The Great Web Debate: Ads!
Ever since the early 90’s, Web users have always wanted to block pop-up ads from invading our desktops. It’s been kind of a push-then-shove fight between users and Web sites. I’ll share my perspective on the battle with online advertising and share some insight on both sides.
No one likes ads, on the same note, not many want to pay for high-quality services. Even when people did pay a premium for services, they still were shown ads (e.g. Flickr, AOL, Yahoo*) and users today are given very little choice with their online experience, except for guerrilla tactics by using third party programs to block/hide/prevent advertisements from reaching their eyeballs.
Do providers listen? Sorta.
A majority of online marketers understand that people’s Web browsers have pop-up blockers and acknowledge that their marketing techniques stepped over the boundary that users are willing to accept to access a given Web site. Instead of pop-ups, marketers have resorted to more “organic” marketing such as text link advertising. Google AdSense is the best example of this. Whatever, at least I didn’t have 768×60 pixels of real estate blinking at me.
Anyhow, a free addon for Mozilla Firefox, AdBlock Plus, has come under fire lately because it enables users to manage their online experience by blacklisting known advertising networks and heuristics on possible ad-related strings in Web objects. It landed on my five extensions that I can’t live without as number one. The author of the addon responds back to the campaign against ABP stating the profit has to be earned and isn’t a right, and questions the profitability of ads themselves for Web site owners.
Essentially, the argument is based on the assumption that ads generate revenue and that sites would become extinct without the ads. While possibly true in some circumstances, the demographic of ABP users are folks who have become blind of ad sizes — you know, you just ignore anything on a page that is a 468×60 block of content.
In a nutshell, here’s the talking points about ABP:
Pro-AdBlock Plus:
- Puts users in control.
- Results in faster load time.
- Forces a Web site to offer compelling content to satisfy users.
- Users that enjoy content become more engaged.
- With only a plausible 2% saturation rate, they still profit from the 98% of users.
- More happy users, happy users == $$$ users.
Anti-AdBlock Plus:
- ABP violates copyright by infringing on a Web page.
- Steals revenue from Web site owners.
- Impacts other users who do view ads, making it unfair.
- Makes blocking ads “too easy.”
- Breaks the display of certain Web sites. (Broken experience)
Are advertisers about to have another pop like they did with pop-ups? Maybe users don’t like ads anymore. Users evolved and the only way to defeat ABP is to use in-stream contextual advertising and not use massive advertising networks that can be blocked. Should it become a cat and mouse game? Depends, are advertisers and Web owners ready to respect their users?
Innovate or die. Web site owners need to find new methods to monetize their users. Maybe, giving an option for ads to be turned off if they pay a fee, or after a certain account tenure? Not a decision for me to make, but one for a site owner to determine based on their demographics.
What about the loss of my dollars as a Web site owner? Listen to your audience, and cater to their needs. This could mean adding a premium content areas, it could mean monetizing the content itself (”…Brought to you by Coke!”). Second, CTRs have been dropping as users are simply not interested and have cognitively become blind to the traditional ad spots.
What do you think? Are ads good to keep the Web moving, do they hinder users’s experiences, or could a good experience for users and authors be made with ads? Post in the comments below!
*Yahoo - Yahoo “Plus” users are given a “premium” e-mail box with less ads and POP access.
Tags: ads, debate, discussion, online advertising
September 16th, 2007 at 12:18 AM
Those points against AdBlock are pretty weak. First of all, “violating copyright by infringing on a Web page?” Are you f—ing serious? This is the same argument the broadcast industry tried to use in their lawsuits attempting to prevent the spread of VCR’s and DVR’s (due to the ability of viewers to skip or fast-forward through commercials). It was nonsense then and it’s laughable now. The anti AdBlock website even quotes one of these court case (WGN v. United Video (1982)); although I think it’s admirable they were able to find one of the few cases where the judge didn’t simply throw it out accompanied by much wailing and gnashing of teeth on the part of the broadcasters.
You made a great point on even casual users becoming blind to the ads anyway- you probably drove past 20 billboards on the way to work. That’s 200 views a week assuming the same saturation both ways, plus you’re always seeing the same 40 ads; and I’ll give you a dollar if you can remember more than 5 of them of the top of your head. Hell, I’ll give you a cookie if you can remember 2. How’s that for a “micropayment”?
It’s worth repeating that the kind of person who would use ABP in the first place is the type not to pay attention to the ads in the first place and certainly not the type to click them… when has your average “savvy user” ever clicked on the big flashing FREE IPOD banner? If some sites become “extinct” due to 2% of users blocking ads, well, I guess that’s like Darwin for the Internet or something.
If these folks really want to make the big bucks from their blog posts or whatever, make it a paid subscription. Oh what’s that? Nobody would pay to read this stuff? Well, maybe that says something about its value, but then I’m no more a literature critic than these guys are professional writers. I like your idea for “content providers” (ugh I hate that weasel phrase) to offer no-ads if you pay a fee- I’d love to see it blow up in their face as users turned elsewhere for content and downloaded ABP along the way.
Imagine a TV network that says “to continue bringing you this programming and to maintain our profit margin, we’ve implemented new technology that will prevent you from skipping commercials with a DVR or videotape! Thanks for your support!” How many people will watch that channel? Will people that don’t even own a VCR or DVR hear about the ruckus? How will they react?
By fighting this unwinnable fight, the anti-ABP guys are giving the pro-ABP’ers more free publicity than they could possibly have hoped for. I guess they could just make ABP illegal and sue anyone who tried to read their site without looking at ads- that’s what the RIAA does and they’ve pretty much shut down all that music downloading…
The notion that someone automatically blocking an ad they aren’t going to pay attention to anyway and certainly won’t click amounts to stealing money is so awesome I can’t belive I hadn’t thought of it before. Only when I say “awesome” I mean “retarded.” Potential revenue != revenue. I sure hope the people blocking Firefox aren’t channel-surfing or hitting Mute during commercials or using a TiVo to fast-forward through them as they watch TV; because then they too would become copyright-infringing theives. Other “guerilla tactics” I hope they aren’t doing include:
-Looking away from the screen (perhaps to talk to a friend or loved one) during the commercials that play before a movie in the theater- or worse, entering the theater after the ads have started, missing some or all of them entirely.
-Changing radio stations or lowering the volume during commerical breaks, or conversing with others, preventing them from fully focusing on the advertisement.
-Skipping previews and ads on DVDs.
-Throwing away junk mail (oops, I meant “direct-mail targeted marketing material”) before reading it.
-Tearing ads and subscription cards out of magazines.
-Failing to Click Here for a Free Trial.
Do we really need *more* advertising? Is that what’s going to make the Internet a better place?
Finally, it’s my computer, I’ll control which data is processed or displayed on it, thanks. To those who would surrender that control to companies trying to profit off of them, I say “have fun with that.” I’ll keep my ABP.