How Forbes failed: 6 real ways publishers can stop ad blockers stealing their revenue

Photo credit: Rennett Stowe

It’s a new year, and that means new struggles for digital marketers, advertisers and publishers alike. One of the biggest challenges coming up — how to overcome the evil ad blocker.

For an issue that’s estimated to cost publishers over $22 billion per year, it’s no wonder ad blockers are striking fear into the hearts of even our most seasoned publishers.

With that number hanging over publisher’s heads, and with Apple’s decision to allow ad blocking on their mobile products, it begs the question: where do we go from here?

Admittedly, I’ll be the first to put my hand up and say, “I am one of the evil ones. I use an ad blocker as if my life depends on it.”

But I’m also a content marketer and I understand and appreciate the necessity display ads have for most publishers as a business model. That was, until one of the biggest online publishers (here’s looking at you, Forbes), decided to completely shun the sizeable chunk of their audience who have an ad blocker installed.

 I think it’s easier to have a look at why we have an ad block epidemic in the first place. That boils down to two words. User experience.

While they do it ever so nicely, the fact remains that I am not going to turn off my ad blocker just because you tell me to. This is coming from a fellow content producer who understands exactly where you’re coming from. If I’m not going to do it, I can safely say that a lot of others are going to say the same.

The Content Marketing Institute discussed this heavy-handed approach in their podcast. It really boils down to the fact that it seems like a shotgun approach from a publisher that just isn’t quite sure, even after rigorous testing, what to do about a problem that is costing them integral revenue.

For the sake of publishers everywhere, I’ll agree we need to come up with a solution.

To come up with a solution, I think it’s easier to have a look at why we have an ad block epidemic in the first place. That boils down to two words.

User experience.

People use ad blockers because they don’t like using websites when there is gaudy, in your face, tracking ads cluttering them. Steve Carbone from Mediacom told Adweek, “We’ve created this problem together. It created a bad experience, and users are now voting everybody off the island.”

That’s exactly what’s happening.

So what exactly are the solutions publishers can put in place to fight ad blockers?