Dive Brief:
- Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said that the best way to defeat ad-blocking software is to create better ads during a keynote address at the Advertising Week conference Monday.
- While advertising creates a richer Internet experience, she says, consumers are wary of the amount of tracking and targeting attached to ads.
- Marketers should improve transparency in targeting consumers, and offer more ways to opt out of targeting and retargeting efforts.
Dive Insight:
Web users will miss out on content if they block too many ads, Yahoo chief Marissa Mayer told the crowd at her keynote session Monday at Advertising Week, the annual conference of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Mayer believes that advertising keeps the ecosystem “vibrant,” and it’s a mistake to avoid it altogether.
But consumers are weary of being tracked and targeted, Mayer indicated, and advertisers need to offer better transparency and opt-out. To get consumers to eschew ad-blocking software, the key is to create better ads. “Native” ads—those tailored to a specific piece of content or web environment—will help ease consumer mistrust, she said.
Ad-blocking software is this year’s hot-button issue at Advertising Week. Apple’s release of iOS 9 earlier this month allows iPhone and iPad users to download browser extensions that block advertising on the web; the move produced a spike in ad-blocking software releases, as well as worst-case scenarios in which ad blocking eliminates a large portion of digital revenues.