How do you make the necessary switch in perspective when switching between roles?

Euan Johnston: Immersion is key. Deep absorption of the world around you is absolutely invaluable.

That, of course, makes working from home tricky. Or… it would at another company.

At AAX, there’s a real push to keep everyone together. We’re a really close-knit, cohesive team, which is especially amazing considering that we’re working across many time zones. I’m the metrics guy, and seeing how many people are thriving is a testament to how well the team is doing.

 

AAX: Does that mean you have positive predictions for the future of AAX?

Euan Johnston: The company is on a great path. Things really seem to be flourishing, and there’s a clear, measured plan. I really think Scott is taking the business to the next level.

And from a business intelligence perspective, the adoption of data-driven decision-making for the business is exciting. Normally the first data hire comes later—oftentimes the hundredth hire or so—but I’m joining early on. We’re a lean, streamlined team. That speaks to AAX being an early adopter.

And of course I’m excited that AAX is so keen on metrics. The attitude at AAX is very much ‘We want all the data we can absorb.’ For me, there’s really nothing better than seeing the work being used.

 

Meet AAX: Rikki Decker, AAX’s VP, Account Management

Posted on by AAX Team

“Ad tech moves faster than any other industry,” explains Rikki Decker. She’s talking about her deep fascination with all things ad tech, which began soon after graduating from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business and shows no signs of abating.

Rikki became the Vice President, Account Management of AAX in October of 2020, a now-famously unprecedented year full of tumultuous change. But for Rikki Decker, expecting the unexpected has always been part of working within the ad tech sphere. In fact, she asserts that the challenges and the sense of discovery are what make ad tech so dynamic.

Rikki Decker

“With ad tech there’s a sense that anything could happen,” she says. “It’s empowering. You can start from scratch; you can come up with new, unheard-of solutions.”

Rikki took time to chat with us about her time so far at AAX, how an interest in analytics has shaped the impressive arc of her career, and what she thinks both ad tech and workplace life in general will look in the latter half of 2021 and beyond.

 

AAX: Let’s start with your history. Tell us a little bit about how you got interested in ad tech!

Rikki Decker: Rikki Decker: The seeds of my interest were there from the beginning! In college I originally pursued marketing, adding finance because I loved the data side of it. I was always interested in consumer analytics.

My first job after college was outside of ad tech, and I knew immediately that I wanted to move to ad tech. This led to a position in campaign management, which was deeply exciting and contained this sense of continual newness: the feeling in ad tech that follows you every step of the way.

 

AAX: Was it this aspect of ad tech—the excitement—that you see as steering your career trajectory?

Rikki Decker: That, and an interest in analytics. Because analytics are a way to understand the world. I’ve always been fascinated by a couple of essential questions: what makes people tick on a macro level? What drives humans?

And the answers, I’ve found, can only be understood through data and analytics.

 

AAX: And what are some other key experiences that you see as leading, ultimately, to your role as VP, Account Management at AAX?

Rikki Decker: It comes down to a combination of autonomy and working within a team. When I look back at another campaign management role—where I was actually the second trader hired—the lessons I learned were primarily how to be autonomous, how to work within uncharted territory, dealing with multiple variables and new challenges.

After that I became more passionate about coaching and training. I started a weekly trader roundtable, sharing resources and mentoring. Then, when I moved into a role as a team lead, I gained more exposure to high-level decision making. This allowed me to scale up the team, and that’s when the training process became even more important. That gives you a sense of how better to move ahead.

 

AAX: How do you see AAX moving ahead?

Rikki Decker: I’m excited, frankly! AAX is a newer company, and we have this strong, lean team. We’re starting something, and there’s that sense of exploration and creation: we’re going to expand and grow together.

 

AAX: No conversation of any kind these days is complete without a discussion of how the world is changing post- 2020. What are some of the challenges and opportunities you see ahead?

Rikki DeckerRegulation is definitely a factor. There’s been a ton of regulation, which has led to a number of amazing, innovative solutions. But it also leads to questions: will regulation at the state level in the USA lead to federal regulation? How will companies deal with regulations? Also, I think 2021 is going to see a lot of development around Identity and a unified solution, and it’s going to be interesting to see how things change. Ad tech moves faster than every other industry.

My biggest takeaway from 2020 is that there’s more flexibility coming to the industry. One of those things is: remote work. Last year really opened people’s eyes to the fact that work from home…works. The flexibility is liberating.

It’s a subject that’s especially relevant to me, because I am remote work—I live in Washington DC and 2020’s work from home revolution is what allowed me to be here, in the role as AAX VP, Account Management.

Before 2020, I thought I’d have to move to the ad tech center of New York. I didn’t want to leave DC, but I talked to my husband and said ‘I love ad tech, so we might have to move.’ Now, as it turns out, I can have a job I love in the city I call home.

Another bonus? Working from home has also given me the opportunity to welcome a new puppy, Bailey!

Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA

Posted on by AAX Team

Ad filterers are a vital demographic: young, highly-educated, affluent, digital natives that lead the pack when it comes to online purchasing habits and media consumption.

Defined by the GlobalWebIndex (GWI) as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month,” ad filterers comprise 95% of all users who have ad blockers installed.

But more importantly, they’re a curious, invested, and extremely online group of individuals that browse, shop, read online publications, game, discover and interact with brands at rates significantly higher than their non- ad blocking counterparts.

It’s a fascinating demographic—which is why the AAX team consulted the exhaustive trove GWI keeps on internet behavior in order to further research ad filterers. What followed was the creation of the second major AAX-authored report, titled Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

Interested in learning more about ad filterers? Just fill out the contact form below and the latest AAX report will be automatically emailed to you.

Please fill in the contact form below and the report will be sent to you shortly.

[signupform id=’8523′ title=’GWI: Purchasing Habits USA form’]

Why ad filterers make small purchases online.

Posted on by AAX Team

As we wind down our series recapping AAX’s forthcoming study Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA, which takes a deep dive into everything from ad filterers’ engaged brand interaction to their love of gaming consoles, we realized it was time to look at the nitty gritty: the small, everyday purchases that make up the bulk of so many of our online purchasing budgets.

These are the so-called “minor purchases,” a broad category that encompasses everything from small-scale media (music, films, magazines, newspapers) to hygiene articles (cleaning products, shaving products, personal grooming products, deodorizer) to gift cards.

And if you’ve been following our series so far, you can probably deduce our findings, which are very much in line with the trends and patterns that have emerged regarding the affluent, educated, youthful demographic of ad filterers.

That’s right: ad filterers outspend non- ad blocking users when it comes to small purchases in the realm of media and household helpers alike. In fact, ad filterers spend, on average, twice to three times the amount that non- ad filterers do.

But what’s behind this passion for small-ticket items?

One reason, of course, is the reality of 2020.

It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact that COVID-19 has had on the world of ecommerce. Consumers across all demographics are flexing their purchasing power online, prompting a shift that Forbes refers to as “accelerating the adoption curve.” And this acceleration is like nothing that preceded it.

As reported in Forbes:

This moment in modern retail history is unprecedented, and there is no playbook for it. Even those retailers who strategically invested in digital technology years ago never saw this coming.
(Source)

If ecommerce in 2020 is a rising wave, small-ticket items are the crest: the result of ad-ons that buoy the consumer towards free shipping. The rates of shopping cart abandonment due to high shipping costs are well documented, and making small additional purchases—which, unsurprisingly in the era of COVID, often tend towards the hygiene-related—often gets consumers to the dollar amount that can result in free shipping.

And, of course, coronavirus has also prompted an uptick in the amount of media purchased online, whether that means online subscriptions of magazines or streaming services. In a time when Saturday night is synonymous with wearing pyjamas, eating popcorn, and watching movies at home, it’s unsurprising that these sorts of purchases would be on the rise.

We think that a thoughtful look into the smaller purchases made by ad filterers is a fitting way to end our recap series, because it ultimately underlines something fundamental about ad filterers in general: their behavioral patterns follow those of…well, everyone else.

Ad filterers may be on the whole more educated, younger, and more affluent than the average citizen, but their tastes and preferences don’t diverge from non- ad blocking users. In fact, they tend to be ever-so-slightly ahead of the curve—the kind of early adopters and forward-thinkers that can suggest the future of larger trends and patterns.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.

What major purchases do ad filterers make online?

Posted on by AAX Team

A study conducted by Forbes Insights, in association with Synchrony Financial, “A Split Screen: Online Information and a Human Touch,” suggests that people aren’t always comfortable making big-ticket purchases online.

As Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer and head of the CMO Practice at Forbes Media, states:

“Customers do their homework for major purchases, and that’s easiest online. But when it comes to the actual purchase, they like to do it in person.”

But whether the reasoning behind the reticence to make big purchases online comes from worries over shipping, concern about product satisfaction, or second thoughts about data protection, it seems like one group is exempt from online purchase-related hesitation: ad filterers.

According to recent datas gleaned from the GlobalWebIndex (GWI), ad filterers are happy to make significant purchases online, and they do it at a rate that greatly outstrips that of their non- ad blocking user peers.

We looked specifically at five common major purchases made in US households: computer games, headphones, gaming consoles, experiences like day spa outings, and desktop PCs. And ad filterers were more than twice as likely to purchase all of these online as non- ad blocking users.

In fact, when looking at computer games, headphones, gaming consoles and desktop computers, ad filterers are proven to be between two and a half and three times more likely. In the category of gaming consoles—a device that ad blocking users have a particular and historic affinity for—the numbers are similar.

But what’s the reason for this discrepancy? Why do ad filterers out-spend non- ad blocking users when making large purchases?

Part of it might have to do with their comparative wealth. Ever since ad blocking users began being examined as a demographic, their high levels of disposable income have been a subject of interest. This certainly makes it easier to make large purchases. As Toni White, CMO of Synchrony Financial states, “A major purchase is a commitment for many consumers.”

But there might be more to it. A familiarity and sense of confidence surrounding the product is also key to making a purchase, and that confidence and familiarity can be boosted by research conducted with an amount of digital fluency.

Since ad filterers are online at higher rates than their non- ad blocking counterparts, their fluency and comfort levels when conducting the important step of product research are bound to be higher… making them more likely to take the plunge.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.

Cash isn’t king? Ad filterers use mobile payment services

Posted on by AAX Team

Ad filterers opt to use services Paypal, Apple Pay, Venmo, Google Pay, Amazon Payments, and Visa Checkout at a rate of roughly two times that of their non- ad blocking counterparts. That’s a lot of mobile payment service use.

And given what we know about the dynamic demographic of ad filterers—like their dependably strong online presence and their interest in discovery—it’s unsurprising that ad filterers are such avid users of a variety of mobile payment options.

The high rates of mobile payment service use reflect other defining characteristics of the ad filtering demographic—like their youth.

We know that the people who filter ads skew younger, with overwhelming representation within the Gen X and Millennial generations. And, as it turns out, these are the same people using mobile payment services, “with more than 7 in 10 belonging to the Millennial (39%) or Gen X (33%) generations.” (Source)

Not only that, but the defining features of “affluence” and “high levels of education,” two other notable traits of the ad filtering demographic, are reflected by those who choose to use mobile payment services. In fact, “compared to non-users, mobile payment users tend to have higher incomes and higher levels of education.”

Indeed, roughly 4 in 10 mobile payments users have incomes of at least $75k, almost double the proportion (22%) of non-users. And more than one-third (36%) have at least a college degree, versus one-quarter of non-users. (Source)

But there’s another common thread that links mobile payment service users as a whole and the ad filtering demographic: a similar attitude towards privacy.

What we learned while compiling our last study was that ad blocking users—95% of which are “ad filterers”—have a healthy relationship to privacy concerns. They’re wary and alert, but tend to be cautious users rather than nervous and tech-avoidant.

And, as it turns out, the largest barrier to the use of mobile payment services is that of privacy concerns. Users, across generations, are likely to pause before using mobile payment services because of fears concerning who has access to their sensitive data and information, and how it’s being used. (Source)

With the future of tech inextricably linked to addressing and assuaging fears around privacy and the use of personal data, we can only imagine that the relationship between ad filterers and users of mobile payment services will only grow more interconnected in the next decade.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.

How do ad filterers interact with brands online?

Posted on by AAX Team

As we discussed in depth in our last post, ad filterers are intrepid brand discoverers, constantly learning, evolving, and seeking out new brands at rates as much as three times that of users without ad blockers installed on their devices.

This is a still surprising fact for many. (We can’t count how many time we’ve been asked “People who filter their ad experience are still open and excited to learn about new brands?”) But what comes after this brand discovery is even more interesting from a marketing perspective.

Because ad filterers don’t lose interest in a brand in the post-discovery phase. Instead, they become, if anything, even more intrigued by the particulars of the brand’s identity. This leads to behavior that can be summarized as being both highly engaged and interactive.

The relationship between ad filterers and brands may start at discovery, but it certainly doesn’t stop there. Instead, the data trove over at the GlobalWebIndex (GWI) shows that ad filterers are approximately three times as likely to click on an online ad at the top or side of a website. In other words, that discovery leads to immediate, definable action.

We’d chalk this up to the innate curiosity of ad filterers, a demographic defined by its high levels of education, wealth, and thrill-seeking behavior. But we also think that, by virtue of the fact that ad filterers generally curate their own ad exposure, often choosing to be served unobtrusive Acceptable Ads, that they’re receptive to the ads they do encounter while browsing. After all, the ads they see are usually tasteful, respectful, and don’t demand the attention of the user through obnoxious methods.

This appears to translate into engagement that lasts long past the point of clicking on online ads. Ad filterers are also more than three times as likely to visit a brand’s social network page as non- ad blocking users, and more than twice as likely to follow a brand’s social media presence as non-ad blocking users.

And that engagement is priceless. Literally. Forbes, in reporting on the invaluable asset of social media, asserts that “It works. In many ways, social media is the new word of mouth.”

This suggests a correlation we find fascinating: users, when served respectful and non-intrusive ads, will actually reward the brands serving these ads with greater-than-average engagement and long-lasting interactivity.

***

In January of this year we published our groundbreaking study, “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” which drew back the curtain on the youthful, affluent, and well-educated users that have ad blockers installed on their devices.

But it turns out that there was even more to discover about this dynamic demographic.

We’ve once more consulted the trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior and teased out more insights ad filterers, who GWI defines as “users who have blocked ads in the past month but discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.”

The result? AAX’s second study: Ad Filterers Online: Purchasing Habits and Media Consumption In The USA.

We’ll be publishing the study in full in November, but we wanted to give our followers a preview of the insights to come. That’s why, for the next five weeks, we’re highlighting our findings in a series of posts that consider some of our findings in a new light.