Ad Blocking in New ZealandJune 2018

Background

Initial NZ Ad Blocking Survey commissioned in April 2017 in partnership with IAB NZ and Pureprofile

Online survey conducted with a representative sample of n=950 New Zealanders aged 16+ through the Pureprofile panel

Core Ad Blocking measures were repeated in April 2018 to assess change over 12 months

Study also conducted in Australia in partnership with IAB Australia and Pureprofile, across three waves in 2017-18.

Current Usage (April 2018)

31%

32%

20%

16%Uses an ad blocker

(Apr’17 – 27%)

Don’t know about ad blockers

(Apr’17 – 36%)

Have never used an ad blockers(Apr’17 – 21%)

Not now, but in the past(Apr’17 – 17%)

Current Usage (April 2018) vs. Australia

Have never used an ad blockers

Not now, but in the past

26%

37%

21%

16%

New Zealand (April’18)

Don’t know about ad blockers

Uses an ad blocker

Australia (December’17)31%

32%

20%

16%

Ad Blocking Usage by Device

Desktop or laptop

6% 4%24%

Mobile Tablet

Reasons for using an Ad Blocker

68%65%

53% 51% 50%48%

45%41%

37%

25%

Too many ads on sites Ads are disruptive Don’t want ads to follow me

Ads slow down page load times

Ads distract from browsing experience

Sites easier to navigate without ads

Ads slow down browsing experience

Sites look better without ads

Don’t want a virus Greater privacy

Females are more likely to worry about getting a virus, find ads disruptive or are annoying when they slow down their browsing experience

Males are more likely to want more privacy when browsing

Ad formats prompting Ad Blocking Software

75% 56% 40%46% 34%

Pop-ups Screen takeovers Audio auto-play ads

Video auto-play ads

Non skippable video ads

Actions that would influence people to stop using Ad Blockers

2%

4%

2%

5%

6%

4%

12%

8%

15%

22%

24%

26%

26%

31%

27%

41%

Site messages requesting turn off ad blockers

No autoplay video even if muted

Frequent blocked content on sites

Site guarantee of no autoplay of audio or video

Ads won't slow down browsing

Ads won't cover content

Ads are safe from virus

Favourite site blocks content

Very likely Likely

1 in 5 won’t be influenced by anything to turn off their ad blocker

49%

39%

35%

32%

31%

26%

26%

17%

Sites asking to turn off Ad Blockers

Yes75%

No25%

Have you been asked by a website to turn

off ad blocker?

Yes39%

No61%

Did you turn it off when asked?

Reasons to stop using Ad Blocker

28%

24% 23%21%

Prevented me seeing content Kept seeing messages to turn off ad blocker Ad blocker slowed down browsing Realised ads on sites don't bother me

Males are more likely to turn off ad blocker if it stops them from seeing

content

Key Takeaways

1.

Awareness and use of Ad

Blockers is growing over

time – what are you doing

as an industry to control

and manage this?

2.

Ads that are disruptive,

obtrusive or too frequent

(and ‘creepy’) are the

biggest pain points for

people who have decided to

install an Ad Blocker

4.

Asking users to turn off their

Ad Blocker, or limiting

content will have an impact

on those who are willing to

turn off their Ad Blocker

3.

Pop-ups and screen takeovers

are the ad formats that are

more likely to prompt users

to install an Ad Blocker

For more information please contact:

Emily BingAccount Director – NZemily@pureprofile.comPh. +64 21 846 537

http://businesses.pureprofile.com/nz