Dive Brief:
- Location-based mobile and digital firm, Retale, surveyed 500 U.S. adults on ad blocking technology adoption and found that 57% of those surveyed reported using ad blockers to avoid display ads on desktops. Breaking down the demographics found the highest adoption rate among Millennials at 63%
- Mobile ad blocking use is much lower at 20% with no real difference for younger mobile users.
- Among those reporting not using ad block tech on their mobile device, 16% said they wanted to but didn’t think they currently could do so on their device.
Dive Insight:
“Advertisers can’t afford to ignore mobile ad blocking,” Pat Dermody, President of Retale, said in a statement provided to Marketing Dive. “As adoption expands, brands will need to factor these potential obstacles into their digital marketing strategy. In a separate study, we found that 60% of those who’ve clicked on mobile banner ads say they did so accidentally, with nearly 70% calling the clicks were annoying. People want to block mobile banner ads just as they’ve done with desktop ads, but the awareness around mobile ad blocking solutions and the technology itself isn’t quite there yet.”
Dermody also pointed out that the higher use of ad blocking on desktops by Millennials wasn’t surprising because they are “more technologically savvy.” He suggested that to connect with that demographic, marketers should focus on building relevant and engaging campaigns.
Ad blocking has become a major issue facing the digital advertising ecosystem with Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) president Randall Rothenberg denouncing the technology at the 2016 IAB Annual Leadership Meeting as a war against diversity and freedom of expression.
