• by Tobi Elkin  @tobielkin, January 27, 2016

Teads, a native video advertising platform, on Wednesday released a global study on why people block ads. Among the notable findings, 80% of those surveyed said they'd reconsider installing ad blockers if offered  the choice to skip or close an ad. Three out of four U.S. respondents said that intrusive ads were the biggest motivator for installing ad blockers.

The study, conducted by Research Now, surveyed more than 9,000 respondents globally who represented three groups: active ad blockers on desktop/laptop, active ad blockers on mobile (smartphones/tablets) and respondents who are aware of blockers but have not yet installed them. 

Among the key findings for U.S. market respondents:

-- Intrusive formats: 52% of respondents who have installed ad blockers rate pre-roll as the most intrusive video format. Not surprisingly, pop-ads are the largest driver of ad blockers.

-- Word of mouth: 44% of people who installed ad blockers on a mobile phone or desktop found out about ad blockers from their peers.

-- The Web Browser matters: 67% of respondents who are active ad blocker users reported using blockers on Chrome, versus 38% on Firefox.

-- Profile of an ad blocker: On mobile, blockers were 22% more likely to be male and 78% more likely to be Hispanic. On desktop, blockers were 32% more likely than mobile blockers to be willing to see non-intrusive ads.

"There is a misconception that users are revolting against advertising in its entirety," Bertrand Quesada, CEO of Teads told Real-Time Daily via email. "When users were asked which features of an ad would reduce their motivation to install an ad blocker, 80% of users responded they wanted an ad experience that provides the choice to view; whereas fewer than 1 in 5 responded that there was nothing that could reduce their motivation to install. This demonstrates that there is an appetite for a solution outside of ad blockers. Users simply want a seamless and non-intrusive online ad experience."

“People around the world have expressed an aversion to intrusive ad formats, but providing people choice is a global solution,” said Rebecca Mahony, CMO, Teads, in Teads' release on the study. “The rise of ad blockers signals a wake-up call for the advertising industry and we must pay attention to the demands of consumers for advertising that respects their online experience."

The Teads’ ad blocker study was conducted in major media markets across the world including the U.S., Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Argentina) and the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France and Italy.

Key findings in the global markets include:

•  The largest number of respondents who list ads that provide a choice to view as motivation not to block ads were found in Mexico and Spain, with 89% of respondents agreeing this is the biggest motivator.
• Argentinianswere the most turned off by pre-roll ads, with 57% of respondents ranking pre-roll as highly intrusive. Interestingly, respondents from Argentina preferred in-article native video ads, with only 13% of respondents finding these units highly intrusive.
• In Germany, the home of Adblock Plus, respondents’ motivation to block ads due to intrusive formats is very high, at 72% of respondents. But 83% of respondents said they would avoid using ad blockers due to formats that offer choice.