The ad blocker saga continues for advertising. As you know,  ad blocking has been on the rise  for some time now. And when we last updated you, we had suggested a slew of  creative solutions  that you could experiment with to hopefully circumvent the problem. However,  recent changes from Google  have the power to change the game once again. Here are a few critical updates you need to be aware of.

2. matchcraft //
THE AD BLOCKER SAGA CONTINUES FOR ADVERTISING. AS YOU KNOW, AD
BLOCKING HAS BEEN ON THE RISE FOR SOME TIME NOW. AND WHEN WE
LAST UPDATED YOU, WE HAD SUGGESTED A SLEW OF CREATIVE SOLUTIONS
THAT YOU COULD EXPERIMENT WITH TO HOPEFULLY CIRCUMVENT THE
PROBLEM.
HOWEVER, RECENT CHANGES FROM GOOGLE HAVE THE POWER TO
CHANGE THE GAME ONCE AGAIN. HERE ARE A FEW CRITICAL UPDATES YOU
NEED TO BE AWARE OF.
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3. Google Chrome may include
ad blocker in all versions

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Emphasis is on the “may” – it’s not final just yet! Here’s the deal: it was recently
reported that Google is weighing the idea of implementing ad blocking technology into
its latest Chrome rollout.
This means that, by default, ad blocking would be included on both desktop and mobile
versions of Chrome.
From an ad blocking perspective, this is huge news. Chrome is one of the top browsers
of choice; it’s on more than 50 percent of all devices. All Devices. This change would
have a crucial impact across the advertising industry.

5. Google’s stance on ad
blocking

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While Google has spoken out against ad blocking in the past, it’s also trying to crack
down on specific practices—like those intrusive interstitials. The ad blocker would
target bottom-of-the-barrel ads, that aren’t up to the standards set by the Coalition for
Better Ads.
According to the Wall Street Journal:
“In one possible application Google is considering, it may choose to block all advertising that
appears on sites with offending ads, instead of the individual offending ads themselves. In other
words, site owners may be required to ensure all their ads meet the standards or could see all
advertising across their sites blocked in Chrome.”

7. Bing also cracks down

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Google isn’t the only one coming down hard on unsavory ads. According to the latest
Bing Ads’ Ad Quality in Review 2016 report, Bing kicked more than 100 million ads to
the curb in 2016.
These ads included phishing attempts, ads selling counterfeit goods, pesky tech
support scams, ads that violated download guidelines, and general misleading ads.
In Microsoft’s words, on the importance of these ad blocking efforts:
“In one possible application Google is considering, it may choose to block all advertising that
appears on sites with offending ads, instead of the individual offending ads themselves. In other
words, site owners may be required to ensure all their ads meet the standards or could see all
advertising across their sites blocked in Chrome.”

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10. In other ad blocking news…

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Video ad blocking may be experiencing the most changes of all. While most ad blocker
users don’t specify an ad format to block, there’s been a sharp increase in video ad
blocking.
Video is growing—and so, in turn, it’s taking on a massive share of the percentage of
blocked ads.
Video ads, though growing, have niche challenges. For example, they tend to suck up
viewers’ data usage, and many of them are set to auto-play the sound. Like all types of
ads, video ads will need to be on their game from a quality perspective, with the aim to
deliver interesting, useful content to viewers—versus annoying them. *Cringe*.

12. What to think of all of this?

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The advertising industry has been on the edge about ad blockers for a few years now.
While updates like this one may cause a bit of anxiety, it’s important to remember that
the industry has been fearful for a while now—this is just another change.
Yes, ad blockers are widely used, and PageFair’s latest report shows that more than 600
million devices are running ad-blocking software, with the large majority—more than
60%–being mobile devices. And it’s still expected to grow.

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About one-third of all internet users
are predicted to embrace ad-blocking
by sometime this year.
Regardless of where you stand, we
recognize that it’s an emotional, high-
stakes issue in the industry. How do
you feel about these potential
changes?

15. matchcraft //
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