13% of South Africans use ad-blocking – study

A new report by Effective Measure has found that 13% of South Africans use ad-blocking software.

The study saw 2987 respondents being surveyed from December 2016 to January 2017, Effective Measure wrote in an emailed release to Memeburn. As for the reasons why people use ad-blockers? Well, there aren’t any surprises here…

“The report reveals that the top reasons why ad blockers are used by consumers are because of the disruptive, annoying and overwhelming number of advertisements. Security and speed were also common concerns.”

How does South Africa’s figure compare to ad-blocker usage in the USA and Australia? Well, 26% of people use ad-blockers in both nations, Effective Measure wrote.

The audience measurement firm says that 75% of South Africans surveyed have never heard of or used ad-blocking software before. Meanwhile, 18% of users say they will click on an ad if it seems interesting.

A survey by Effective Measure has found that more than one in ten South Africans use ad-blocking software

“Because the ad-blocking numbers are relatively low compared to other countries, this gives South African publishers and advertisers a head-start to proactively tackle ad-blocking,” notes Greg Mason, Sub Saharan Africa Regional MD, Effective Measure.

The firm has also issued guidelines for publishers and advertisers, starting with the former.

It calls on publishers to refrain from showing more than three ads on a page as you scroll, to refrain from showing floating ads/ads over content, make sure that ads fit the screen or ad slot, appeal to readers using ad-blockers and to turn down dodgy campaigns.

For advertisers, Effective Measure advises that audio/video never be autoplayed, have the banners’ copy reflect the environment it’s hosted on, make sure that the user knows your brand from the first frame of the ad and that shorter and “punchier” copy is better.