Adblock in Crisis: The Gift That Keeps on Giving

“I could start a career writing on Adblocking.” ~ Anon

The cat and mouse activity between publishers and adblockers continues unabated. Adblock blocks Facebook, Facebook counter, Adblock hacks Facebook.

Maybe this should be a new gold medal sport.

So why the big news on Facebook?

With an estimated 40% of desktop users on Facebook using Adblocking technology, you can see they might be worried. But then, over 80% of their revenue comes from mobile.

So why the fuss? Why are Facebook being blocked — are their ads intrusive? Do they slow the mobile load? Are they tracking too much?

There is a growing confusion over what is at stake here and why, so much so it highlights the one thing at play-exactly who is adblocking meant to benefit?

1. Telcos

Telecom operators have been arguing that big global digital entities (‘you know who’) have been getting a free ride on their telecoms networks — and that this had to stop. Arguments that advertising is slowing down the browsing experience of and data packages are being eaten up by horrible ads abound.

A lot of this has been facilitated by new adtech and ‘non’ adtech (I use the term loosely).

2. Adtech

This one is a double edged sword — adtech/martech/madtech and start ups in general have benefitted from an open web in that the number of startups/new entrants into the ecosystem has increased more that 40x in the last 4 years.

This exponential growth has hatched a sub ecosystem within itself for adblocking technology companies.

Maybe the adtech ecosystem has given itself a bit of indigestion?

3. The Audience

Maybe adblockers are built to benefit the audience?

I say maybe because now it seems that adblocking more often than not comes with an advertising flavour. This hardly suits the audience if the expectation is that advertising is blocked.

Let’s not lose sight that the audience (with the exception of bot traffic) drives the internet; and the audience is looking for content.

The problem is good content is becoming harder to find and it costs.

Advertising funds that.

Each adblocker has an ‘acceptable’ ad format, which it decrees is suitable.

Maybe this is where a seed change should start — what is an acceptable ad?

• Is it one that chases you around the net like a fervent troll?
• Is it one that has the best CTR?
• Or maybe it is one that has the best creativity and shows a brand in its best light?

This is where sometimes technology fails. Be it in that it enables ‘new ideas’ get $300bn in VC with no return, or what a browser (i.e. person) gets is not what it says on the tin.

You can’t lose sight that we people buy products and like brands because of the feelings they have for those products and brands.

Brands invest in differentiating their product from their competitiors and they are very creative in doing so.

Maybe being more (or having better) creative in online is the most suitable ad of all?