Why consumers block ads: too many ads, annoying, irrelevant, intrusive

London-based market researchers GlobalWebIndex have published the results of new research into how and why consumers are using ad blockers, based on interviews with 109,780 Internet users aged 16-64 in 42 countries.

Some key points:

• 4 in 10 Internet users across income levels are blocking ads.
• More people block ads on desktops, but mobile is catching up because ads waste scarce screen space and costly data allowance on mobile devices.
• 60% of Internet users routinely use ad blockers every day.
• "Ad fatigue" drives users to block ads.
• Marketers should explore non-ad avenues like branded content and influencers.

Demographics:

• Men (48%) - especially ages 16-34 - use ad blockers more than women (38%).
• Ad blocking is most common in Asia-Pacific (47%), North America (43%), Latin America (42%).

Why consumers block ads (top 5 reasons):

1. Too many ads on the Internet. (48%)
2. Too many ads are annoying or irrelevant. (47%)
3. Ads are too intrusive. (44%)
4. Ads sometimes contain viruses or bugs. (39%)
5. Ads take up too much screen space. (37%)

Reasons to block ads - specific to age groups:

• 16-24 Avoid having to see ads before watching videos
• 25-34 Conserve data allowance
• 35-44 Save battery life
• 45-64 Stop ads being personalized from browsing history

Top ad blocking motivations by country (selected):

• Too many ads: France, Mexico, Portugal
• Annoying/irrelevant: Canada, Germany, Ireland, UK, USA
• Intrusive: China, Italy

Blocking on desktop vs mobile:

• North America 38% vs. 23%
• Europe 36% vs. 22%
• Asia-Pacific: 38% both
• Latin America 36% vs. 26%
• Middle East & Africa: 37% vs. 34%

Single-device vs. multi-device ad blocker use, by region:

• Single-device: 22% (Asia-Pacific) to 44% (Middle East & Africa)
• Multi-device: 56% (Middle East & Africa) to 78% (Asia-Pacific)

Google is contributing to ad blocking by:

• In Chrome, blocking full-screen ads, ads that autoplay audio or video, ads with deceptive CLOSE buttons
• Penalizing in search ranking sites that load slowly on mobile devices

Medium through which consumers most often discover brands:

• 16-24 Online 35%
• 25-34 TV 35%
• 35-44 TV 37%
• 45-54 TV 41%
• 55-64 TV 45%

Share of consumers who discover brands through endorsements by celebrities or well-known individuals:

• 16-24 19%
• 25-34 18%
• 35-44 15%
• 45-54 10%
• 55-64 6%

How consumers say they have engaged with a brand in the past month (top 5):

1. Visited website 58%
2. Watched a video made by the brand 26%
3. Read an e-mail or newsletter from a brand 24%
4. Visited brand's social-network page 23%
5. Linked or followed brand on social network 23%

Recommendations from GlobalWebIndex:

• Assume ad blockers aren't going away.
• Ads need to load faster.
• Ads must be relevant and well placed in context.
• Invest in content or influencers to become a source of entertainment or education.

=============================

Comments:

Some very actionable points that marketers need to heed:

• Make all ads relevant to what the user is doing, and to the context in which your ads appear.
• Make mobile ads small and fast.
• Publish branded content that entertains or educates.
• Work with relevant influencers.
• Don't waste money on ad personalization or celebrity endorsements if targeting middle-aged or older consumers.
• If getting good results and ROI from TV, don't abandon it yet.