Marketing Science analyzed web traffic data from 303 mainstream publisher websites in June 2017 to directly measure ad blocking rates. They found: 1) Ad blocking on mobile web was 0% in the U.S., unlike industry estimates of 35%. 2) Mainstream publishers saw lower ad blocking than estimates, with a range of 6-14%. 3) Measurement within ad frames corroborated a 0% ad blocking rate, as ads are not supposed to load when blocking is active.

1. June 11, 2017marketing.scienceconsulting group, inc.
linkedin.com/in/augustinefou
June 2017 Ad Blocking Update
Marketing Science analyzed 1.5 billion pageviews and 3 billion ad impressions from
303 websites of mainstream publishers in the U.S. and Canada in June 2017. The
data was directly measured with an embed code installed by publishers on their
websites (on-page and in-ad). Mobile means mobile web; no in-app. The
methodology includes the following:
• On-page measurement – measured the users arriving on the page that had ad blocking
turned on. This is done by attempting to call an asset – ad.gif – and see if it completes or fails.
• In-ad measurement – measured in the ad iframe – these would never be called if ad blocking
were active; our data confirms good publishers do not call ads when ad blockers are on.
KEY FINDINGS – UPDATED
1. DIRECTLY MEASURED ad blocking in MOBILE is 0% in the U.S.
2. Mainstream publishers show much lower ad blocking (7%)
than industry estimates of 35%
3. IN-AD measurement confirmed 0% ad blocking; our ad tag
should only be called when the ad is called; so ad blocking
should be zero, and is thus corroborated.
(range was 6 – 14% blocking)
Ad blocking rates reported by the industry are estimated from the number of ad blocking
plugins (desktop) or ad blocking browsers (mobile) downloaded. This overstates the
problem because users may have downloaded ad blockers, but they don’t use them
regularly. This is especially true in mobile, where most people use their default browser –
Safari (iPhones) and Chrome (Android devices). Directly measured ad blocking rates are a
more accurate reflection of the rate of ad blocking. Also, advertisers are not exposed to
ad blocking anyway, because the ads are not supposed to be called when ad blocking is
on. On-page and in-ad measurement is also different, and must be specified for accuracy.