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- the more people that use adblock/sponsor block, the less effective ads are in general (lower advertiser ROI for each ad) - if ROI for ads drop, ad sellers (e

- the more people that use adblock/sponsor block, the less effective ads are in general (lower advertiser ROI for each ad) - if ROI for ads drop, ad sellers (eg. youtubers) have to reduce the price charged to advertisers - given that ad budgets are more or less constant (companies will always need to reach customers) there will simply be more ads, since each ad view is now worth less. - if ads become completely ineffective (eg. reddit) ads will simply become disguised as content to get past people's filter (aka content marketing, submarine articles etc)

FreeFull 5y ago
Are the people who tend to use adblock likely to actually engage with the ads with adblock off?
- stock_toaster 5y ago
  Yeah, I always wondered if adblockers actually _improved_ per ad engagement, as users of an adblocker are opting themselves out of advertisement (thereby removing themselves from "inventory"), and seem like they would be less likely overall to engage with ads, and thus the adblocker usage is reducing the number of non-engaging users. Sure, overall "inventory" would go down, but I would expect for ads that actually make it to users, per-ad engagement/ROI (and thus "value") to go up. ---- Unless ad networks are charging advertisers for ad units that aren't actually shown to anybody, which smells an awful lot like grift to me! (effectively charging for hidden ad units to inflate numbers)
  - seniorivn 5y ago
    I block ads because I don't have ad blindness, when I watch ads I focus my attention on it like on normal content people who are used to seeing ads don't notice most of ads
    - philistine 5y ago
      I’m absolutely not like you, I tune out ads but internalize them, but I’m happy for you that you live in this time. At least you have options to live an ad-free life. I guess you would have been the person to buy a Foreman grill and a Bowflex if you had lived in the 80s.
    - lizardmancan 5y ago
      i have the opposite, my mind just phases out and its as if the ad doesnt exist. i only found out when i got angry i couldnt find the download button on the download page and a frind pointed to the middle of the screen... then a giant banner sized button just appeard without the picture changing in a spot that was blank before. It was weird as hell. now that i notice it i notice i have no idea what a video advert was about when it ends or i press skip
  - renewiltord 5y ago
    As existence proof, I buy stuff I see when I'm watching TV at someone else's place or when I use Instagram (which has ads right in the Stories feed). I see no reason why I'm special since I'm a pretty normal user when I'm using these things.
    - katbyte 5y ago
      I block all ads and I don't think i've ever purchased something from an AD, even when i see them elsewhere or on instagram ect. I honestly wonder what makes me different to you? I definitely don't have self control like that in other aspects of my life. Maybe it's I'm skeptical and figure ever ad is trying to swindle me out of my money maybe?
      - renewiltord 5y ago
        Maybe you just spend less than me. I also have high scam tolerance. i.e. one of my personal OKRs is to spend some amount of money per year on things just past my scam threshold.
- hemloc_io 5y ago
  I've always wondered this. To add a datapoint, I've used adblock forever, but in places where I do see ads I've never had the thought to click on them, just get past them as quickly as possible. Other people in my family however have bought things through Instagram/Facebook ads, so there are at least SOME people buying things through ads. They also have never bothered to install adblock. Conversion rates for ads are super small in my experience anyway so driving conversion up should(?) balance the price out the price of people using adblock who would not see anything, and would not click if they did.
- deadmutex 5y ago
  What is your definition of engagement? clicking on it? buying a product after clicking on it? or recognizing the brand when you are buying a product weeks after seeing the ad?
heavyset_go 5y ago
> - if ads become completely ineffective (eg. reddit) ads will simply become disguised as content to get past people's filter (aka content marketing, submarine articles etc) There's no "if" here. This type of advertising exists across all platforms and content distribution channels, and has existed for centuries. Whether or not ads are blocked does nothing to stop it.
ceres 5y ago
What's a submarine article? Can't find the term on google.
- have_faith 5y ago
  http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html
sneak 5y ago
Good. Let them scramble to find lunch money; jamming ads in my face is rude.
developer2 5y ago
And if ad blockers didn't exist, they would still increase the number of ads anyway. If nobody could block ads, there would be no incentive for companies to be scared about having "too many ads", as there would be nowhere for users to turn to (ie. ad blockers).
- XorNot 5y ago
  aka the "you actually want to show ads to paying customers, because you've got evidence they have disposable income and a willingess to part with it" phenomenon.
hnarn 5y ago
So by your logic, we should all be taking in as much advertisements as humanly possible because that would lead to the least net amount of advertisements for all? Excuse me for being somewhat skeptical of that.

FreeFull 5y ago

Are the people who tend to use adblock likely to actually engage with the ads with adblock off?

stock_toaster 5y ago
Yeah, I always wondered if adblockers actually _improved_ per ad engagement, as users of an adblocker are opting themselves out of advertisement (thereby removing themselves from "inventory"), and seem like they would be less likely overall to engage with ads, and thus the adblocker usage is reducing the number of non-engaging users. Sure, overall "inventory" would go down, but I would expect for ads that actually make it to users, per-ad engagement/ROI (and thus "value") to go up. ---- Unless ad networks are charging advertisers for ad units that aren't actually shown to anybody, which smells an awful lot like grift to me! (effectively charging for hidden ad units to inflate numbers)
- seniorivn 5y ago
  I block ads because I don't have ad blindness, when I watch ads I focus my attention on it like on normal content people who are used to seeing ads don't notice most of ads
  - philistine 5y ago
    I’m absolutely not like you, I tune out ads but internalize them, but I’m happy for you that you live in this time. At least you have options to live an ad-free life. I guess you would have been the person to buy a Foreman grill and a Bowflex if you had lived in the 80s.
  - lizardmancan 5y ago
    i have the opposite, my mind just phases out and its as if the ad doesnt exist. i only found out when i got angry i couldnt find the download button on the download page and a frind pointed to the middle of the screen... then a giant banner sized button just appeard without the picture changing in a spot that was blank before. It was weird as hell. now that i notice it i notice i have no idea what a video advert was about when it ends or i press skip
- renewiltord 5y ago
  As existence proof, I buy stuff I see when I'm watching TV at someone else's place or when I use Instagram (which has ads right in the Stories feed). I see no reason why I'm special since I'm a pretty normal user when I'm using these things.
  - katbyte 5y ago
    I block all ads and I don't think i've ever purchased something from an AD, even when i see them elsewhere or on instagram ect. I honestly wonder what makes me different to you? I definitely don't have self control like that in other aspects of my life. Maybe it's I'm skeptical and figure ever ad is trying to swindle me out of my money maybe?
    - renewiltord 5y ago
      Maybe you just spend less than me. I also have high scam tolerance. i.e. one of my personal OKRs is to spend some amount of money per year on things just past my scam threshold.
hemloc_io 5y ago
I've always wondered this. To add a datapoint, I've used adblock forever, but in places where I do see ads I've never had the thought to click on them, just get past them as quickly as possible. Other people in my family however have bought things through Instagram/Facebook ads, so there are at least SOME people buying things through ads. They also have never bothered to install adblock. Conversion rates for ads are super small in my experience anyway so driving conversion up should(?) balance the price out the price of people using adblock who would not see anything, and would not click if they did.
deadmutex 5y ago
What is your definition of engagement? clicking on it? buying a product after clicking on it? or recognizing the brand when you are buying a product weeks after seeing the ad?

heavyset_go 5y ago

> - if ads become completely ineffective (eg. reddit) ads will simply become disguised as content to get past people's filter (aka content marketing, submarine articles etc) There's no "if" here. This type of advertising exists across all platforms and content distribution channels, and has existed for centuries. Whether or not ads are blocked does nothing to stop it.

ceres 5y ago

What's a submarine article? Can't find the term on google.

have_faith 5y ago
http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html

sneak 5y ago

Good. Let them scramble to find lunch money; jamming ads in my face is rude.

developer2 5y ago

And if ad blockers didn't exist, they would still increase the number of ads anyway. If nobody could block ads, there would be no incentive for companies to be scared about having "too many ads", as there would be nowhere for users to turn to (ie. ad blockers).

XorNot 5y ago
aka the "you actually want to show ads to paying customers, because you've got evidence they have disposable income and a willingess to part with it" phenomenon.

hnarn 5y ago

So by your logic, we should all be taking in as much advertisements as humanly possible because that would lead to the least net amount of advertisements for all? Excuse me for being somewhat skeptical of that.