SYDNEY: Australian consumers are more negative towards online ads than their counterparts in any other country, with almost a third of Australians willing to pay for ad blockers to avoid them.
Research by Accenture, reported in B&T Magazine, has revealed that 86% of Aussies find advertising interruptions annoying, the highest globally, and 31% would pay to install ad blockers that remove online ads from sight.
The findings come as a recent Warc and King Content report showed that marketers in Australia and across Asia expect investment in native advertising – widely seen as a way to combat ad blockers – to increase significantly in the next five years.
Hostility to direct advertising, particularly online, is cited in the report as a major factor contributing to the popularity of native advertising as a potential solution.
Globally, internet users in general intensely dislike advertising that interrupts their browsing with 83% of around 28,000 respondents from 28 countries having a negative reaction to online ads.
Poor targeting seems to be the major driver of animosity, with more than three-quarters (76%) of Australian respondents believing ads they see are not personalised, compared with a global average of 74%.
The findings will add fuel to industry debate around what brands can do to engage viewers online as ad blockers soar in popularity.
For some, the data comes as a clear indicator that the advertising and marketing industry must up its game to connect with online users and produce work that consumers are happy to click on.
"Consumers are increasingly willing to pay for blockers because too many ads are poorly targeted," said Scott Dinsdale, Accenture's media and entertainment lead for Australia and New Zealand.
"In today's world of personalised content, being forced to watch an ad that has no relevance is a missed opportunity and feels increasingly intrusive on precious screen-time."
Research by Accenture, reported in B&T Magazine, has revealed that 86% of Aussies find advertising interruptions annoying, the highest globally, and 31% would pay to install ad blockers that remove online ads from sight.
The findings come as a recent Warc and King Content report showed that marketers in Australia and across Asia expect investment in native advertising – widely seen as a way to combat ad blockers – to increase significantly in the next five years.
Hostility to direct advertising, particularly online, is cited in the report as a major factor contributing to the popularity of native advertising as a potential solution.
Globally, internet users in general intensely dislike advertising that interrupts their browsing with 83% of around 28,000 respondents from 28 countries having a negative reaction to online ads.
Poor targeting seems to be the major driver of animosity, with more than three-quarters (76%) of Australian respondents believing ads they see are not personalised, compared with a global average of 74%.
The findings will add fuel to industry debate around what brands can do to engage viewers online as ad blockers soar in popularity.
For some, the data comes as a clear indicator that the advertising and marketing industry must up its game to connect with online users and produce work that consumers are happy to click on.
"Consumers are increasingly willing to pay for blockers because too many ads are poorly targeted," said Scott Dinsdale, Accenture's media and entertainment lead for Australia and New Zealand.
"In today's world of personalised content, being forced to watch an ad that has no relevance is a missed opportunity and feels increasingly intrusive on precious screen-time."
Data sourced from B&T Magazine; additional content by Warc staff
