> As long as it's recognizable as an ad

Are you saying that there are ad-blockers based on image recognition?

There aren't any widely deployed AdBlockers which work on the FB mobile app, Snapchat or Instagram.

Same with the Google search app.

> So ad-blocking still wins.

FB is losing all the way to the bank at the moment.

Yes, I agree. Technically, with text classification/image recognition we can block all forms of ads, but you risk throwing out the baby with the bath water, and from my own experience, these 'plug' ads are not so repugnant, can even add an element of surprise to the content sometimes.

My point is that with adblocking tools being adopted by more users, ad platforms will perhaps begin to use this new format.