Access Denied … Until It’s Not

Tips for successfully working around ad blockers

Imagine it’s time to roll out your next online ad campaign. After months of strategy, creative exploration, development, and refinements — plus a lengthy review and approval process — all of your work is finally ready to see the light of day. There’s just one problem: ad blockers are waiting in the wings, ready to keep your campaign out of sight and mind. So what can you do?

Ad blockers are more than an annoying challenge. They can negatively impact your campaign’s reach, significantly reduce engagement, and lower your projected return on investment. The good news is there are some effective workarounds. Here are some options to help stop the blocks:

• Use native ads Native ads that blend into the surrounding content are less likely to be blocked. Keep them high quality and non-intrusive.
• Leverage influencer marketing Paying influencers to organically mention/recommend your products/services often dodges ad blockers. Just be sure to communicate proper disclosure.
• Create “better” ads Creative quality matters. The more engaging and non-disruptive your ads are, the less people will want to block them.
• Appeal to emotions Tell stories instead of pushing products. Emotional, inspiring ads tend to perform better and are less irksome than hard sells.
• Rethink ad frequency Avoid oversaturating users. Capping ad frequency can help prevent blocking.
• Test different ad formats Expand beyond standard banners and boxes and test innovative formats that stand out.
• Reward ad viewing Consider incentivizing users to view ads by offering deals, rewards, or content unlocks.
• Communicate value exchange Be transparent that your ads support free content, and customize user options for ads where possible.
• Diversify your spend Diversify into other channels like social media, content, and video ads, so you can depend less on display ads alone.
• Analyze blocker data Research common plugins and techniques used by blockers to find additional workarounds.

With some creativity and testing, you can develop online ad strategies that overcome obstacles and navigate around ad blockers. The key is to be flexible, remain proactive, and maximize adaptability.

Have questions about what else you can do to help your online ads successfully reach their target audiences? Feel free to reach out to us at any time. We’re here to help.