Tag: digital advertising

Urban Dictionary defines the phrase “catblock” as “the inability to perform a task because doing so would involve moving a contented cat.” (Used in a sentence: We were trying to use the laptop, but Mr. McMittens was catblocking.)

But Mr. McMittens isn’t the only feline devoted to the art of catblocking, especially since the name Catblock also refers to an extension that replaces ads with—you got it—pictures of adorable kitties.

The project started out as an April Fool’s joke back in 2012. AdBlock had rolled out the now-famous CatBlock to fill users screens with that standard of early-10’s digital humor: LOLcats. On April 1st, a marmalade LOLCat addressed users—Ohai AdBlock yoozurs—and everyone was smitten.

CatBlock was supposed to disappear by April 4th, relegated to the dustbin of digital history. But people clamored for more cats, and CatBlock became available to users willing to pay a fee for a standalone version.

Or, as the marmalade LOLCat put it, I can haz money nao?

Later, in 2014, with the misspelled musings of LOLCats no longer the peak of lols, CatBlock became open-source.

So: how do ad blocking users feel about pets?

Strongly.

They love them. In fact, 75% of ad blocking users share their home with at least one furry, feathery, or scaly family member.

The data suggests that they might be primed for DogBlock, since 36.4% of ad blocking users are firmly dog people.

But the cat people—all those users horrified by the idea of CatBlock disappearing after April Fool’s Day—have a strong representation. 29% report having a kittie at home.

10.4% of ad blocking users have branched out beyond the cat/dog binary, perhaps preferring to install an extension called BunnyBlock, GoldfishBlock, ParrotBlock, IguanaBlock, or maybe even TarantulaBlock.

Less than a quarter of users have opted not to adopt a pet. Or maybe this 24.2% represents the percentage of users stuck in pet-free rental contacts, spending weekends volunteering at the animal shelter or saving up pennies for a bit of farmland where the name “HorseBlock” refers to fences.

To say that the team at AAX is interested in ad blocking users is an understatement. We’re fascinated.

So we decided to consult the mass trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior in order to tease out some of the particularities of the group. We took our findings and compiled “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” a study that peers into everything from pet preference (which is what you just read about) to content purchasing preferences and where they stand on the great city vs. country debate.

The study will be published on January 16, 2020.

The short (and the long) answer? No.

Every customer journey—no matter whether the map exhibits a straight, highway-like line or a meandering set of loop-de-loops—starts out with the act of brand discovery.

Discovery might sound like a light bulb moment, the kind of action that results in a big “Aha!” but it’s more process than flash of inspiration. Think of the in-depth archeological process that lead to opening King Tut’s tomb, rather than the instant the sarcophagus is revealed.

And it comes to brand discovery, the archeologist is the customer and the reveal is, as reporter Lisa Lacy phrases it, “what he or she does not know he or she wants.” Ads are what unites a customer and that elusive “what he or she does not know he or she wants.”

Ad blocking users are more likely than non- ad blocking users to find out about new products online

An understandable fear is that ad blockers stand in the way of brand discovery, and that users who have elected to put a barrier between themselves and the world of advertising will never experience the understanding of what he or she wants.

But luckily that fear is unfounded.

In fact, the data shows that ad blocking users are more likely to discover brands than those users who don’t user an ad blocker in three major ways: on websites, via stories and articles on newspaper or magazine websites, and ads seen on any online activity (e.g. apps and websites).

• 25.6% of ad blocking users find out about new products on websites, versus 23.9% of non- ad blocking users
• When it comes to ads seen on all online activity—including mobile and apps—nearly 30% of ad blocking users report brand discovery. Non- ad blocking users lag by a percentage point.
• 16.1% of ad blocking users discover brands via online articles, compared to 12.6% of non- ad blocking users

Selective ad blocking users are the most primed for discovery

But both ad blocking users and non- ad blocking users lag behind so-called selective ad blocking users, a name that refers to the nearly 200 million users who have blocked ads in the past month, but who discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.

One method that selective ad blocking users use is now commonly referred to as ad filtering, which allows users to see unobtrusive, respectful forms of advertisement. These are “Acceptable Ads”—one that fit the criteria set forth by the independent Acceptable Ads Committee.

And these users are champion brand discoverers.

23.6% of selective ad blocking users discover new products via online newspaper or magazine articles. That’s more than 7 percentage points more than ad blocking users.

But the difference is even starker when it comes to website and online ads.

• 59.7% of selective ad blocking users discover brands on websites. That’s more than twice as likely as ad blocking users and 2.5 times as likely as non-ad blocking users.
• 64.8% of selective ad blocking users learn about new brands via online activity including apps and websites. Again, that’s more than twice as likely as ad blocking and non- ad blocking users.

The act of brand discovery is a process rather than a sudden revelation. But the discovery of this data feels a bit like a light bulb coming on. Selective ad blocking users’ finding out about new brands might not happen in a flash of inspiration, but we find this information absolutely inspirational.

To say that the team at AAX is interested in ad blocking users is an understatement. We’re fascinated.

So we decided to consult the mass trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior in order to tease out some of the particularities of the group. We took our findings and compiled “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” a study that peers into everything from digital content purchasing (which is what you just read about) to preferences for pets and real estate.

The study will be published on January 16, 2020.

It’s pretty hard to find optimistic news about digital content purchasing.

The headlines usually run the spectrum of discouragement, from “Will more people pay for content? It doesn’t look likely” to “The media has a big problem, Reuters Institute says: Who will pay for the news?”

But it’s not an entirely gloomy outlook, especially when you look at two key demographics: ad blocking users and selective ad blocking users.

These users, as it turns out, are enthusiastic purchasers of digital content.

Who are ad blocking users? Who are selective ad blocking users?

Before examining the hard data, let’s define just who comprises these demographics.

Who exactly are ad blocking users? That name refers to the one billion users worldwide who have an ad blocker installed on their device.

The descriptor “selective ad blocking users” refers to the nearly 200 million users who have blocked ads in the past month, but who discover brands or products through ads seen online and have clicked on an online ad in the past month.

One method that selective ad blocking users use is now commonly referred to as ad filtering, which allows users to see unobtrusive, respectful forms of advertisement. These are “Acceptable Ads”—one that fit the criteria set forth by the independent Acceptable Ads Committee.

A third demographic, non- ad blocking users, are those users who don’t have an ad blocker installed on their device.

Demographics primed for digital content

• During the last month, 8.7% of ad blocking users have paid for subscription to an online version of a magazine, compared to only 5.2% of non-ad blocking user.
• And in that same time frame, 10.3% of ad blocking users have paid for a digital news service versus 7.1% of non- ad blocking users.

But it’s the selective ad blocking users—those who consent to see some advertisements through initiatives like Acceptable Ads—who are the highest purchasers of online magazines and news services.

In fact, selective ad blocking users are approximately twice as likely to have made digital content purchases in the last month than non- ad blocking users.

• 12% of selective ad blocking users have a subscription to an online version of a magazine.
• 13.4% of selective ad blocking users pay for a news service

There’s also the matter of digital gifts: 11.5% of selective ad blocking users and 8.1% ad blocking users have made a digital gift purchase in the last month, compared with 5% of non-ad blocking users.

It looks like we’ve found an answer to give to the Reuters Institute: Who will pay for the news? Ad blocking users.

To say that the team at AAX is interested in ad blocking users is an understatement. We’re fascinated.

So we decided to consult the mass trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior in order to tease out some of the particularities of the group. We took our findings and compiled “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” a study that peers into everything from digital content purchasing (which is what you just read about) to preferences for pets and real estate.

The study will be published on January 16, 2020.

To say that the team at AAX is interested in ad blocking users is an understatement. We’re fascinated.

So we decided to consult the mass trove of data that GlobalWebIndex (GWI) keeps about internet behavior in order to tease out some of the particularities of the group. We took our findings and compiled “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” a study that peers into everything from the reason for ad block use (which is what you’re about to read about) to preferences for pets and real estate.

The study will be published on January 16, 2020.

Why Ad Blocking?

A massive section of the human population has decided to put up a barrier between themselves and advertising: approximately one billion people worldwide use ad blockers.

But sheer size isn’t the only thing that sets ad blocking users apart. Ad blockers make up a unique, highly engaged demographic…a demographic that just happens to be approximately as large as the population of India.

Doc Searls was right: it is the biggest boycott in human history.

So, when we started doing research on ad block users, our very first query was…why block ads?

Articles on ad blocking often focus on complicated causes. In a piece for The Guardian titled “Why we use ad blockers: we need to have more control over what we’re exposed to,” Tom Stevens interviewed ad blockers whose motivation ranged from limiting impulse buying to vertigo due to strobe-lit pop-ups.

But while articles like Stevens’ are thorough looks into the intricate particulars of ad blocking, our research led us to understand that the main underlying reason is much simpler:

There are too many ads on the internet.

For most people, it was sheer quantity that prompted the move to ad blocking. Ads in moderation were tolerable; an unending stream of ads was not.

But other reasons for making the choice to block ads were almost as popular. The next most popular reasons for using an ad blocker?

Too many ads are annoying or irrelevant.

Ads are intrusive.

This encompasses the pop-ups, the glittery dancing icons, the loud buzzers, the shimmering panels that inform you that there are singles in your area, the all caps screaming. Users don’t enjoy the accompanying sensory overload, and resent having to close tabs or train their vision away from flashing images.

The last trio of reasons encompasses a more niche set of concerns related to harm and the surfing experience:

Ads take up too much screen space.

Ads sometimes contain viruses or bugs.

To speed up page loading time.

These reasons speak to the worry of ads being overwhelming and compromised, rather than the content of the ads themselves. Ads, this section of ad blocking users seems to fear, aren’t regulated.

Check back for our next post on ad blocking user insights, where we’ll be tackling the question of digital content purchasing.