IAB Declares War on Ad Blockers, Creates Blocker Detection Code

Ad blocking was a hot topic during the recent Advertising Week in New York City. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) turned up the heat during its IAB Mixx conference when it held a press event to declare war on ad blockers.

According to PageFair and Adobe's 2015 report "The Cost of Ad Blocking," there are 198 million active ad blocking users around the globe, and blocker use grew 41 percent globally during the previous year. In the United States, blocker use grew 48 percent year-over-year to reach 45 million active users. All that blocking will cost publishers $22 billion in 2015.

The IAB's own research, published in September 2014, finds that 34 percent of adults in the U.S. use ad blockers, and that young men use them more often. People often turn to blockers because they're annoyed by auto-play ads, but will turn them off if that's the only way to get to content they want to see.

Weeks ago, Apple launched a new version of iOS that allows users to load third-party ad-blockers. With mobile advertising coming on strong, that makes advertisers wonder whose side Apple is on.

To fight ad blockers, the IAB Tech Lab has created an online hub where it offers information and resources. The lab is creating ad guidelines to ensure viewers have a good experience on sites and aren't troubled by heavy page loads and slow loading times—things that make people turn to blockers in the first place.

The Tech Lab is creating code that detects the presence of hidden ad blockers, so that it can provide better data about their use. It will create best practices for what to do when ad blockers are present. Publisher options might include limiting the available content or requiring accounts. Finally, the IAB has created the IAB Ad Blocking Working Group, which "addresses detection from a technical standpoint and analyzes ad blocker behavior," according to the site.

"We don't want to see this type of highway robbery," said Scott Cunninham, general manager of the IAB Tech Lab, referring to a popular blocker that accepts payments from companies to get their ads past it blocking.

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net