{"id":15170,"date":"2015-09-29T11:51:27","date_gmt":"2015-09-29T15:51:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondphilosophy.com\/?p=15170"},"modified":"2019-09-06T05:21:43","modified_gmt":"2019-09-06T09:21:43","slug":"ad-blocking-sends-clear-cx-message-get-obnoxious-ads-out-of-my-ux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondphilosophy.com\/ad-blocking-sends-clear-cx-message-get-obnoxious-ads-out-of-my-ux\/","title":{"rendered":"Ad-Blocking Sends Clear CX Message: Get Obnoxious Ads out of my UX"},"content":{"rendered":"

Apple\u2019s latest operating system iOS 9 allows people to block ads while mobile browsing, a development that has digital marketers and publishers in a twist. As Ad Blocking pushes online advertising to the brink of irrelevancy, it\u2019s important to appreciate how the User Experience (UX) provides an integral link to Customer Experience<\/a> (CX). And also, what a poor UX means to your brand.<\/p>\n

Ad blocking isn\u2019t a new concept<\/em>. Ad blocking has been available for desktop web browsers for years. However, it hasn\u2019t been available for mobile devices.
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With the new iOS 9 for Apple devices, you now can. According to the NY Times on Friday, 45 Million Apple Users installed it on their mobile devices. Apple says this is about providing its Users with an improved mobile browsing experience.<\/p>\n

In the short term, this move raises many questions about the future of online ad dollars. Web publishers don\u2019t want their ads, what fuels the quality content they offer their audience for free, blocked. Digital advertisers don\u2019t want to pour large percentages of their budgets into a medium that won\u2019t reach eyeballs. This article from PCmag.com (which ironically I had to close out TWO obnoxious Pop-Up Ads to read), explains the controversy. The conundrum Ad Blocking on mobile devices creates for the future of online advertising is complex and uncertain right now, to be sure.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another important message here, straight from the consumers\u2019 thumbs, and it\u2019s important for digital marketers to hear it: You are ruining your online CX with obnoxious ads.<\/p>\n

You know the ones I\u2019m talking about. Obnoxious ads slow down your loading speed (a crime punishable by 100 lashes with a wet noodle, as far as I\u2019m concerned). They track your activities and\/or spring up right in the middle of the content you were hoping to see (and link to\u2026). To make it even more maddening, these interlopers then take five minutes to load, and even longer to load the x so you can \u201cskip ad.\u201d Moreover, if you aren\u2019t on a wireless router, they are burning your data (that you had budgeted for streaming important<\/em> cat videos).<\/p>\n

Have you paid a data overage lately? Let\u2019s just say loan sharks have been impressed with their racket! In other words, these obnoxious ads are ruining your UX. And that reflects poorly on the brand that bought the ad and the site running it. At the risk of stating the obvious, forcing your message down a user\u2019s throat is not the way to build brand loyalty.<\/p>\n

The UX is quickly becoming the most important part of the CX. The two aren\u2019t that different, after all. The UX refers to the overall experience a person has using an App or website. A CX is the overall experience a Customer has with an organization as perceived across all the moments of contact. These moments of contact include the Customer\u2019s interaction with the app, the site–or the obnoxious ad hogging the bandwidth on the train.<\/p>\n

Mobile continues to rise as the most often accessed portal of an organization\u2019s digital presence. Ofcom, the UK\u2019s communication regulator, released their Communications Market Report for 2015, which proclaimed that the \u201cUK is now a mobile society.\u201d Among the many interesting revelations from the report is the statistic that 42% of Smartphone Users in the UK said the handset was their most important device. And the smartphone market penetration just continues to increase. How long before that 42% grows to 100%? According to the jumps in percentage the last couple of years, not nearly as long as you think.<\/p>\n

The UX and the CX have different letters, but they represent the same thing when mobile browsing. When your audience blocks your ads, they are telling you something: your obnoxious ads are ruining their UX, reflecting poorly on your CX and your brand reputation. Smart digital marketers will recognize this to be true.<\/p>\n

Will you be one of them?<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed this post, you might be interested in the following blogs:<\/p>\n