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15% of UK web users block the ads, could they be persuaded not to?

By | Published on Wednesday 1 July 2015

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Less than half of UK adults realise that most free content online – whether newspaper and magazine sites, or social networks, or freemium streaming platforms – is paid for by advertising.

I don’t know who these people are to be honest with you, and how they thought said content was being generated for free, though the point is probably that most people just don’t think about these things. And before you blame it all on ‘the kids’, older people surveyed were less likely to make the connection than younger people.

The stat comes from a YouGov survey commissioned by the Internet Advertising Bureau, which was mainly looking at how widely ad-blocking software is used by people who want free content but don’t want the ads, and what motivates people to block adverts from appearing.

A fifth of those surveyed had downloaded ad-blocking tools, and about 15% were using them. But would the ad-blockers do less blocking if they were aware that the adverts were paying for the content? Not really. Only 10% of those blocking ads and unaware of the ad/content connection said they’d be less likely to block now that they have been enlightened.

But the survey did find that many people blocked ads because they “interrupted their experience”, suggesting that there is still the potential for brands to reach these people via online advertising if only they do so more subtly. Though more subtle advertising probably means ‘branded content’, which increasingly blurs the line between advertising and editorial.

Commenting on the survey, IAB CEO Guy Phillipson said: “When it comes to a free and an ad-free internet, a lot of consumers want to have their cake and eat it. However, those unaware that most online services are free – or cost very little – because sites make money from showing visitors ads, could be in for a shock if websites start charging for access because ad blocking reduces their revenue from advertising. The bottom line is that if the web didn’t have ads, most sites could only exist by charging subscriptions”.



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