Similar to myself, I am sure many of you have faced the frustration of dealing with erratic adds popping up any time you open apps or the internet. Often, the best way for companies to get their name on the consumer radar is through pop up advertisement, especially on websites or apps that are homologous to their own. Unfortunately, for users like you and me this means getting disrupted constantly to view what is usually irrelevant and distracting material. Thanks to Apple’s most recent iOS update, our problems are finally seeing an end. Now the new software enables iPhone users to download ad blocking apps, putting a stop to any intrusive adds appearing on screen. Despite immediate consumer approval displayed by several ad blocking applications reaching the top charts, not everyone is so pleased. As a result of the blocking apps being released websites using advertising to make a profit are the ones facing all the consequences. No advertiser is going to pay a company to promote their product if all promotions can be blocked. Along with this, the companies doing the advertising are already facing a dramatic drop in sales. The question that is now on my mind is whether the slight benefit of an interruption free search experience, is worth the negative side effects for many businesses. Scrutiny against the blocking apps has caused a few of them to reassess their idea, and allowing what would be thought of as “good” ads to be seen, and “bad” ads to be blocked. However, the question now is what qualifies as a good and bad advertisement. What this brought to my attention, is that instead of complaining about drops in sales, suppliers should be taking a look at how many people are interested in ridding their phones of these annoying advertisements. Potentially, what they thought was bringing in all the capital, was actually driving customers away from these companies. An outcome of this ad blocking release could actually be the reinvention of the way businesses promote their new product. Businesses will have to find a way to make their product known, while simultaneously avoiding being a bother to consumers.
http://www.dogtownmedia.com/ad-blocking-software-threat-opportunity-mobile-app-developers/