• by Alex Groth , Op-Ed Contributor, February 17, 2016

The Interactive Advertising Bureau drew a very clear line in the sand concerning ad-blocking technology recently when it decided to ban Adblock Plus from attending its annual leadership summit, yet extended a speaking invitation to the Web browsing extension Ghostery. While the feverish debate over ad blocking rages on, the real conversation that we should be having is starting to surface.  

The rise of ad blockers is symptomatic of an industry in trouble. Consumers have signaled that they want more control over their online experience, so now is the time for advertisers to find a better solution instead of workarounds like forcing users to pay for content.

The industry needs to refocus on the user, and opt-in advertising is the seismic shift that can do it.  By definition, the opt-in model can only exist when users make the fully conscious decision to participate in the ad experience. From a publisher and ad network perspective, opt-in is an unspoken promise to users that their needs will be met, including but not limited to:

Complete transparency: Every ad experiences should be crystal-clear, with zero misunderstanding that consumers are choosing to engage.

Great UX: Consumers want a better digital experience, and that means ads that are minimally invasive. In fact, the IAB recently introduced a new set of guiding principles dubbed L.E.A.N., which calls for design that is light, encrypted, ad-choice supported and non-invasive.

Data security: Consumers should have complete power over how their data is collected and used.

Engaging & relevant ads: Ads should be enjoyable and impactful for consumers, and they should be from brands that they know and love.

Of course, opt-in is not a flawless solution. There are tradeoffs; it will be an unwelcome change for many. For starters, there will be a drop in top-level ad impressions -- something that publishers are sure to fight against, but that the ecosystem should ultimately embrace because each impression becomes that much more valuable.

Targeting concerns will be another obstacle.  However, we’ve found that when users have a clearer understanding of where their data is going and how it’s being used, they typically want to participate. In some cases, 65% of users have opted to share targeting data in order to receive more relevant ads.

Forbes.com recently made headlines by directly asking readers to turn off their ad blocker in exchange for an “ad-light” experience. Instead of a workaround to the blocker or forcing the users to pay for the content, the publisher was transparent in its request and offered a new experience as a tradeoff.

The experiment worked. Forbes was able to monetize 63 million ad impressions that would otherwise have been blocked. Of course, what constitutes an "ad light" experience is debatable, and should ultimately be decided by users.

The model is already gaining momentum with a number of 100% opt-in technologies on the market including TrueX, where consumers initiate the brand experience so they only see an ad if they want to, and Ghostery, the abovementioned browser extension that allows consumers to opt in to data tracking and then monetizes by selling the data anonymously.

In my estimate, the opt-in model has the greatest potential to remove the pain points that consumers are feeling, and the friction it’s causing with publishers and advertisers. With user feedback an active component of the system, advertisers will gain deeper insight into the consumer mindset to build a level of brand affinity that has yet to be achieved.