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Comment by gottam | Hacker News Reader

This is probably not an arms race ad companies want to play. Someone who has an adblocker installed is unlikely to be respective to ads, and by installing an adblocker they currently are opting out of from the ad vendors metrics. which is better than adblock vendors trying to feign ads loading or "interest" in the ads, such as addons like https://adnauseam.io

So its debatable even they would win the ad arms race, but they would also lose credibility in their own metrics as the easiest solution will be to start fooling ad companies that their ads are loading.

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One of the Penny Arcade guys once related an anecdote about when he worked in a telemarketing call center. In this case, all the phone numbers he had were from people who had signed up for an anti-telemarketing service, which had then sold their list to telemarketers. He said that the people he called, understandably, usually responded with snarling rage unusual even by the standards of people getting telemarketing calls. The moral is, when people specifically take determined action to avoid you, and you go out of your way to circumvent them and reach them anyway, they're not going to be especially receptive or warm.

I think publishers deploying anti-adblock technology are making a similar mistake. When someone takes action not to see ads, do you really think they're going to respond well when you deploy trickery to show them ads anyway? Are they going to be especially well-disposed to your brand, or are they going to be filled with determined hatred for you? This is a losing proposition.

> Someone who has an adblocker installed is unlikely to be respective to ads

Any statistics to believe this is true? I know for a fact it's false for myself because I do sometimes click on ads when I don't block them.

I never said it doesn't happen. You're the odd case and of course there's someone who had adblock installed for them. I just said "unlikely", because they went out of their way to install the adblocker.

I myself will go to any length to avoid advertising. Luckily its pretty easy.

Most call centers has a policy to stop if the recipient clearly says no.

Is there statistics to support this as a business decision? How effective is continued pestering a person in order to sell a product. The Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick comes in mind.

One of the reasons for ads is not clicks, but increased brand recognition/familiarity. Brand familiarity and brand choice are proven to be highly correlated.

Ads appearing when you don't block them isn't really an issue.

When you are blocking ads, do you click on them? I wouldn't: I'd instead be annoyed that I'm seeing ads when I have an adblocker running.

> Ads appearing when you don't block them isn't really an issue. When you are blocking ads, do you click on them? I wouldn't: I'd instead be annoyed that I'm seeing ads when I have an adblocker running.

Yeah I do, that's literally what I'm saying. I've clicked on ads that have slipped through.

> Someone who has an adblocker installed is unlikely to be respective to ads

This is false.

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