ADBLOCK HOW OPEN IS THE FUTURE 1

Adblock: How Open is the Future?

An Exploration of the Future of Digital Advertising as Consumer and Client Desires Clash

By Will Walton

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Advertising Practice Area

This paper focuses on the effects adblock has on advertising and advertising publishers. The research focuses on how and why users choose to block ads, the steps that are being taken to entice users to stop blocking ads, and the financial effects of adblock on the industry. The relationship between adblock providers and advertisers will be explored, especially the relationship between Adblock Plus, owned by Eyeo, and many advertisers. In addition, industry examples of how to combat adblock will be discussed as well as some of the best practices being used within the industry that could be applied towards countering adblock. Research shows that users predominantly use adblock to limit distracting and intrusive advertisements. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), approximately 26% of internet users use adblock programs (Interactive Advertising Bureau & C3 Research, 2016). This paper will look into the potential growth of adblock use as well as the potential of increased loss of revenue. United

Nations research shows that almost 43% of the entire human population uses the Internet which creates a huge pool of potential consumers of online advertising as well as potential adblock users. This paper will examine the relationship between the advertiser, the client, and the consumer within adblock, how the relationship led to adblock. Possible methods to solve the issue, such as the LEAN ads initiative from IAB and the Acceptable Ads program from Adblock

Plus, will be examined. Adblock use on mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones will also be discussed. This paper will show how more creative digital advertising combined with a compromise between the desires of both consumers and clients will work to end the adblock conflict. Solutions exist within the realms of in-image advertisements and an increased use of native advertising as well.

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Keywords: adblock, advertising, Interactive Advertising Bureau, Adblock Plus ​

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Research Focus

Consumers are constantly bombarded with advertisements both in the real and virtual worlds. In real life, ads are easily shut out or ignored. Online, however, that is not the case. Ads can take over a user’s screen, blink annoyingly at them, begin playing the moment that they open the webpage, and even negatively affect the user by injecting their computer with viruses or other malware. In 2002, Henrik Sørenson wrote the source code for adblock. The software was first used on the Firefox browser and eventually migrated to Google Chrome, and other browsers. What started as a college student’s procrastinating has become a popular way to avoid seeing advertisements that are deemed annoying, irritating, distracting, or unsafe. Online advertisers and publishers say that adblocking is “threatening the Internet’s business model

(Hern, 2013).” In the end, advertising is not going anywhere, which begs the question: how will adblocking and increased privacy concerns change the way advertisers reach their target audiences? It would seem that the best way to do so is to better engage with consumers through more targeted and creative advertisements that are not distracting or annoying, but interesting and accessible.

The cultural phenomenon that helped create adblock is not something new. It began with the world wide web in 1992 and has spread throughout the world since then. It has appeared in several different forms, most notably the shift from cable television to online streaming platforms for television. Users increasingly want streamlined experiences that provide the least number of distractions. As the Internet grew, more advertisers went after their audience online.

In 2015, Time Money reported that the International Telecommunications Union of the United

Nations found that 3.2 billion people, or over 40% of the human population, use the Internet

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(Davidson 2015). As the number of Internet users rises, the number of Adblock users also grows among those who are technologically literate and annoyed enough with advertisements to do something about them.

Objectives of Research

How is Adblock affecting online advertising?

A report by PageFair, an Irish start-up that studies adblock, and Adobe, found that there are 198 million adblock users worldwide and that they have cost publishers almost $22 million in lost revenue. The same report found that adblock use grew by an astonishing 41% from 2014 to

2015 and expected to see similar numbers of growth and lost revenue in 2016. Adblock Plus, the world’s largest adblock provider, has been using an acceptable ads criteria to choose which ads are “whitelisted,” or passed through the adblock. The practice has been called extortionary by some, as advertisers and publishers must sometimes pay to have their ads whitelisted. 148 sites are currently whitelisted.

How will online and mobile advertisers change their practices?

Responses to adblock have been varied. Some publishers and online advertisers such as

Google have simply been paying the fees to have their ads whitelisted. Other publishers, such as

Forbes.com have tried a different strategy by forcing users to either turn off their adblock or whitelist Forbes or they will be unable to view any content. Forbes.com and Wired.com, as well as other sites, came under fire for this deciosn in May of 2016 when traffic drivers such as

Reddit.com’s Technology subreddit began contemplating “banning all domains that require users to disable ad blockers (/u/Creq, 2016).”

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The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and AdBlock Plus, although they are on different sides of the conflict, have similar suggestions on how to solve the adblock problem: make better ads. Their programs revolve around the idea that ads need to be less intrusive, have less drag on data, and encrypted.

Practice Area

Adblock is primarily an issue with online advertising. While there are nearly 200 million active adblock users, the majority of these users utilize the software on their home and work computers, laptops, and tablets. A small percentage of adblock users also utilize the software while on their mobile devices. Although advertisers and publishers are mainly focused on how to combat adblocking through online use, many are still worried about mobile advertising becoming the next target. IAB and others have begun research into how to streamline mobile advertising to make it more consumer friendly while also meeting the client’s needs.

The issue of adblocking touches almost all aspects of advertising, from accounts to media buying to creatives and planners. Online advertising focuses on the number of total impressions and views more than the total number of clicks, which makes adblocking a large issue. Ads need to not only meet the standards so they are not blocked, but be placed in the correct location, be creative and naturally eye-drawing, and must be seen.

Key Terms

There are several key terms that surround both the advertising industry and the adblock issue that must be defined. These terms are adblock/adblocking, whitelisting, acceptable ads, the

Acceptable Ads platform, LEAN ads, Clicks per million, traffic, browser, browser extension,

Internet Service Providers (ISPs), malware, spyware, adware, and anti-virus.

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Adblock or Adblocking is a type of software used as a browser extension to block ​ advertisements from view. Adblock is sometimes mistaken for anti-virus software. There are approximately 50 different types of adblock programs that are available for use. Notable adblock programs include Adblock Plus, Adblock, and ublock Origin. Whitelisting refers to an ​ ​ advertisement that has been unblocked, or deemed acceptable, by adblock software. This process sometimes involves payment or having the ads meet a certain criteria in order to be whitelisted.

The Acceptable Ads Criteria is a series of criterion set by Adblock Plus to decide what ads are ​ ​ whitelisted. There are three criterion the ads must meet to be deemed acceptable: the ad’s placement must not disrupt the user’s natural reading flow, the ads should be clearly marked with the word advertisement or an equivalent, and the size of the ad and the size of the space it takes up are limited. The criteria is also the basis for the Acceptable Ads Program launched by ​ ​ Adblock Plus and its partner ComboTag to sell ads.

L.E.A.N ads is a program first proposed by the IAB. The acronym stands for Light, ​ Encrypted, Ad-choice supported, and Non-invasive ads. IAB is working on creating the program to introduce it to the web as a possible industry standard. They want the ads to be light so they do not place too much weight on streams of data, especially fixed data. They also are working towards having the ads encrypted so they cannot be used to inject malware, spyware, adware, or any other types of viruses or invasions of privacy into users’ computers.

Clicks per minute (CPM) is defined as “the cost per thousand impressions” by ​ marketingterms.com. The CPM for a website determines the cost of advertisements that are placed on the site. It is the online version of Cost per Thousand.

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Browsers are the programs that consumers use to “browse” or “surf” the Internet. Notable ​ browsers include Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari. Browser extension are a ​ ​ type of software or program that has been created by the same organization that created the browser or other teams/individuals that operates in conjunction with browsers to perform certain functions. Notable browser extensions are Adblock Plus, LastPass (a password storage extension), and Hola Better Internet (a free VPN, virtual private network, extension that allows you to change your location for better privacy and to access content from other countries).

Traffic refers to the amount of Internet users who are coming to a site from either their ​ homepage or being re-directed from another site by clicking on links. Internet Service Providers ​ (ISPs) provide Internet to consumers, both businesses and private citizens, as well as often ​ providing other resources such as phone lines or cable TV. Well known ISPs include Time

Warner Cable, Comcast/Xfinity, RCN, Verizon, AT&T, and several others.

Malware is defined as “software that is intended to damage or disable computers and ​ computer systems.” Malware are often commonly referred to as viruses. Malware can be inadvertently downloaded from a number of different sources, including advertisements.

Spyware can be downloaded in much the same way as malware. It is defined by dictionary.com ​ as “software that is often surreptisiously installed and gathers information about an Internet user’s browsing habits, intercepts the user’s personal data, etc. transmitting the data to a third party.” Advertisements can transmit spyware and are a part of of the security concerns that ​ adblock users cite as reason for utilizing the software. Phishing attacks are similar to spyware, ​ ​ but they often require direct involvement. An example of spyware/phishing are fake download buttons on web sites. Adware is defined by Google as as “software that automatically displays or ​ ​

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downloads advertising material (often unwanted) while a user is online.” Pop-ups are an example of adware. Internet Explorer toolbars are another example, they are often filled with adware and sometimes spyware.

Anti-virus is often packaged with anti-malware/spyware/adware, protects computers and ​ ​ computer systems from malicious software that can be found online. Advertisements can often be inadvertently linked to viruses, or have viruses, malware, or spyware, attached to them. Many adblock users confuse adblock for spyware and vice versa. Anti-virus software can come bundled with limited adblock capabilities.

Current State of the Industry

Primary Companies and Brands

There are a multitude of brands and companies involved in the argument over adblock and its effects towards consumers and clients. Out of the many who are involved, there are a few companies who are either industry leaders, trend-setters, or extremely vocal and leading on the situation.

Alphabet, Inc. the owner of Google, is best known as a search engine, although the ​ ​ ​ company is involved in many different areas and gets most of its revenue from advertising,

Google (owned by Alphabet) has its hands in many different arenas. They are an Internet Service

Provider (ISP) with their Google Fiber internet service, an advertising publisher, and one of the leading developers of artificial intelligence. They are also moving into the mobile phone industry with their Pixel phone, and have been developing software for phones for over a decade.

Google’s decisions in the adblock conflict carry a lot of weight.

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Eyeo is the company that owns Adblock Plus (ABP). They state on their website that they ​ ​ ​ “develop open source software that millions of people use to have a better online experience.”

ABP is a for-profit company.They are currently the leading adblock company with 100 million users. In September 2016 they announced that they would begin selling ads through their

Acceptable Ads Program and also began an independent committee for their acceptable ads initiative.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau, or IAB is a global nonprofit focused on online ​ ​ interactive advertising and marketing. They advocate for better online advertising, amongst many other things, and have done research into how to achieve those goals. They also advocate against adblock software. In a speech at a conference, they labelled adblockers as against freedom of speech, “For the simple reason that they are stealing from publishers, subverting freedom of the press, operating a business model predicated on censorship of content, and ultimately forcing consumers to pay more money for less – and less diverse – information

(Geigner, 2016).”

Alexa is an Amazon company that provides digital marketing tools. The site monitors ​ online traffic. It is used to track and compile data on the amount of traffic to a website, time spent at the site, and other data.

Reddit is a social media, news aggregate, and discussion website consisting of forums or ​ “subreddits” devoted to a multitude of different topics. Many of its users fall within the adblock demographics. Reddit calls itself “The Front Page of The Internet,” and while that may sound like boasting Alexa does mark them as one of the top 30 most visited websites, both globally and

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in the United States, on the Internet. They are a huge traffic driver and also a large advertising publisher.

AppNexus is a global cloud-based software company. They specialize in optimizing ​ programmatic advertising and focus on international Internet advertising and ad management software.

ComboTag is Adblock Plus’ partner in the Acceptable Ads platform. ComboTag defines ​ themselves on LinkedIn as “the leading one tag solution, allowing web and mobile publishers to ​ add and control all of their banners, content recommendation and native widgets, in image and in text advertising and more, using a single ad tag.”

Financial Data

Overall the online ad industry is estimated to have lost over $22 billion dollars through the use of adblockers. There are over 198 million active adblock users, according to a report by

PageFair and Adobe. Year over year, the number of adblock users grew 41% from “Q2 2014 -

Q2 2015 (PageFair & Adobe, 2015).” The report shows that adblock use grew by 48% in the

United States and 35% in Europe. The report shows that the overall number of adblock users is expected to double by 2020, bringing the total number to nearly 400 million. In 2015 the estimated “loss of global revenue due to blocked advertising during 2015 was $21.8B (PageFair

& Adobe).” They estimate that in 2016 the estimated revenue loss will be almost $42 billion worldwide with adblock users making up only approximately 6% of global Internet users.

In the first half of 2015, digital ad revenues in the United States reached $27.5 billion according to the IAB Revenue Report. This was a 19% rise from the first half of 2014.

Advertising is a huge business within the United States. An article from AdAge states that

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“Advertising represents $350 billion of the U.S. gross national product, and consumers depend on it to help make $9 trillion of annual spending decisions (Rothenberg 2015).” The article is certainly biased as the author, Randall Rothenberg, is the Present of the IAB, however it makes a good point. Advertising makes up a large base of the economy, and that base helps people decide where to spend money, where to spend time, and where they should go. Adblock does threaten some of these ideas and functions. It also shows a changing mentality that has been growing over some time.

Not all websites or companies who have had their ads whitelisted through Adblock Plus

(there are 148 companies and websites that are whitelisted with another 770 on the waiting list) have to pay to be whitelisted. In the past, ABP has made 30% of the additional revenue gained from whitelisting the ads of entities that make 10 million or more impressions with their ads.

This includes entities such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, and others. In 2013, Google saved an estimated $887 million by paying adblock to whitelist its ads. With their new Acceptable Ads

Program, ABP plans to make 6% revenue off of the ads. Techlomedia reports that “...80 percent of the revenue from these ads will go to publishers. [The] Remaining 20% will be divided between various other parties involved with serving the ads. Adblock plus will receive 6% from serving ads (Verma, 2016).”

Google is a large industry leader and is directly affected by adblock and Adblock Plus. In quarter 2 of 2013 PageFair estimated “ad blocking cost Google $887 million in 2012 (Stampler

2013).” In the fiscal year of 2015, Google made a gross advertising revenue of approximately

$67,390,000,000 (Alphabet, 2016). In Quarter 1 of 2016 they made a gross advertising revenue of $18,020,000,000 which was up 16% from Quarter 1 in 2015.

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Demographics

In a study conducted by IAB and C3 Research (C3R) it was found that adblockers are primarily used by 18 to 34 year old males. They are tech-savvy, a sought after psychographic among target audiences, especially for digital advertising. IAB and C3R surveyed over 1,200 individuals on adblock. 26% stated that they use adblock software on their computers and 15% of those who did use adblock also used it on their smartphones. 74% stated did not use adblock software and 20% of those were past adblock users, which the study defined as “used an ad blocker in the past but currently not installed (IAB & C3 Research, 2016).” The study also found that many potential adblock users confuse anti-virus software for adblock. 40% of those surveyed stated that they used an adblocker, but when the questions were refined the percentage dropped to 26. IAB and C3R stated that the reason for this was that “some users mistakenly assume their built-in pop-up blocker within their browser or their antivirus software

[i.e. McAfee, Norton, etc.] are forms of ad blocking. (IAB & C3 Research, 2016).”

PageFair and Adobe (2015) found that adblock usage is highest in Poland and Greece, with 34.9% and 36.7% respectively. In the United States they found that Oregon has the highest adblock usage at over 16% with Washington state and Vermont trailing at 15.4% and 15% respectively. The PageFair and Adobe study found that the demographics of gamers and adblock users overlap. They found that “visitors to gaming websites are significantly more likely to block advertising (PageFair & Adobe, 2015).” They also found that those who visited sites that focused on charity or health and legal or government sites were less likely to block ads.Their conclusion on adblocking demographics agreed with the IAB and C3R study. They stated that “websites

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that cater to young, technically savvy, or more male audiences are significantly worse affected

(PageFair & Adobe 2015).”

Consumer Spending

Over 200 million people use adblock on their computers and devices, though significantly less use adblock on smartphones. In an effort to offer more streamlined, less distracting experiences that users desire many large companies have started offering their own ad-free services.

YouTube, owned by Alphabet, is well-known for playing ads before videos. On October

28, 2015 they began offering YouTube Red, an ad-free experience, with the purchase of a $9.99 subscription that works with Google Play Music, allowing you to purchase on or the other and get both: with the purchase of Google Music for $10/month users will not see ads on YouTube.

Apple also offers a an ad-free experience with their subscription service Apple Music for $9.99 per month. Internet radio giants Pandora and Spotify also offer ad-free subscription services for

$3 and $10 respectively.

Streaming services have also moved to cut ads for their subscribers. Hulu, a streaming service which is owned by Disney, Comcast, and several other telecom giants, provides an ad-free or limited ad experience for $11.99 per month or $7.99 with commercials. Until late

2016, Hulu also offered a free streaming option with commercials. Yahoo will be taking over the free streaming with their service, Yahoo! View. Netflix, one of the first streaming companies, offers an ad-free streaming experience for $8.99 per month. Amazon has branched out from its original stance as an online retailer and offers ad-free music and video streaming with a subscription to Amazon Prime for $99 per year.

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Current media activities

Browsers have been a large driving force in the growth of adblock. Google Chrome and

Firefox both use adblock as browser extensions and are two of the most used browsers. Chrome, one of the most popular browsers, is a large driver for adblock. According to pageFair and

Adobe (2015) Chrome has the largest number of active monthly users at 126 million. Firefox comes in at a distant second with 48 million. PageFair shows Safari as the browser with the smallest adblock use but the largest adblock growth, “Adblock use on Safari increased 71%, reaching 9 million average monthly active users (PageFair & Adobe, 2016).”

Other current activities include the development of the IAB’s LEAN ads initiative, as well as their DEAL program. The LEAN ads program pushes for the creation of online ads that are Light, Encrypted, Ad-choice supported, and Non-Invasive and is very similar to Adblock

Plus’ Acceptable Ads criteria. Meanwhile, the IAB’s DEAL program has been controversial.

DEAL stands for Detect, Explain, Ask, and Lift. The program calls for advertisers to detect adblock, explain the benefits of advertising, ask users to disable their adblock, and then lift or limit restrictions based on user choices (Slefo 2016). DEAL has led to issues like Forbes, Wired,

Business Insider, and other online publications and sites forcing users to disable their adblock software before they are allowed to see any content.

Career Options

Adblock affects almost every aspect of the advertising industry. The most affected sectors are media buyers, advertising publishers, large tech companies such as Google, and marketers as they tend to deal with the online aspects of advertising more than anyone else.

Software designers, user experience designers, and website managers are also highly affected.

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Online businesses, blogs, and publications are also highly affected as their revenue stream becomes smaller and they struggle to combat the rising tide of adblock software. They can accomplish this by either using the DEAL approach or trying to change with the times to appeal to users.

In addition, more traditional advertising professionals are also affected as their clients and other aspects of the industry are hit by the loss of revenue and increased restrictions and worries. Account managers and executives must worry about their client’s needs and how they will be affected by this issue, as well as how to placate fears. Planners must work with account executives and clients to reach a large amount of their target audience and try to shape their message in ways that make it more palatable and less likely to be blocked. They must also work with account executives and clients to either work with the acceptable ads initiative or LEAN ads and find outlets that will be less likely to be blocked. Copywriters and art directors must work within these confines as well, and social media managers and digital advertising executives are also affected.

Major Events and Activities

Forbes’ decision to block adblock users was controversial when it began and came under fire in January of 2016 when they exposed site visitors to malware. After forcing users to disable their adblocker, “..visitors were immediately served with pop-under malware, primed to infect their computers, and likely silently steal passwords, personal data and banking information (Blue

2016).” Forbes came under fire again in May of 2016 when traffic drivers such as reddit.com’s technology subreddit to consider “banning all domains that require users to disable ad blockers

(/u/Creq, 2016).” Reddit is one of the top 30 most visited websites according to Alexa.com.

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In September of 2016, Adblock Plus announced that it would begin selling ads through its Acceptable Ads Program with its partner ComboTag. The CEO of Eyeo stated that "The

Acceptable Ads Platform helps publishers who want to show an alternative, nonintrusive ad experience to users with ad blockers by providing them with a tool that lets them implement

Acceptable Ads themselves (Mullin, 2016).” The announcement was met with a mix of derision, scorn, and acceptance. AppNexus and Google were named as partners as well. After the announcement, AppNexus cut ties with both ComboTag and Eyeo. Google also cut ties with

ComboTag and stated, according to AdAge that it “wouldn't have anything to do with an

Adblock Plus ad exchange (Slefo, 2016).” The announcement and responses also made Google’s involvement with ABP more open. They save close to $900 million a quarter by paying to have their ads whitelisted. Google’s revenue stream from ads is huge. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, shows that they expect to make over $60 billion in advertising revenue in 2016

(Alphabet, 2016).

In 2015 IAB announced its new LEAN initiative to help publishers and advertisers create online ads that met consumers halfway while still maintaining client goals. LEAN ads focused on creating ads that are Light, so they do not slow down browser speeds or cause long loading times, Encrypted so that they cannot be hijacked or used to spread malware, spyware, or adware,

Ad-Choice supported since people will still use adblock software no matter what, and

Non-Invasive so users do not feel annoyed or distracted by the ads.

In March of 2016, IAB announced its DEAL initiative, which is what sites such as Forbes use. The purpose of the DEAL initiative is to detect adblock, explain the benefits of advertising, ​ ​ ​ ​ ask users to disable their adblock, and then lift or limit restrictions based on user choices. The ​ ​ ​

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program came about at a similar time to Forbes, Wired, and Ars TEchnica forcing users to disable adblock software before they were allowed tos ee content. While Forbes, Wired, and many other sites still use this program Ars Technica stopped using the program soon after implementing it. Two Techcrunch authors have stated that despite not using an adblock program or whitelisting the sites, they are still blocked when they attempt to visit Wired and Forbes

(Bode, 2016).

Issues Affecting The Industry

The largest issues affecting the industry center around the issues that created and led to the rise of adblock. Users complain about ads slowing down their browser speeds, causing their websites to feel as though they are still on dial-up Internet, the lack of a streamlined online experience because of annoying, distracting, and intrusive ads. More and more advertisements feature videos that auto-play as soon as the user opens the site, which slows down browsing speeds and eats up users data. Mobile data is often affected, and as ISPs such as Comcast impose data caps on home Internet concern over auto-play ads is likely to rise further.

Users also worry about a growing lack of privacy whether it comes from a growing trend of government spying or advertisers and companies increasingly tracking users movements in order to better advertise and target consumers. Revelations like that of AT&T’s “Project

Hemisphere” deepen consumers fears and distrust towards companies and advertisers. Project

Hemisphere is described by The Daily Beast as “...a secretive program run by AT&T that searches trillions of call records and analyzes cellular data to determine where a target is located, with whom he speaks, and potentially why (Lipp 2016).” They go on to describe a product that was designed designed, at taxpayer expense, to collect data without a warrant for the

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government. The Daily Beast says, of the project, “Hemisphere isn’t a ‘partnership’ but rather a product AT&T developed, marketed, and sold at a cost of millions of dollars per year to taxpayers. (Lipp 2016).” While this is an extreme example the methods that advertisers and companies use to better target consumers are seen equally invasive. The number of adblock users, and loss of revenue, is expected to double by 2020. Unless advertisers can evolve with the changing times, whether through IAB’s LEAN ads or Adblock Plus’ similar Acceptable Ads

Program, the damage to the industry could be very high.

In addition to these issues, brand loyalty among millennials and post-millennials is falling

(Patel, 2016). Post-millennials are defined by Pew Research after 1997 (Fry, 2016). They have a shorter attention span and tend to focus even more on experiences and authenticity than millennials. Cord-cutting is also on the rise, which limits the number of avenues that advertisers have to reach younger generations. It is speculated that some of the younger members of the

Post-Millennial generation may never see television advertisements.

Relevant Industry Trends

Several trends are emerging within the industry that are not only relevant in regards to the problem of adblock, but also point towards a better way to advertise. Google, IAB, and Adblock

Plus have all pointed towards a better way to advertise to consumers without annoying them or pushing them away. Google has created a better way to personalize advertisements for users, while Adblock Plus and the IAb have come up with similar ideas on how to better reach consumers. Adblock Plus and the IAB both agree, as do several large media buying companies such as GroupM, that auto-playing, annoying, and intrusive ads are relics of the past. All of these organizations agree that these are the types of ads that actively encourage adblocking.

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The latest data from from studies by PageFair & Adobe, IAB & C3 Research, and

Huffington Post, suggests that up to two-thirds of adblock users can be persuaded to stop blocking ads through a combination of programs such as LEAN ads, DEAL, and the Acceptable

Ads program. Huffington Post reported that a survey of over 200 individuals by the tech startup

Gladly found that “...77% of ad blocking users felt some level of guilt about blockings ads on content they view online (Brantner 2016).” Over half of those surveyed understood how advertising impacts publisher’s revenue. The most common reason for blocking advertisements was annoying ads.

Another highly relevant trend is the move towards more interactive advertising. An excellent example of this is the gaming company BioWare’s campaign for their upcoming game

“Mass Effect: Andromeda.” The campaign was launched on N7 day, November 7, 2016, in reference to an character in the game universe. The campaign uses a series of YouTube videos and viral videos to create interest among their fan base and others about the game. The campaign, The Andromeda Initiative, moves to make consumers feel like a part of the game and encourages them to attend “briefings,” get involved with the “training,” and review the history leading up to mankind’s space travel to the Andromeda galaxy. The briefings are videos showcasing gameplay, the training is where users sign up for newsletters and updates, and the history is a timeline of the real and imagined history leading up to the game’s release. User’s progress also allows them to earn in-game rewards.

Other trends include moving away from banner ads and auto-playing ads. One of the largest media buying companies, GroupM, has increased its restrictions for advertisements.

Digiday reported that:

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“For display ads, the agency demands 100 percent in-view impressions, and with video, it

requires that 100 percent of the video player is in-view and that half of the ad has been

viewed with the sound on — and also no autoplay (Patel, S. 2016).”

Media Ratings Council guidelines for online advertising are the industry standard for most advertisers, but GroupM controls a third of global ad spending according to Digiday which gives them a large amount of control over online advertising. This reflects the desires of consumers as well as, in a way, the desires of clients and publishers. GroupM’s Global Executive

Vice President of Brand Safety John Montgomery told Digiday that “A good user experience can have ads that are well-placed, native to the format, not overstuffed with ads (Moses 2016).” After all, ads must be seen to be effective.

Best Industry Practices

LEAN Ads

Interactive Advertising Bureau’s LEAN Ads program is a step far in the right direction.

Online advertising cannot be solely decided by clients, publishers, and online advertisers. In order to create good advertisements it is the advertiser’s job to help the client see the best way to create good advertising. The movement towards ads that address many of the consumers complaints and fears regarding online advertisements is the best solution to the problem that adblock software presents. In many ways trying to only fight adblock software itself is simply ignoring the issues that allowed them to become so popular and widespread. The IAB’s Vice

President Scott Cunningham, in the announcement for IAB’s LEAN ads program, publicly stated: “We messed up. As technologists, tasked with delivering content and services to users, we lost track of the user experience (Cunningham, 2016).” His statement reflected the feelings of

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many consumers and some within the industry. Mr. Cunningham went on to state, “We were so clever and so good at it that we over-engineered the capabilities of the plumbing laid down by, well, ourselves. This steamrolled the users, depleted their devices, and tried their patience.” The

LEAN ad initiative is designed to reverse that process and begin the conversation on how to advertise and communicate in the most efficient and effective manners on the Internet, a conversation that has been ongoing in one form or another since 1992. AdAge reported that the

LEAN ads program would not replace the current advertising standards.

Acceptable Ads Program

AdBlock Plus’ Acceptable Ads Program is remarkably similar to IAB’s LEAN ads program. Both seek to create a way for ads to reach the target audience without being ignored, passed over, or (ironically) blocked. Unlike the LEAN ads program, the Acceptable Ads program does seek to replace the current advertising standards by imposing the acceptable ads initiative’s criteria onto all online advertisements that are affected. In an effort to keep itself in check, and also silence some criticism that is directed towards itself Adblock Plus has created the

Acceptable Ads Board. The Board is an independent review looking at what is and is not acceptable for online advertising. In 2015 Ben Williams announced the creation of the board on

Adblock Plus’ blog:

“Today we’re upping the ante: we’re inviting a completely independent review

board to take over, enforce and oversee our Acceptable Ads initiative. Although

Acceptable Ads has always been debated and conducted in an open and public

forum, we’re going that extra mile and removing ourselves entirely from the

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equation. Adblock Plus has no more say in what is deemed “acceptable,” and we

have no say in who gets whitelisted (Williams, 2015).”

In order to provide the user experience that users are searching for, certain standards should be enforced. However, having the standards and criteria attached to a company with a business model that is disliked and seen as extortion-based is not a good way to create trust and transparency. To that end, AdBlock Plus formed the Acceptable Ad Board with the advice from tech companies, advertisers, journalists, and others.

Taco Bell’s Happier Hour/#OnlyInThe App

Taco Bell’s campaign for #OnlyInTheApp was a guerilla campaign that shut down all of

Taco Bell’s online presence and redirected them towards their app where they could place orders and make payments. The advertising campaign allowed people to feel as though it were exclusive to them and also made ordering an already quick and easy meal even easier. AdWeek stated that when the app launched, “...90 percent of the chain's 6,000 U.S. stores began accepting mobile orders and payments through an iPhone and Android app (Johnson, 2014).” Taco Bell told AdWeek that within 24 hours of the app’s launch three-quarters of their stores had taken an online order.

Good advertising makes people feel like they are a part of something exclusive and that they have gotten the better end of the deal by getting into it. Taco Bell not only accomplished this, but also took advantage of the growing opportunities that social media and increased mobile use provides. Campaigns such as this easily take off among consumers and generate a lot of buzz surrounding the products. Another great example of this is the buzz that grew around the movie

The Blair Witch Project in the late 1990s. ​

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Google’s Streamlined and Personalized Ad Experience

Google is a huge industry leader in many aspects. They create the software for Android phones, the word Google is in the dictionary as a synonym for searching, and they are breaking into both the mobile phone and ISP markets. Their cooperation with Adblock Plus’ whitelisting program led many to follow suit. After all, if Google does something why would a small business not follow along? Google allows for users to streamline their own ad experience, selecting ads they find to be too large or annoying and marking them for removal in compliance with Adblock Plus’ acceptable ads criteria.

Google also allows users to opt-in to let their online data be tracked in order to create targeted, personalized, relevant advertising to the user. This does come with downfalls. Google’s cooperation with Adblock Plus has led some to question whose side the tech giant is on (Slefo

2016). Others have decried Google’s quiet change in their terms of service to allow better tracking and data collection on users in order to better personalize advertisements. To some this is a violation of their privacy, and to others it allows a more streamlined online experience.

Google, in many ways, dictates how much of the advertising industry will react because of their huge influence online. Google controls a large amount of ad search revenue and brought in over $60 billion in revenue for 2016 (Alphabet 2016).

Nike’s Just Do It

Although Nike is an older brand and the tagline “Just Do It” has been around for decades it still stands as an icon of great advertising. It not only did a great job at selling the product, it also made people feel good about themselves, get motivated, and seemed more like a call to arms in the pursuit of excellence rather than an ad. The “just Do It” campaign is one of many

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campaigns that proves that ads do not need to be distracting, annoying, or intrusive to gain traction. People do not want to be annoyed, or have an ad take over their screen. They want to be empowered. Nike’s campaign is a signpost along the way to acquiring brand loyalty, especially as effective and clear communication becomes more and more important.

Future Challenges and Opportunities

Major Challenges and Needs

The overall number of adblock users is expected to double by 2020, bringing the total number to nearly 400 million. Current adblock users have already cost advertisers $22 billion in advertising revenue. The doubling of adblock users with the current online advertising model will only cause the revenue loss to increase. A better solution between adblock, advertisers, and customers needs to exist in order to appease all three sides to the current conflict of interests.

Users are wary of advertisers because of slow websites, clunky ads, and possible malware.

Adblockers are using this to their advantage by giving the consumers what they want, while online advertisers and publishers struggle to catch up.

According to a Huffington Post survey of 243 adblock users 77% of adblock users said that they felt guilt over using adblock. Over 50% of those surveyed stated that they understood that ads were the main source of revenue for many sites and advertisers, but disliked the ads too much to not use adblock. In addition, 77% of those surveyed stated that they whitelisted ads for at least one site. 30% stated that they were less likely to use a site, such as Forbes.com, which forces the user to whitelist the site in order to see content. This trend has also appeared elsewhere, such as reddit.com, where the technology subreddit considered banning Forbes.com

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and Wired.com for their forced whitelisting. The article’s conclusion was respect needs to be given to the users if the publishers want their respect as well.

IAB/C3 Research Study

Adblock users on computers use adblock software mainly because they want as few interruptions as possible as they browse the internet and they want streamlined websites where they can get to what they want quickly. Users also state that ads tend to make sites less visually pleasing. A tertiary motive for adblock users is that they are easily distracted, and more annoyed than most, by online ads. Users also do not like having ads that track them through the use of cookies or other methods.

Both users and non-users are likely to blame ads for slow-loading pages due to: too many ads on the site, heavy/too much content, and ads that take up too much bandwidth. A tertiary concern for current, and potential, adblock users on computers are fears of getting a virus or other malware. They are mostly concerned with with functionality, user experience, and site appearance.

SmartPhone Adblock Users

Smartphone Adblock users have many of the same complaints as computer users. More smartphone users stated that the appearance and functionality of websites were of greater concern to them. This led them to use adblock because ads appearing on mobile sites caused more issues on phones. Smartphone users were more concerned with computer adblock users about privacy and security issues, as well as the possibility of contracting a virus on their device.

Conclusions

Neither computer nor smartphone users were affected by peer pressure to get adblock

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The IAB/C3 study found that approximately 2/3 of current adblock users would be willing to uninstall adblock if: Users are given control to skip ads, Users are assured of site/ad safety, No malware/spyware/viruses, Do not slow down browsing, Do Not disrupt the flow of their reading/browsing. In short, the IAB/C3 Study found that LEAN ads/the Acceptable Ad Initiative is the solution and would win back many adblockers

Industry Opportunities, especially for Creative Projects to meet Needs

The advertising industry is conflicted over adblock, but this ongoing conflict creates several opportunities for advertisers to better reach consumers. Interactive advertising is becoming a much larger part of advertising than it was in the past as social media and technological developments such as virtual reality open up new horizons. Online advertising, even though it will become more restricted through programs such as the Acceptable Ads

Platform and LEAN ads allows advertisers to create more creative, less annoying advertisements that can create more buzz and generate more interest and brand loyalty.

Increased use of in-image ads and native advertising are a way to reach consumers and bypass adblock. These advertising strategies can work together to create ads that are more creative, less intrusive, and work naturally with the flow of the website. Another opportunity is working to increase personalized, targeted advertisements. Adblock users are not as worried about privacy as they are about pleasing, streamlined experiences. The future possibility of more limited ad space creates a need for more creative ideas to take root, rather than advertising to the lowest common denominator.

Annotated Bibliography BI Intelligence. (2016). U.S. ad block usage expected to more than double by 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/us-ad-block-usage-expected-to-more-than-double-by-20 20-2016-5

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Explores the future of Adblock and the expected growth rates of adblock users within the next four years. The article also discusses uses of adblock and the effects that it has placed on advertising revenue since its introduction.

Sterling, G. (2015, August 10). Ad-Blocking Report: Nearly 200 Million Users, $22 Billion In Lost Ad Revenue. Retrieved September 01, 2016, from http://marketingland.com/ad-blocking-report-nearly-200-million-users-22-billion-in-lost- ad-revenue-138051 This article examines the growth of adblock and the impact it has had upon the online advertising industry in the years since its advent. It also discusses the browsers that utilize adblock the most and adblock’s target audience.

PageFair. (2015, August 10). Ad Blocking Report. Retrieved November 15, 2016, from https://pagefair.com/blog/2015/ad-blocking-report/ An online summary of a study conducted by PageFair and Adobe into the growth of adblock. The study looks into the drivers behind adblock’s growth as well as the loss of revenue it has caused over a period of several years.

PageFair & Adobe. (2015, August 10). The cost of ad blocking ​ PageFair and Adobe 2015 Ad Blocking Report [PDF]. Dublin: PageFair. ​ Page Fair and Adobe study shows ablock use growth over time, the loss of revenue in 2013, 2014, and 2015, as well as the expected loss of revenue in 2016. The study also looks at the main drivers behind ablock growth and other areas it could be exploit. Includes the executive summary, research methodology, and other information.

Benton, J. (2015, June 10). A blow for mobile advertising: The next version of Safari will let users block ads on iPhones and iPads. Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/06/a-blow-for-mobile-advertising-the-next-version-of-sa fari-will-let-users-block-ads-on-iphones-and-ipads/ In 2015 Apple announced that it’s latest Safari browser would support adblock, increasing the number of browsers and developers who utilize or support adblock for their customers, increasing the number of adblock users and the lost revenue from online advertising.

I. (n.d.). IAB Believes Ad Blocking Is Wrong. Retrieved August 29, 2016, from http://www.iab.com/iab-believes-ad-blocking-is-wrong/ IAB examines the causes of adblock, the effects on the advertising industry and explores ways to combat what they see as a threat to the current internet business model.The article looks at different methods of inserting more creative, non-intrusive, intriguing ads for internet and mobile users.

Cunningham, S. (2015, October 15). Getting LEAN with Digital Ad UX. Retrieved September 01, 2016, from https://www.iab.com/news/lean/ IAB announced LEAN ads as an alternative set of standards for online advertisers. LEAN stands for Light, Encrypted, Ad choice supported, Non-invasive. The IAB announced the

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initiative in an announcement in which they stated that the current online advertising model was too focused on clients rather than the needs of consumers.

Rothenberg., R. (2015, September 22). Ad Blocking: The Unnecessary Internet Apocalypse. Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://adage.com/article/digitalnext/ad-blocking-unnecessary-internet-apocalypse/300470 / Discusses the impact online advertising has on the economy, statistics of adblock users in the United States, and the impact adblock has on websites as well as revenue. The article also looks at what some people call the extortion side of adblock from the advertiser’s point of view.

Lardinois, F. (2016, May 09). Interactive Advertising Bureau CEO: AdBlock Plus is an extortion-based business. Retrieved September 01, 2016, from https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/09/interactive-adverting-bureau-ceo-adblock-plus-is-an-e xtortion-based-business/ Discusses the view that companies like Adblock Plus are working via an extortion based business model, while others are also working as a public service. The article focuses on the IAB CEO’s views on adblock and the online advertising industry.

Slefo., G. (2015, October 15). IAB to Advertisers and Content Providers: 'We Messed Up' Retrieved September 02, 2016, from http://adage.com/article/digital/iab-advertisers-content-providers-messed/300919/ Summarizes the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s stance that online advertising moved away from customers towards clients and lead to the rise of revenue-cutting adblocking. It also looks into IAB’s new L.E.A.N. (Light, Encrypted, Ad choice supported, non-invasive) advertising and how that might affect the industry.

Trefis Team. (2015, June 22). How Much Of An Effect Is Cord Cutting Having On Cable Companies? Retrieved September 02, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2015/06/22/how-much-of-an-effect-is-cor d-cutting-having-on-cable-companies/#72d784873108 Discusses and analyzes cord cutting’s effect on cable companies and which companies are most hard hit by cord cutting. This relates towards online, and tv, advertising as cord cutting drives more people towards streaming options and limits the venues through which advertisers can reach them.

Griffin, R., & Wu, E. (2016, August 25). Make Mobile Advertising Welcome. Retrieved September 02, 2016, from http://www.iab.com/news/make-mobile-advertising-welcome/ Explores mobile advertising and how it affects users and their views on mobile advertising. The article explores advertising “etiquette” and ways to implement that in the future with regards towards mobile advertising.

NPR Staff. (2015, July 20). With Ad Blocking Use On The Rise, What Happens To Online

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Publishers? Retrieved September 06, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/07/20/424630545/with-ad-blocking- use-on-the-rise-what-happens-to-online-publishers As heard on All Things Considered. Discusses online advertising revenue for household name sites such as Google and Facebook and how they are affected by adblock. The article also looks at the growth of adblock, its demographics, and its expansion towards mobile devices.

Hern, A. (2013, October 14). Adblock Plus: The tiny plugin threatening the internet's business model. Retrieved September 02, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/oct/14/the-tiny-german-company-threaten ing-the-internets-business-model Explores Adblock Plus and how it affects the future of advertising through blocking advertisements by forcing advertisements to become better or by hurting the current online advertising model. The article explains how adblock works and then why publishers have called it extortion.

Mullin, J. (2016, September 13). Adblock Plus finds the end-game of its business model: Selling ads. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/09/adblock-plus-starts-selling-ads-but-only-acce ptable-ones/ Adblock Plus announced on 13 September 2016 that they would begin selling online advertisements through its "Acceptable Ads Platform." They say that over 90 million users are willing to see their "whitelisted" advertisements. The acceptable ads program was started in 2011. It allowed publishers to pay to have their advertisements whitelisted (unblocked) by the program. Adblock plus has 100 million users.

Verma, D. (2016, September 13). Adblock Plus now sells ads. Retrieved September 13, 2016, from http://techlomedia.in/2016/09/adblock-plus-now-sells-ads-42650/ Looks into Adblock Plus's announcement that they will begin to sell ads via their "Acceptable Ads Platform." The article looks into the financial breakdown of the future ad sales revenue.

Brantner, C. (2016, September 22). 77% of Ad Blocking Users Feel Guilty about Blocking Ads. Retrieved September 24, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/77-of-ad-blocking-users-feel-guilty-about-blocking _us_57e43749e4b05d3737be5784?timestamp=1474574566927 In a survey of 243 random adblock users conducted by Gladly, an adtech startup, 77% of the participants stated that they felt guilty about blocking online advertisements. Over 50% stated that they understood that online companies rely on revenue from ads. 51% of the participants stated that they use adblock out of concerns over data privacy. The article concludes that if "publishers respect their users, their users will respect them."

Slefo., G. (2016, September 26). In an Ad Blocking Battle, Whose Side Is Google On? Retrieved

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September 29, 2016, from http://adage.com/article/digital/ad-blocking-battle-side-google/305984/ This article looks into the future between Google and Adblock Plus (ABP) now that ABP will begin hosting ads on a platform known as the Acceptable Ads Platform. Reactions from Google, AppNexus and other major players in online advertising are examined as well as the ongoing "battle" between online marketers, adblock and its users, and the online publics.

Slefo., G. (2016, July 26). IAB: Two-Thirds of Ad Block Users Are Open to Turning Off Software. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from http://adage.com/article/digital/iab-thirds-ad-blockers-open-turning/305173/ An Interactive Advertising Bureau study finds that two-thirds of adblock users would be willing to uninstall the program if ads were more user friendly (read: non-auto-playing, guarded from malware, did not block content, etc.) and less "annoying."

Interactive Advertising Bureau. (2016, July 26). Five Tactics Can Persuade Two-Thirds of Consumers Using Ad Blockers on Their Computers to Turn Them Off, According to IAB Study. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from https://www.iab.com/news/five-tactics-can-persuade-two-thirds-consumers-using-ad-bloc kers-turn-them-off-according-iab-study/ A study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and C3 Research finds 5 tactics that can convince adblock users to uninstall the program, but it requires changes in the online advertising industry. The study was featured in AdAge. Tactics include keeping ads from slowing down browsing, preventing the use of an adblocker from blocking content, and safeguarding users from malware and viruses.

Interactive Advertising Bureau. (2016, July 26). IAB Ad Blocking Report: Who Blocks Ads, Why, and How to Win Them Back. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from https://www.iab.com/insights/ad-blocking-blocks-ads-win-back/ An online summary of a study conducted by the IAB and C3 Research into adblocking. The study looks into the demographics and psychographics of adblock users, why they use adblock and how to best appeal to them.

Interactive Advertising Bureau, & C3 Research. (2016, July 26). Adblock: Who Blocks Ads, Why, ​ and How to Win Them Back [PDF]. New York City: Interactive Advertising Bureau. ​ Interactive Advertising Bureau and C3 Research's report on adblocking demographics, psychographics, the reasons and causes behind adblocking, how to change the target audience's behavior, and how to change the online advertising industry to better suit clients and online users. Includes executive summary, methodology, and strategic objectives.

AdblockPlus. (2011). Acceptable Ads - Adblock Plus. Retrieved October 01, 2016, from https://adblockplus.org/acceptable-ads#criteria-general

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Adblock Plus's "acceptable ad" criteria. Advertising publishers must meet this criteria in order to have their ads "whitelisted" by the program. Whitelisted ads are visible to adblock users whether they are currently blocking ads or not.

Bode, K. (2016, May 09). Reddit's Technology Subreddit Ponders Banning Wired & Forbes For Blocking Adblock Users. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160509/07311734387/reddits-technology-subreddit- ponders-banning-wired-forbes-blocking-adblock-users.shtml Technology subreddit on Reddit.com considers banning Forbes.com and Wired.com because of their methods for dealing with adblock users. The technology subreddit's considerations include that they see Forbes as a security risk as ads on the site have been used to serve malware in the past. Another complaint is that in some cases users on these sites are being banned even if they are not using an adblock program due to poor adblock detection.

Sloane, G. (2016, March 11). 'Trying not to go to war': Forbes and Adblock Plus spar over ad blocking - Digiday. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://digiday.com/publishers/sxsw2016-trying-not-go-war-forbes-adblock-plus-spar-ad-b locking/ Discusses the nature of issues between Forbes and Adblock Plus, Forbes' response to adblock and adblock users, and possible solutions. The article also includes quotes from Dish TV, Adblock Plus, and Forbes representatives from a panel at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

GumGum, & Digiday. (2016, September 28). Express guide to in image ads - GumGum. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://www.gumgum.com/learn/guides/express-publisher-guide-in-image-ads/?utm_camp aign=Express Guide to In-Image Ads: Publisher's Edition GumGum and Digiday provide a proposed solution to banner ads that feels less intrusive to users, leading them to be less likely to use measures such as adblock.

Anderson, M. (2016, April 21). Sites that block adblockers seem to be suffering. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from https://thestack.com/world/2016/04/21/sites-that-block-adblockers-seem-to-be-suffering/ Looks at the traffic of sites that actively block and/or turn away, adblock users. These sites seem to be doing worse than sites that either do not block adblock users or offer alternatives. Some anti-adblock methods seem to be driven by an already falling level of traffic to the sites. The article comes to the conclusion that blocking adblock users seems to deter traffic overall. Features graphs and background data.

Williams, B. (2015, October 1). From the Manifesto to the Acceptable Ads Board. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from https://adblockplus.org/blog/from-the-manifesto-to-the-acceptable-ads-board. Adblock Plus launched an initiative to create an independent board to run the Acceptable ads initiative in order to have it be more transparent and less associated with ABP. They

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hope that this will help the online advertising industry overall. They have also released the acceptable ads guidelines to other adblock companies in an effort to standardize better ads.

Stampler, L. (2013, August 02). Google Saved An Estimated $887 Million By Paying Adblock ​ Plus To Show Its Ads. Retrieved October 02, 2016 from, http://www.businessinsider.com/google-saved-an-estimated-887-million-by-paying-adblo ck-plus-to-show-its-ads-2013-8 In 2013, Google saved over $800 million by paying Adblock Plus to “whitelist” its advertisements. The figure comes from the amount that Google lost because of adblock in 2012. AdBlock Plus’s Acceptable Ads initiative, allowing advertisers and publishers to pay Adblock Plus to allow ads through, has been called an extortion based business model by many.

O’Reilly, L. (2015, December 16). Adblock Plus just revealed for the first time how it makes its money. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from http://www.businessinsider.com/how-adblock-plus-makes-money-2015-12 Adblock Plus revealed how it makes its revenue for the first time in a bid to increase its transparency. They charge advertising/publishing entities that make over 10 million impressions from ads an additional “30% of the additional revenue created” in order to have their ads “whitelisted.” These entities have not been revealed but adblock has stated that 90% of the companies on the Acceptable ads list do not have to pay the fees.

O’Reilly, L. (2015, November 12). Adblock Plus held 'Camp David' peace talks with publishers and advertisers in New York last week — here's what it learned. Retrieved October 02, 2016 from, http://www.businessinsider.com/adblock-plus-camp-david-meeting-learnings-eyeo-2015- 11 Adlock Plus met with advertisers, publishers, journalists, tech companies, and nonprofits in New York in order to get advice about form its Acceptable Ads Committee. The Committee will oversee the Acceptable Ads Initiative as an independent review board.

Alphabet. (2016, February 1). Alphabet Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2015 ​ Results. Retrieved October 02, 2016 from, https://abc.xyz/investor/news/earnings/2015/Q4_google_earnings/index.html Alphabet’s Google earnings in Quarter Four and the 2015 fiscal year.

Alphabet. (2016, February 1). Alphabet Investor Relations. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from https://abc.xyz/investor/index.html Includes financial information and revenue amounts of the 2015 fiscal year and Quarters 1 & 2 of 2016.

Interactive Advertising Bureau. (2015, October 21). Digital Ad Revenues Surge 19%, Climbing ​

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to $27.5 Billion in First Half Of 2015. Retrieved October 02, 2016, from https://www.iab.com/news/digital-ad-revenues-surge-19-climbing-to-27-5-billion-in-first -half-of-2015-according-to-iab-internet-advertising-revenue-report/ In the first half of 2015 digital ad revenue was reported at $27.5 billion with mobile advertising growing 54% year-over-year. Quarter 2 in 2015 saw a 22.5% increase to $14.3 billion.

Johnson, L. (2014, October 30). Taco Bell Explains Its Social Media Blackout and How It Lit Up Mobile Orders Within Hours. Retrieved October 20, 2016, from http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/taco-bell-explains-its-social-media-blackout-a nd-how-it-lit-mobile-orders-within-hours-161094 A description of Taco Bell's #OnlyInTheApp campaign, as well as an analysis of its success.

Morrissey, B. (2015, December 21). Forbes blocks ad blocking users. Retrieved November 13, 2016, from http://digiday.com/publishers/forbes-ad-blocking/ Digiday discusses Forbes.com recent move to block adblock users. When visiting the cite adblock users are prompted to disable their adblocker to receive an "ad-light experience." Digiday reports that even though it claims to be light there are still plenty of ads, though they do not auto-play and have no animation.

Moses, L. (2016, November 11). Solving for viewability might be a reason people are ad blocking. Retrieved November 13, 2016, from http://digiday.com/publishers/solving-viewability-might-reason-people-ad-blocking-2/ The article explores the conflict between attempting to be the most visible ads versus the idea of being unobtrusive to keep from being blocked. It also looks into the concept of viewability working with user experience to keep from driving consumers away or pushing them towards adblock.

Patel, S. (2016, May 26). Publishers still bristle at GroupM's tougher viewability standards. blocking. Retrieved November 13, 2016, from http://digiday.com/publishers/publishers-still-bristle-groupms-tougher-viewability-standa rds/ Advertising publishers complain about the standards GroupM, a large media investment group, has set for viewability which are stricter than the Media Regulatory Council standards. The company controls over ⅓ of global advertising spending which allows it a lot of leverage. Its standards push for 100% viewability for ads online, no auto-play, and that half of the ad was viewed with sound on, which many publishers say is too strict.

O’Reilly, L. (2015, July 14). The inventor of Adblock tells us he wrote the code as a 'procrastination project' at university — and he's never made money from it. Retrieved November 17, from http://www.businessinsider.com/interview-with-the-inventor-of-the-ad-blocker-henrik-aa sted-srensen-2015-7 Business Insider interviews the man who created the source code for ad blocking

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Software. He says that he created the software source code as a way to procrastinate while working in a new development environment outside of his comfort zone.

Davidon, J. (2015, May 26). Here’s How Many Internet Users There Are. Retrieved on November 19, from http://www.time.com/money/3896219/internet-users-worldwide/ This article covers a UN Agency report on the number of people using the Internet, the drivers of Internet growth, and how much it has grown in recent years.

/u/Creq. (2016, May 19). Mod Announcement: We're considering banning all domains that require users to disable ad blockers and we'd like your input. Retrieved July 03, 2016, from https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/4if65h/mod_announcement_were_consi dering_banning_all/ A moderator announcement on reddit.com's technology subreddit asking for the feedback of their subscribers as they consider banning submissions from all sites that block adblock users.

Blue, V. (2016, January 08) You say advertising, I say block that malware. Retrieved November 19, 2016, from https://www.engadget.com/2016/01/08/you-say-advertising-i-say-block-that-malware/ An engadget column examining Forbes’ failure to keep site visitors secure when forcing them to turn off their adblock and the reaction they received from online users. It also looks at other cases where “bad” advertisements exposed users to malware and potential phishing attacks.

Alexa.com. (2016, November 19). Reddit.com Traffic Statistics. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/reddit.com Alexa's Internet statistics for reddit.com's global and US rank on the Internet, the site demographics, and other information. The ranks and statistics are updated as new information is collected.

Leske, M. (2015, October 21). Meet YouTube Red, the ultimate YouTube experience. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from https://youtube.googleblog.com/2015/10/red.html YouTube's announcement for their new ad-free experience YouTube Red.

Slefo, G. (2016, May 07). IAB Creates Guide for Publishers to Combat Ad Blocking. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from http://adage.com/article/digital/iab-creates-guide-publishers-combat-ad-blocking/302953/ An explanation and description of the IAB’s DEAL initiative which calls on online publishers to detect adblocking, explaining the benefits of advertising, ask users to

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disable their adblock, and lift restrictions or limit access based on user choice.

Patel, D. (2016, September 14). 5 Trends That Will Inspire and Engage Both Millennials and Gen Z. Retrieved 20 November, 2016 from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/281551 A summary and exploration of social media and online trends between millennials and post-millennials (gen y and z) that can help advertisers better target and engage these generations.

Lipp, K. (2016, October 25). AT&T Is Spying on Americans for Profit, New Documents Reveal. Retrieved 20 November, 2016, from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/25/at-t-is-spying-on-americans-for-profit. html An in-depth look at AT&T’s spying program “Project Hemisphere” which is used in cooperation with the US government as a for-profit program to conduct widespread, warrantless, spying on American citizens.

Fry, R. (2016, April 25). Millennials overtake Baby Boomers as America's largest generation. Retrieved November 01, 2016, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/25/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/ A description and explanation of generational growth through immigration, as well as the distinct dates of each new generation from the Silent Generation through Post-millennials.

BioWare. (2016, November 07). Andromeda Initiative - Official AI Site. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from https://www.masseffect.com/andromeda-initiative An interactive campaign revolving around BioWare's upcoming game "mass Effect: Andromeda." The website allows users to sign up for updates, earn in-game rewards, and share the videos. It encourages pre-ordering of the game.

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Additional Sections Professional Associations and Resources

American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) http://www.aaaa.org/ ​ The 4A’s is a large advertising association founded in 1917 with over 700 members. They were founded as a national trade association for advertisers and now act as counselors on a multitude of issues. Most of the large multinational advertising agencies are members and together they are responsible for almost 60% of advertising that takes place in the United States. Media Ratings Council http://mediaratingcouncil.org/ ​ The Media Ratings Council was founded in the 1960’s by Congress. The MRC works to ensure ethical advertising, and to provide valid, reliable and effective audience measurements for the advertising industry and other users. Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) https://www.iab.com ​ The IAB was founded in 1996 and is comprised of more than 650 companies in the media and technology fields. Their goals are to create standards and best practices for the online advertising industry. The Ad Council http://www.adcouncil.org ​ The Ad Council was founded in 1942 and helps to produce public service announcements within the United States. Their mission is to improve lives through the creation, production, and promotion of campaigns on significant public issues. The International Advertising Association http://www.iaaglobal.org/ ​ The IAA was founded in 1938 as an association to work for and promote the common interests of all disciplines within marketing communication and advertising. They span 76 different countries and have members within the corporate sector and academia. They act as brand champions. Outdoor Advertising Association of America http://www.oaaa.org/ ​ The OAAA was established in 1891 and is one of America’s oldest advertising associations. Outdoor advertising is still incredibly relevant today in an increasingly digital world. The association works towards responsibility and serving the needs of clients and consumers through outdoor advertising. They also work towards advancing the interests of the outdoor advertising industry. The American Advertising Federation (AAF) http://www.aaf.org/ ​ The AAF was established in 1905. Its headquarters are located in Washington, D.C.. The organization works towards the protection and promotion of advertising. They do this by working with government officials, advertising professionals, and advertising students. The Advertising Research Foundation http://thearf.org/ ​ ARF works towards the curation and creation of original research for advertisers around the world. They work towards providing research that can lead to potentially groundbreaking creative advertising.

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Association of National Advertisers http://www.ana.net/ ​ Founded in 1910, the Association of National Advertisers has over 1,500 members and works to advance marketing within the industry. The Advertising Educational Foundation is one of their subsidiaries. Their mission is to “raise the standards of marketers, their companies, their brands, and the marketing industry as a whole.” The American Marketing Association https://www.ama.org ​ The American Marketing Association works to provide marketers with the tools and networking resources to be successful in an ever-evolving world. They have several different scholarly publications. The Advertising & Marketing Independent Network Worldwide (AMIN) https://www.aminworldwide.com AMIN is a collection of over 50 global independent marketing organizations that work together to provide a voice for independent marketing and advertising organizations.They strive to provide the best work from a variety of source for their clients and help give marketers and advertisers a network of experience and cultural knowledge to draw upon. Digital Place Based Advertising Association (DPAA) http://dp-aa.org/ ​ DPAA was founded in 2006 and represents digital place based advertising. Their clients include household names such as CNN, Accuweather, and Nielsen. They work to promote video advertising that features location tagging.