To use or not to use ad blockers? The roles of knowledge of ad blockers and attitude toward online advertising

Abstract

The rapid spread of ad blockers potentially threatens the sustainability of the hitherto dominant business model of ad-supported websites, in which users get web content free in return for allowing themselves to be exposed to advertising. Focusing on the users’ perspective, this study proposes that (a) adoption of ad blockers is positively influenced by the level of knowledge of their advantageous features; (b) the decision to continue using ad blockers is negatively affected by attitude toward online advertising; and (c) this attitude is positively shaped by perceptions of online advertising’s pleasure, credibility, and economic benefits, as well as negatively shaped by perceptions of online advertising’s intrusiveness and clutter. We tested these relationships in a survey study among the members of an online panel supported by the Spanish advertising industry, and all the relationships were confirmed within a structural equation model. Our findings provide some implications for online advertising stakeholders. Web publishers and online advertisers may expect that, in the coming years, ad blockers will continue to spread rapidly as a consequence of the extension of their knowledge among Internet users. These stakeholders are thus advised to focus on improving Internet users’ experiences with online advertising by reducing those ad characteristics that provoke negative reactions and by strengthening those that are positively evaluated.