5 Ways people deal with ads (number 5 will blow you away!)

(1) Ignore them!

The most common way to deal with ads is simply to ignore them. Since the beginning of advertising people have been turning the dial, flipping the page, or focusing on other tasks to divert their attention away.

Researchers have used eye-tracking analysis to show that people avoid looking at places they expect to find ads. Terms like “ad blindness” and “banner noise” are used to describe the common phenomenon of ignoring ads, consciously or subconsciously. Native ads attempt to combat “ad blindness” by making ads look more like content, but this can result in misleading and frustrating user experiences.

Ignoring is the most universal method, but it isn’t always the most effective.

(2) Block them!

Blocking is just using technology to ignore more efficiently. This method eliminates your exposure entirely. From early home recording devices to the modern DVR, we have always been finding ways to skip commercials.

When it comes to the internet, over 600 million devices use ad blocking software. The rate of adoption is highly correlated to the ease of implementation. In North America, 18% of desktop users block ads; browser extensions make it both easy and effective to do so. In the mobile environment, where it is not easy or effective, less than 1% of users block ads.

Blocking will never be 100% effective; despite their best efforts, even the most savvy and determined individuals will always see ads.

(3) Pay for content / Pay for a better ad experience

People pay for content.

Netflix does not currently offer a way for users to experience content without paying for an account (or using your ex’s). Individuals have the simple choice to pay to access content, or not pay and not access content.

Newspapers are similar where subscribers pay to receive their paper. If you don’t like the ads, your only option is to cancel.

Internet users are confronted with a relatively new option: pay for a better ad experience. This is often presented in the form of paywalls, paid premium accounts, or micropayments.

This feels like a raw deal. Racketeering is the criminal act of requesting payment to solve a problem that wouldn’t otherwise exist. Sound familiar?

“I’m gonna be annoying AF unless you pay me,” isn’t an inspiring business proposition that anyone feels good about.

(4) Opt-out

Opt-out methods include do-not-call lists, unsubscribing from mailing lists, and preventing stalker ads (like that item on Amazon you bought 3 months ago). Most people don’t even know these options exists.

Do opt-outs work? …I still get calls from telemarketers.

Opt-out is better considered a superficial acknowledgement of privacy concerns.

(5) Opt-in

When you opt-in to see an ad, is it still an ad when you see it?

Macy’s catalog subscribers generally find them useful, but unsolicited catalogs likely end in the recycling bin (we all recycle, right?). Moviegoers expect trailers before feature presentations. They choose to see these ads and thus change them into something else entirely — content.

The act of opting-in fundamentally changes the individual’s relationship with the information being delivered. What was a nuisance now has the potential to add value. The fact that both parties are agreeing to engage with each other turns a transaction into a relationship.

A simple opt-in has the potential to turn ads into content and transactions into relationships; therein lies the power to fix the broken value exchange.

Summary

I rated each of the above methods based on ease of adoption (how easy is it to do?), effectiveness (how well does this method improve the experience?), and sustainability (does this method support the value exchange between individuals, content creators and marketers?).

Here is how they panned out:

Do you agree with this assessment? Let me know your thoughts!