‘Even in the past consumers blocked ads mentally’

Technology transcends borders. India cannot be insulated from what happens in the US. If ad blocking affects one, it will affect all. However, its impact will not be across all forms of advertising. While media distribution networks will be affected, ad blocking might not work on social networks where consumers willingly share viral content.

In fact, ad blocking apps will speed up the process to create more interesting online work. Content, entertainment value and the pull factor of the communication will be the guiding principles for communication professionals.

They will sound the death knell for static advertising on digital. Marketers will no longer be able to replicate their print and television strategies on the digital media. That approach was flawed in the first place.

Pull factor The importance of content and shareability has been spoken about at many marketing forums but many have still stuck to the approach of pushing down a message. Marketers and communication experts were creating long-format videos (like long television commercials) and uploading them on platforms such as YouTube as it cost them less money to run their long format ads on the digital medium. This lazy marketing approach will stop as both parties will realise that it is the pull factor that will determine the success of their advertising. Creating shareable content will be the only way forward. Necessity will be the mother of invention. That said, too much is being read into the launch of iOS 9. There is too much focus on the technology front and not enough on the creative part of the advertising business. Even in the past consumers blocked ads mentally. With digital technology you cannot force-feed consumers with communication which they would not otherwise want to receive.

Overall it’s still a part of the larger movement where brands have to become a part of people’s lives rather than keep worrying about the message they want to plant into people’s mind. The days of planting a message in people’s mind are gone. Brands need to build relationships with the consumer and that can only happen through a constant conversation, through a continuous presence in their lives — not in an obtrusive way but in a useful and interesting way. If brands get this right, then ad blocking is not an issue.

(As told to Prasad Sangameshwaran)

Dheeraj Sinha is the Chief Strategy Officer, South and South East Asia for Grey

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