
The increase in ownership of smartphones and the availability of 4G and now 5G mobile broadband have led mobile devices to be a key driver behind the continuous growth in the digital sector. The emergence of ad blocking applications have become a major threat to marketeers on the background of consumers’ apathy and irritation towards in-app advertisements.
Consumers’ attitudes towards in-app advertising in general are heavily negative and consumers’ intention to interact with this type of ads is low according to previous studies. However, many consumers accept and prefer in-app ads in exchange for using the app for free, instead of paying for an ad-free app.
In the mobile sector, ad blocking software became a problem for advertisers at the end of 2015, when Apple approved the first ad blocking apps in the App Store. Thus, in September 2015, Crystal, one of the first ad blocking apps, reached the iOS paid app top charts (Mintel, 2016).
The in-app ad blocking apps downloaded have been continuously increasing since their emergence, reaching around 527 million users in 2019, well above desktop's 236 million, according to Blockthrough. These are forecasted to grow further in the following years, especially in areas where data costs are high.
How do ad blockers impact the advertising industry?
Ad monetization relies on ads being shown and tracked (and ideally seen and interacted with). Ad blockers prevent these ads from appearing (and tracking tools from working), preventing advertisers from monetizing those mobile users during those sessions.
The impact of ad blocking on mobile depends on the device, operating system, site versus apps and more as Chris Shuptrine highlights in this article on Kevel. Regardless of the level of impact depending on these factors, it is clear that ad blockers for mobile represent an increasing challenge for advertisers.
In relation to this issue, Stephan Loerke, the CEO of World Federation of Advertisers said: “We have heard the message loud and clear: an increasing number of people aren’t satisfied with the online ad experience […] The ad industry needs to better understand what is driving them to opt for ad-blocking, and address the underlying issues head-on” (PageFair, 2016).
Mobile ads irritation factors among consumers
Firstly, the ad format influences consumers’ attitudes and it can also influence their behaviour. The most positive attitudes and behaviours were observed towards the native ads, while full screen ads led to high levels of irritation and, most often, to negative behaviour.

The most irritating ad formats are: out-of-app ads, full screen banner ads, video ads, display ads with audio and pop-up ads. On the other hand, the least irritating ad formats are the banner ads displayed on top or bottom of the screen, still image ads and native ads.
Secondly, the high frequency of ads irritates users and it can influence consumers’ attitudes and behaviour towards in-app ads. Although this seems to cause consumers’ apathy in the case of utility and gaming apps, it does not have such a negative influence when it comes to social media apps that host native ads.
Moreover, the reliability of an ad influences consumers’ attitudes, intention and behaviour equally. In this case, we can say that the principle of consistency applies. An important finding related to this is the fact that the brand image and renown play an important role in credibility.
Furthermore, personalization and usefulness can influence consumers’ behaviour more than intrusiveness. Users prefer personalised ads over generic ones, even when they find them intrusive.

So what can advertisers do to tackle this issue?
Advertisers should use the ad formats found to be the least irritating ones, such as native ads, still image ads or banner ads displayed on top or bottom of the screen. Depending on the app, the position of ads on the screen should be chosen so that it will not hinder consumers’ experience with the app. Native ads should be used whenever is possible instead of other ad formats, by matching the ads with the context and format of the app in which they appear.
In addition, incentive-based advertising can be a successful approach within game apps, as they can blend into the context, similarly to native ads within social media apps.
The other irritation factors should be taken into account as they can also affect to a smaller or larger extent consumers’ attitudes and behaviours. Ads should be reliable (they should contain trustworthy information), their frequency should be low or moderate and they should be as less intrusive as possible.
The relevance of ads for the type of mobile app where they appear it is also important especially for utility and game apps. In addition, ads should be personalised according to the user’s needs and preferences, thus containing useful information for the users.
Advertisers should take advantage of the unique characteristics of mobile advertising, by creating interactive and personalised ads that can target specific individuals at specific times and locations. The mass market approach should be abandoned and better targeting should be use in order to drive users’ engagement and increase ROI. The difference between a discount offered by the coffee shop across the road versus that same discount seen when you are at home or in the office browsing on your mobile device can be enormous.
Finally, apart from the context, that is the key strength of mobile advertising, the content is also very important and it should not be treated less carefully. The design and quality of an ad along with its content can influence consumers’ credibility and their emotional responses towards that ad. This can finally influence the users’ interaction (actual behaviour) with the ad.

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