Commentary
Millennials Embracing Mobile Ad-Blocking
- by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, March 2, 2016
About one in five currently employ an ad blocker on their smartphones, while an additional 16% say they “want to,” but don’t think they can use one on their current device.
That’s according to a new study of 500 U.S. adults commissioned by location-based mobile platform Retale.
More alarming, 63% of millennials currently use ad blockers on their personal computers. I think this figure paints a more accurate picture of demand among this prized demo, and suggests where mobile ad-blocker numbers are headed.
“Not only are [millennials] seemingly more inclined to tune out display and banner ads while on a PC, they’re proactive in blocking them,” said Pat Dermody, president of Retale.
What’s the solution?
For one, “To more effectively connect with this group, advertisers need to focus on building relevant and engaging campaigns that reach millennials when they are ready to interact,” Dermody suggests.
Additionally, “Advertisers can’t afford to ignore mobile ad blocking,” Dermody said. “As adoption expands, brands will need to factor these potential obstacles into their digital marketing strategy.”
Added Dermody: “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.
Gavin O'Malley edits MediaPost's Mobile Marketing Daily and MoBlog column. Follow him: @mp_gavin. You can reach Gavin at gavin@mediapost.com.
I love it when you say , "Millennials make marketers' world go 'round", Gavin. As for the findings concerning the only group that really matters to marketers---adults aged 18-34---- the bad news is that this is only the beginning. Soon 85-90% of this vitally important segment will be using ad blockers on their smartphones. One wonders what the impact of this "revolting development" will have on the ad revenue stats?
Ed Netflix is the Ad Blocker version for your pay TV model.......
you seem to gloat over this post yet happy to be selling TV ads that have less audience for more $$$ simply on reaching an audience without any accountability for Attribution.....
explain how the Dish Hopper has been neutered...
looks and sounds like a Buggy Whip....
Leonard, it's not my pay TV model. Also, my point about TV selling ads for higher costs per viewer while delivering fewer viewers per commercial is merely one example of inflation. Everyone does it. In fact, when we talk about TV ratings being a "con game" the biggest con game right now is being played by digital ad sellers who charge advertisers for ads that can't be seen.
As for Netflix being TV's version of ad blocking, that's great. For less than an hour per day---about 52 minutes per person-- in 40% of U.S. households, Netflix content is consumed ad-free. What about all of the other viewing in Netflix households, very heavily skewed towards basic cable channels, which are full of ads, to say nothing about non-Netflix homes? The way ad blockers are growing in usage it wont be long before 60% of American adults have them and, then, most of those disruptive digital ads will become truly invisible. This will dwarf Netflix's negative impact on TV commercial viewing.