• by Mike Donahue , Op-Ed Contributor, October 19, 2015

I was not surprised recently when I read a MediaPost article reporting that fast-forwarding through TV ads happens way less than many people realize. That inspired me to share my own confession of a non-zapper. And it’s not just because most of my career was spent in a creative agency, and the rest working for the 4A's on behalf of all agencies.

In our household, my wife is in charge of all gadgets including the TV remote. She's not crazy about doing that, but it's better than me fat fingering my way well beyond the commercial breaks.

And she can watch her recorded shows while cooking and then use the time during the commercial break to complete the recipe for chicken bisteeya -- all while being regaled by wonderful voiceovers from Donald Sutherland (Delta) and Sam Elliott (Dodge Ram and Coors, the Banquet Beer).

“Now,” you might ask, “how does low incidence of fast-forwarding through TV ads relate to the higher incidence of blocking digital ads?”

It’s all about the people’s choice. And people are choosing to block more digital ads than TV ads.

What the ad blockers are looking for is a Digital Bill of Rights.