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When the Chrome extensions gallery opened in December last year, I had wondered if ad-blocking extensions would surface. Given that Google currently derives nearly all its revenue from adverts, it would appear to make no sense for them to allow their own adverts to be blocked by Chrome.
Add-on-Con ’09 ads and adblockers (closing keynote)
I recently happened across the above video from Add-on-Con ’09, in which representatives from Google, Opera and Mozilla briefly debate the role of ad-blockers. They raise the point that users who deliberately install ad-blocking extensions are among the least likely to be susceptible to online advertising, and will almost certainly refuse to use a browser that doesn’t allow the blocking of advertisements, when Firefox exists as an alternative.
Without exception
The reason I block adverts is because I find a large proportion of advertising intensely irritating (I really couldn’t care less about an American mom’s secret to whiter teeth!) and I would prefer to never see an online advert even if it means missing out on any that are relevant to me. Google seem to be optimistic in their capability to deliver ads people want to see, and that users (for the most part) will not block relevant adverts. The problem is that irritating adverts will always exist. Google could serve up the most relevant, targeted adverts and I’d still block them alongside all others.
A surprisingly small percentage of Web users are believed to actively block adverts and I can’t see Firefox blocking ads by default. There are just too many vested interests in online advertising, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if the alternative is walled gardens and premium content. It will be interesting to see what happens as more Chrome users inevitably install the ad-blocker (two examples are already in the 5 most popular). Will we start to see Google advertising within the browser itself? Hard to imagine, as it would put many users off, but there may eventually be few alternatives.
Tags: digital marketing, google, google chrome
I do wonder if Apples iPhone implementation of advert integration INTO it’s core running process may be a more common model of business, in which case captive audiences on mobile platforms will more then likely get hammered. Though as long as people can choose their web browser there will always be something open source to go back to on the desktop.