Nearly Half of Users of Ad Blockers Will Avoid Websites that Target Them With Ads, Creating Challenges for Advertisers

Advertisers State That Data Collection Makes Ads More Helpful for Online Visitors. New Data from Visual Objects Indicates That Highly Targeted Ads Could Negatively Impact Businesses’ Potential to Engage with AD-Fatigued Consumers, Though.

Nearly half of users of ad blockers (45%) say they would avoid a company’s website if that company targeted them with ads, according to a new survey report from portfolio website Visual Objects.

Businesses argue that personalization makes ads more useful for potential customers, but this data shows that ad-fatigued users disagree.

To avoid alienating these users, businesses must ensure ads that rely on user data do not reveal personal information, such as age, marital status, or schooling.

Users of ad blockers feel strongly about how their personal data is collected for advertising. Almost two-thirds of people who use ad blockers (63%) say data collection in online advertising is an invasion of privacy.

Visual Objects surveyed 500 people who use ad blocking browser extensions to learn how ad-fatigued users feel about data collection and online privacy in advertising.

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Baby Boomers Most Uncomfortable With Data Collection in Advertising

Though most ad-blocker users feel that data collection is invasive, baby boomers are the generation most averse to highly targeted advertising. Almost three-quarters of baby boomers (72%) say that data collection from ads feels like an invasion of privacy.

By contrast, 58% of millennials and 64% of Generation X respondents feel that data collection invades their privacy online.

“I think younger people tend to be less threatened by data collection because it’s what they’ve known,” said Tim Smith, director of communications and media planning at IPNY. “They’ve grown up with data breaches and they’ve almost always been connected and online.”

Smith also said that older internet users often have more to lose financially than younger users, making them more wary of data breaches.

Businesses should build trust with users of all ages by allowing them to access the personal data businesses collect and remove it if they desire.

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Gen-X Users Are Most Likely to Pay for Ad-Free Browsing

As people increasingly demand more privacy online, some browsers, like Mozilla, have started offering options for users to go ad- and tracking-free for a price.

The Visual Objects survey found that younger ad blocker users are more likely to pay for this type of browsing. Almost half of Generation X users (47%) and 41% of millennials are willing to pay to browse ad-free, compared to only 29% of baby boomers.

“It’s helpful to have an alternative option that allows people not to have ads when they’ve become a premium subscriber,” said Kyle Deming, founder at Chicago web services firm Wojo Design.

Offering an ad-free alternative for a small fee could help businesses build trust with users who feel strongly about invasive advertising and data collection, according to the survey.

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