INSIGHTS 2018 Attitude towards advertising and use of ad blocking US UK Germany Denmark Sweden Norway Finland
03 Editorial CONTENTS 04 Attitude towards advertising 13 Ad blocking 39 About the study 2 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Mobile ad blocking now on the rise Ad annoyance continues to be a big problem, and context does not seem to be the answer In our previous ad blocking studies, mobile has been the positive story. Even though ad blocking was fast rising on computers, mobiles were left almost untouched. Now ad blocking is gaining ground on mobile with Germany s 13 of blocked mobile sessions as the absolute front-runner. This happening at a point, where mobile has more time spent than any other device. EDITORIAL When we look at the reasons for ad blocking, irrelevant ads and ads disrupting the general online experience are highlighted. And when looking at the general opinion towards advertising, it aligns well with the use of blockers. We are seeing that it is not so much about which context an ad is placed within, rather it is irrelevance of ads, which gives the viewer a negative brand perception. Up to 61 of people have a general disliking of website ads, and for video ads, it is even worse. When asked if placement together with relevant content will improve or worsen the brand perception, there is a very high correlation to whether the user generally feels positive or negative about digital advertising. So, what advertisers need to focus on is improving the general ad experience as well as making sure that the right creatives reach the right people. Rune Werliin VP, Marketing & Professional Services @ AudienceProject This study is based on more than 16.000 individual survey respondents across 7 countries. AudienceProject Insights 2018 3
ATTITUDE TOWARDS ADVERTISING Let s face it. People don t like ads. And especially, they don t like ads in online video clips. Furthermore, advertisers are challenged by the fact that peoples brand perception is very negatively affected if ads are shown in non-brand safe environments. 4 AudienceProject Insights 2018
People are particularly annoyed with ads in online video clips [ What is the attitude towards ads on websites and in online video clips? ] Attitude towards ads on websites Attitude towards ads in online video clips US 15 43 42 US 13 28 59 UK 7 36 57 UK 5 21 74 Germany 9 42 49 Germany 7 25 68 Denmark 8 31 61 Denmark 4 16 80 Sweden 7 33 60 Sweden 3 20 77 Norway 8 36 55 Norway 3 17 80 Finland 9 42 49 Finland 4 24 72 AudienceProject Insights 2018 5
Especially older people are annoyed with ads on websites [ How many have a negative attitude towards ads on websites? ] 15-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56+ 39 35 33 39 57 45 57 55 52 68 51 48 45 43 54 58 56 51 64 70 40 63 58 58 74 63 54 55 53 53 55 51 48 49 44 US UK Germany Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 6 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Both young and old are very annoyed with ads in online video clips [ How many have a negative attitude towards ads in online video clips? ] 15-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56+ 57 42 48 58 71 74 74 71 66 82 73 70 69 64 64 89 85 84 84 80 77 78 78 76 78 73 75 77 75 66 72 75 74 70 70 US UK Germany Denmark Sweden Norway Finland AudienceProject Insights 2018 7
Ads shown next to relevant content have little positive effect on brand perception [ How would it affect people s perception of a brand if it was advertised next to relevant and trustworthy content? ] US UK Germany Positive effect No effect 42 would have a positive perception of the brand 42 44 6 8 36 would have a positive perception of the brand 36 50 8 6 28 would have a positive perception of the brand 28 52 11 10 Negative effect Don t know Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 20 would have a positive perception of the brand 20 44 17 19 30 would have a positive perception of the brand 30 48 9 13 25 would have a positive perception of the brand 25 48 11 16 24 would have a positive perception of the brand 24 54 7 15 8 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Effect on brand perception when ads are shown next to relevant content differs a lot among those who are positive and negative towards ads [ How many of those who are positive and negative towards ads would have a positive and negative perception of a brand if it was advertised next to relevant and trustworthy content? ] US UK Germany Would affect brand perception in a positive way Would affect brand perception in a negative way 75 2 76 1 57 4 Positive towards ads 35 12 28 13 21 18 Negative towards ads Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 42 7 56 16 43 4 49 3 16 31 25 16 21 21 20 15 AudienceProject Insights 2018 9
Ads shown in non-brand safe environments cause a negative perception of brands [ How would it affect people s perception of a brand if it was advertised next to offensive and/or controversial content? ] US UK Germany Positive effect No effect 46 would have a negative perception of the brand 11 34 46 9 56 would have a negative perception of the brand 7 30 56 7 49 would have a negative perception of the brand 5 35 49 11 Negative effect Don t know Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 53 would have a negative perception of the brand 3 25 53 20 56 would have a negative perception of the brand 4 27 56 12 47 would have a negative perception of the brand 3 33 47 17 43 would have a negative perception of the brand 3 38 43 16 10 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Effect on brand perception when ads are shown in non-brand safe environment differs a lot among those who are positive and negative towards ads [ How many of those who are positive and negative towards ads would have a positive and negative perception of a brand if it was advertised next to offensive and/or controversial content? ] US UK Germany Would affect brand perception in a positive way Would affect brand perception in a negative way 50 24 23 45 28 40 Positive towards ads 5 63 5 68 3 62 Negative towards ads Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 19 33 29 42 11 45 13 29 2 74 3 69 2 62 3 57 AudienceProject Insights 2018 11
12 AudienceProject Insights 2018
AD BLOCKING Ad blocking is still a huge problem for the advertising industry. And unlike earlier, ad blocking on mobile is now also gaining ground. However, there is a big difference between the number of people using an ad blocker and the number of sessions where ads are blocked. AudienceProject Insights 2018 13
In this study, we are showing the use of ad blocking in two different ways; the answered use of ad blocking and the detected use of ad blocking. Answered use of ad blocking vs detected use of ad blocking The answered use of ad blocking is related to the respondents answers on whether they use ad blocking, while the detected use of ad blocking is related to the sessions, where we have detected a use of ad blocking. This means that the answered use of ad blocking represents the number of people having an ad blocker on one device or another, while the detected use of ad blocking represents the number of sessions being blocked by an ad blocker on the device used when the survey was answered. The discrepancy between the answered use of ad blocking and the detected use of ad blocking can be explained by the differences in metrics. An individual who uses an ad blocker will most likely not use it every time she visits a website as she most likely will not use an ad blocker on all devices and in every browser. Furthermore, even though a respondent believes she uses an ad blocker, it might not be active at all time or can be inactive for several reasons. In the following, we will clarify when the use of ad blocking represents the number of people who have answered that they use an ad blocker and when the results represent the number of sessions where we have detected a use of ad blocking. 14 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Answered use of ad blocking Detected use of ad blocking Survey question: Do you use an ad blocker? In how many sessions is use of ad blocking detected? Yes Yes Yes No No Yes No No No No Conclusion: 60 use an ad blocker Conclusion: 20 of sessions are blocked AudienceProject Insights 2018 15
Knowledge of ad blocking surprisingly low in the Nordics [ How many know what an ad blocker is? ] US 83 UK 82 Germany 75 Denmark 53 Sweden 66 Norway 61 Finland 68 16 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Ad blocking most widely used in the US, UK and Germany [ How many have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] US 39 55 6 UK 41 53 6 Germany 49 45 6 Denmark 24 71 4 Sweden 34 61 5 Norway 32 62 6 Finland 29 68 3 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know AudienceProject Insights 2018 17
Number of people using ad blocking has decreased over the past two years [ How many have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] US 2016 2018 52 39 UK 2016 2018 47 41 Germany 2016 2018 N/A 49 Denmark 2016 2018 29 24 Sweden 2016 2018 43 34 Norway 2016 2018 34 32 Finland 2016 2018 30 29 18 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Clear correlation between attitude towards advertising and use of ad blocking [ How many of those who are positive and negative towards ads on websites have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] US 34 47 UK 38 45 Germany 33 54 Denmark 20 28 Sweden 35 35 Positive towards ads and use ad blocker Norway 18 39 Finland 19 37 Negative towards ads and use ad blocker AudienceProject Insights 2018 19
One in ten can t be reached either online or on TV [ How many of those who have answered that they use an ad blocker don t watch TV on a weekly basis? ] US UK Germany Don t use ad blocking Use ad blocking 45 31 50 35 32 36 Watch TV 13 11 7 8 16 16 Don t watch TV Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 59 17 56 26 56 23 64 23 16 9 8 10 10 11 6 7 20 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Both young and old are blocking ads in the US [ How many across gender and age in the US have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] Men 45 50 4 Women 33 59 7 15-25 46 49 5 26-35 37 56 7 36-45 34 60 6 46-55 40 55 6 56+ 39 55 6 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know AudienceProject Insights 2018 21
Use of ad blocking varies only a little across gender and age in the UK [ How many across gender and age in the UK have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] Men 46 49 6 Women 37 58 6 15-25 45 51 4 26-35 44 49 7 36-45 41 54 4 46-55 39 55 5 56+ 38 55 7 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know 22 AudienceProject Insights 2018
More than half of all young Germans are blocking ads [ How many across gender and age in Germany have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] Men 56 40 4 Women 41 50 9 15-25 52 40 7 26-35 62 34 4 36-45 49 45 6 46-55 45 48 7 56+ 41 52 7 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know AudienceProject Insights 2018 23
Twice as many men as women are blocking ads in Denmark [ How many across gender and age in Denmark have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] Men 32 65 4 Women 17 77 5 15-25 36 58 6 26-35 27 68 5 36-45 25 71 4 46-55 24 72 4 56+ 15 80 4 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know 24 AudienceProject Insights 2018
More than a quarter across all age groups are blocking ads in Sweden [ How many across gender and age in Sweden have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] Men 39 50 4 Women 28 65 7 15-25 47 49 4 26-35 43 52 5 36-45 33 59 8 46-55 30 64 6 56+ 27 75 5 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know AudienceProject Insights 2018 25
Huge difference between use of ad blocking among young and old in Norway [ How many across gender and age in Norway have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] Men 40 55 5 Women 25 69 6 15-25 58 37 5 26-35 38 56 6 36-45 29 67 4 46-55 20 72 7 56+ 17 77 6 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know 26 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Use of ad blocking much more common among young than old in Finland [ How many across gender and age in Finland have answered that they use an ad blocker? ] Men 37 59 4 Women 21 77 3 15-25 46 49 5 26-35 37 60 3 36-45 28 70 2 46-55 20 77 3 56+ 16 81 3 Use ad blocker Don t use ad blocker Don t know AudienceProject Insights 2018 27
28 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Website layout and irrelevant ads are the main reasons for using ad blocking [ Why do people use ad blockers? ] 67 73 76 66 US UK Germany 58 57 59 58 46 50 46 38 43 45 45 32 45 32 28 37 49 37 29 28 27 36 44 36 25 Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 17 14 8 13 16 9 9 12 9 10 16 14 12 Websites are more manageable without banners I want to avoid offensive or irrelevant images/messages I don t want my behaviour to be tracked Websites load more slowly To limit my data usage Other reasons AudienceProject Insights 2018 29
Around half have whitelisted websites in their ad blocker [ How many have whitelisted selected websites in their ad blocker? ] Whitelisting Most ad blockers allow the user to whitelist selected websites where the ad blocker is not active and the ads on the websites are thus not being removed US UK Germany Have whitelisted websites 40 whitelist websites in their ad blocker 40 46 14 33 whitelist websites in their ad blocker 33 49 17 37 whitelist websites in their ad blocker 37 53 10 Have not whitelisted websites? Don t know Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 34 whitelist websites in their ad blocker 34 51 15 35 whitelist websites in their ad blocker 35 48 17 57 whitelist websites in their ad blocker 57 32 11 51 whitelist websites in their ad blocker 51 41 8 30 AudienceProject Insights 2018
People whitelist websites to get access to blocked content [ Why do people whitelist selected websites? ] 67 Because the content is blocked when the ad blocker is active 59 63 68 68 74 79 39 46 To support the website(s) with ad revenue 29 34 43 33 40 Because the ads on the website(s) don t disturb the user experinece 26 35 33 31 32 34 34 US UK Germany Denmark Sweden Norway Finland AudienceProject Insights 2018 31
ios ad blockers [ Which ad blockers do people use on their ios mobiles? ] ios ad blockers US UK Germany 1Blocker 13 7 7 Purify: Ad Blocking Perfected 8 9 13 Roadblock - Content Blocker 5 4 5 Shut Up: Comment Blocker 3 10 5 Weblock: adblock & proxy 10... 24 5... Other... 34? 47... 41? Don t know? 28? 24 Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 9 1 7 5 2 13 6 5 1 3 6 2 4 1... 30 6... 46 5? 50 4? 39... 43... 61? 34? 17 32 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Android ad blockers [ Which ad blockers do people use on their Android mobiles? ] Android ad blockers US UK Germany Ad away 6 1 32 Adblock Browser for Android 35 33 1 AppBrain Ad Detector 2 2 16 Free Adblocker Browser 14 18 4 Opera Mini 10 2... 30 TrustGo Ad Detector 3 2? 16... Other... 15... 18? Don t know? 14? 24 Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 3 5 3 33 33 27 24 14 19 1 14 1 2 11 11... 29 2 3... 35? 23... 20 1? 14? 22... 29? 22 AudienceProject Insights 2018 33
Very few using ad blockers pay for their ad blockers [ How many of those using ad blockers pay for ad blockers? ] US UK Germany Pay for ad blockers 8 pay for ad blockers 8 89 2 4 pay for ad blockers 4 92 4 4 pay for ad blockers 4 94 2 Don t pay for ad blockers? Don t know Denmark Sweden Norway Finland 2 pay for ad blockers 2 95 3 4 pay for ad blockers 4 93 3 5 pay for ad blockers 5 91 3 2 pay for ad blockers 2 96 1 34 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Detected use of ad blocking significantly lower than answered use of ad blocking [ How many have answered that they use an ad blocker and in how many sessions have we detected a use of ad blocking on computer, tablet and mobile? ] 41 42 Answered use of ad blocking on computer Detected use of ad blocking on computer Answered use of ad blocking on tablet 36 Detected use of ad blocking on tablet Answered use of ad blocking on mobile Detected use of ad blocking on mobile 25 26 28 29 21 19 21 21 19 12 2 16 5 11 2 13 8 10 8 16 13 15 9 3 1 5 3 5 4 9 7 4 7 8 9 4 7 5 6 US UK Germany Denmark Sweden Norway Finland AudienceProject Insights 2018 35
Detected use of ad blocking on computer is stable [ In how many have sessions have we detected a use of ad blocking on computer? ] 2016 Q1 2016 Q3 2018 US - 23 21 (-2) UK - 26 25 (-1) Germany - - 26 Denmark 14 12 (-2) 9 (-3) Sweden 18 19 (+1) 19 (0) Norway 15 19 (+4) 21 (+2) Finland 15 17 (+2) 19 (+2) 36 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Detected use of ad blocking on mobile has increased a lot [ In how many have sessions have we detected a use of ad blocking on mobile? ] 2016 Q1 2016 Q3 2018 US - 2 5 (+3) UK - 2 8 (+6) Germany - - 13 Denmark 4 1 (-3) 3 (+2) Sweden 4 2 (-2) 7 (+5) Norway 3 3 (0) 9 (+6) Finland 2 2 (0) 6 (+4) AudienceProject Insights 2018 37
38 AudienceProject Insights 2018
Methodology The study is a part of AudienceProject Insights 2018. Data is collected through online surveys done in Q2 2018. The respondents have been selected from our Nordic, German, UK and US panels consisting of more than 1.5 million panelists and weighed to achieve representativity on the more than 16.000 respondents who completed the survey. ABOUT THE STUDY Editor & Data Rune Werliin rw@audeinceproject.com +45 60 17 77 76 Text & Design Martin Kokholm mk@audienceproject.com +45 25 61 32 19 Contact hello@audienceproject.com About AudienceProject AudienceProject is a marketing technology company founded in Denmark and operational worldwide. Based on its proprietary tech stack and more than 1.5 million panelists worldwide, AudienceProject helps brands, agencies and publishers identify, target and validate audiences. Website www.audienceproject.com Twitter @Audience_P #apinsights2018 AudienceProject Insights 2018 39