MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – In the latest release of the Chrome browser (first pushed out to Chrome users on January 23), Google expanded the browser’s ad-blocking to incorporate the initial standards recommended by the Coalition for Better Ads (“CBA”), a group comprised of companies and trade associations involved in the online media space, including Google itself.
In a white paper entitled “Determining a Better Ads Standard Based on User Experience Data” published last year, the CBA stated its belief the standard of “unacceptable ads experiences” must “define what should not be done instead of what can be done to allow for innovation,” be “clear and accessible by the ecosystem,” and be “open to including multiple ways to determine that an experience not preferred by consumers.”
In building out a standard to meet these expectations, the CBA analyzed data collected through a survey of a representative standard of the U.S. population which gauged each respondent’s ad experiences on a 1 to 5 scale, with 1 being the least preferred and 5 the most preferred. The survey was conducted in 2016 by the CBA’s Ad Experience Research Group.
Based on the results of the survey, the CBA ranked a wide variety of ad types and user experiences, rankings which now inform the Chrome ad-blocker.
The full list of ad types which will be blocked (or, in some cases, blocked if they exhibit certain behavior like automatically playing sound, but not if they don’t) is quite extensive. Among the most important highlights of the list, from an adult advertising perspective, are the following ad types: Auto-playing ads with sound, “prestitial” ads with a countdown, popup ads without a countdown and a variety of “sticky” ad types.
Mobile ads are considered separately, and while the standards for mobile are duplicative of those for desktop in many areas, there are some mobile-specific standards which will result in automatic ad-blockage by Chrome, including an ad density of greater than 30% on a mobile page.
In a recent email to publishers and advertisers on its network, JuicyAds criticized the new standards while simultaneously noting its own policies already largely conformed to them.
“On principle, we do not agree with Google or with the decisions they have made,” JuicyAds stated in the email, which was sent out on January 30. “We feel that as an influential multi-billion dollar advertising company, Google has a clear conflict of interest. We view these changes as an attack on the freedom, livelihood, and advertising revenue of independent publishers, advertisers, and all non-Google advertising networks.”
Observing that Google’s changes to Chrome “impact everyone that buys or sells advertising online,” JuicyAds noted it already disallows “most of these abusive experiences” addressed by the CBA.
“As a leading advertising network, JuicyAds is proud to uphold higher standards and ethics than most other advertising networks,” the company stated. “While many other networks allow these types of actions and ads, we simply do not accept malicious ‘malvertising’ such as randomware (sic), tech support scams, fake software updates, or deceptive advertising.”
While JuicyAds didn’t cite any other advertising networks by name in the email, the company said “while other companies will be hurt significantly by these changes (and their Publishers will see significantly dropping payments), JuicyAds expects that the affect will be minimal for most publishers, because we already deliver better experiences than other networks.”
On February 1, the TrafficStars ad platform announced a new “Video Pre-Roll” format designed to comply with the CBA ad standards. The video ad plays before the content of the page loads, allowing the user to skip the ad after six seconds.
“Our team worked hard to develop this technology and make Video Pre-Roll ads available for desktop and mobile websites,” TrafficStars managing director Peter Rabenseifner stated in a press release announcing the release of the new ad format. “I’m very proud that we’ve reacted to recent changes in the industry to quickly launch this format for our partners, which is yet another way we’re helping advertisers and publishers with sustainable advertising alternatives.”
“We’re working continuously to provide better alternatives to our publishers, finding a balance between providing the best experience to their users and securing a stable advertising revenue – and also to our advertisers, presenting highly effective ad formats which engage users in innovative ways,” Rabenseifner added.
The CBA’s proposed new ad standards and how they might be incorporated has been cause for concern among mainstream publishers and advertisers, as well.
“We still have anxiety with it,” one anonymous publisher told Digiday in January. “People got used to the model of loading the site with ads and driving pageviews, but Google is telling us we need to prioritize digital experience now. It is distressing, but they are Goliath, and I don’t feel like throwing stones at them.”
Others see the new standards as a welcome roadmap to crafting more effective, user-frieIndlier ads, and believe the tradeoff is worth the reduction in (often low-quality) clicks which some of the now-disfavored advertising techniques generated.
“Chrome’s ad blocker isn’t a death knell for advertising,” Daniel Meehan, the founder and CEO of Padsquad recently wrote in an opinion piece for MediaPost.com. “Rather, it’s a spark for creativity going forward. Brands that want to embrace the challenge of new formats and innovative interfaces will be the ones rewarded in this new order.”
