Gradually, the different actors of advertising market seem to begin to understand their mistakes and accept to assume them. A necessary step on the long road ahead of the market, faced with a situation that is suitable for anyone, and will require efforts to everyone.
This is the new trend of the moment, motivated by recent movements around blockers advertising and they arrived within iOS 9: advertising wants ethical, responsible and respectful of the user. Soon it will probably be labeled as “organic”. Each actor is at stake is his series of rules of conduct, more or less relevant and interested, to ensure that it is advertising the right way, and that the use of tools like AdBlock is no longer required
Online advertising:. the long descent into hell
Because here, with the latest various abuses accumulated these years, whether in terms of tracking, detestable practices or multiplications of advertising space, the equipment rate of Internet users continues to soar. This now attack video and mobile, which were intended to bail out the publishers. They also begin to understand that the famous “native ads” are not going to save them, since they can be blocked just like the rest.
There are still many “Premium” and other formats Sponsored content to sell to advertisers before or after their writing, but it seriously undermines the perceived editorial independence, especially when they are composed of journalists. They are nevertheless far more lucrative for the moment that classical advertising and less complicated to implement than the subscription policies that require strong community and an increasingly impeccable brand.
The situation is bad for everyone, we must find solutions.
The temptation of locking blockers
As nothing unlocks the legal field, we saw the attempt to block the blockers emerge. Through solutions such as Secret Media Lab or Guava, publishers have first decided to force the hand of users, without necessarily seeking to understand or take into account the problem. This week, Axel Springer went even further, and simply decided to block access to Bild site for those that do not display advertising. In exchange, they are offered a subscription reducing the volume of campaigns to 2.99 euros per month.
If no conversion figure is given on the first initiatives, and whether the most recent course probably take time before they can be analyzed, one can find a missing component to such “repression”, while it is an issue where the editors have a great responsibility.
Certainly, ad blockers are not a solution, they even participated undoubtedly reinforce the problem by feeding a vicious cycle, but they are increasingly seen as a digital hygiene solution, facing pages capable of imposing a hundred real-tracker without informed consent (despite the rules imposed by the CNIL).
Each seeks to wash whiter than white
Reassure the user and establish a new “moral contract” with him seems a good alternative. But as often happens in such cases, it has to come from a legitimate actor, quite large, and especially pretty neutral on the question not to establish rules that arrange it well. And that’s the problem.
In recent weeks, we have seen that the desire to “moral-washing” had affected all of the chain. Our colleagues on the Stops pictures this morning evoked the case of Rue 89 (Le Monde), but many publishers who want to begin to educate their readers on this issue that does not date from yesterday, more or less adroit .
The authorities are also in the front line and some are moving in that direction. As we have already indicated, this is for example the case of Teads, which offers InRead particular video format. This clothing is also spared the ten rules proposed by the company, showing the need for a more general actor, and thus more legitimate, if supported. Firefox has tried this difficult role of mediator, but it seems for now without much effect, probably because it is an actor of the software world that a group of publishers and advertising.
From need a responsible debate on the part of major players
In France, we can expect such discourses from organizations such as the Union of internet Authorities ( SRI), but it still communicates very little on the subject publicly. This can also be the role of a union like GESTURE, which includes many giants of the online press.
Its General Secretary, Emmanuel Parody, we also confirmed that a discussions were During the past few months: “ We have a principle not to interfere with the reading of the user. It should not be automatically triggered his, no recovery items, this is the minimum. We discuss additional rules, such as the duration of the spots accompanying the video, but it incorporates technical issues. We also support the work of the IAB and the IRS to clarify the technical and functional rules on the matter . “
Now it is on the side of the IAB’s eyes turned. To recall, the Interactive Advertising Bureau is an international association representing the players in the advertising world, and sets such standards in the field. His positions on the issue of ad blockers have historically been very clear-cut, but again, the tone seems changing.
The IAB up to the front
In an interview Viuz recently published by the Managing Director with the content strategy Orange and Chair of the IAB France, David Lacombled, held a far more measured than that speech which had been previously entrendre. “ Faced with an unprecedented and radical situation, think deeply our market. I fear that is not already in the wall, since today, the adblockers development curve is faster than that of audience development , “he says. One way to remember that the surface where to place visible advertisements will tend to become scarce, when it is already overfished.
But it seems opposed to practices to blame users: “ we will not go pointing fingers users, saying” Ooh la la, is not that what you do ! “Because anyway we know very well that it will not. This does not mean that we should not do work of pedagogy, that we should not tell them how the economy works, and encourage them to be as respectful use of the Internet and content “.
It remains attached to the presence of advertising, even in premium offerings, “ should be taken as a publisher not to advertise the big bad wolf saying” If you pay, you will not have advertising “in a Premium offer it is also legitimate to have advertising .” One way to legitimize the reproduction of the paper press model, where publishers charge access to content while placing advertisements within their pages.
A model that reproduces much of the general press in its current digital offerings, just limiting the amount of advertising spaces for its subscribers with a few exceptions ( Libération for example).
Advertising in the position of the record industry? The need to find a balance
But for him behind the ethics displayed by ad blockers and companies like EYEO, there is indeed a “flight” of potential revenue for publishers and a “racket “organized via whitelist systems. A speech that is reminiscent of the world of music to the emergence of MP3s and P2P, before solutions to generate revenue as iTunes or streaming services are set up to match Digital supply the demand of users.
This is probably to this consensus that we need to go quickly that things apaissent one side or the other. David Lacombled and calls for a “reading contract”. For him, there is a contract in which “ the drive or the consumer does not have the feeling of being buried by advertising .” He also mentioned the case of mobile or videos with sometimes longer pre-roll as the content itself.
L.E.A.N. : Words …
The IAB has also published a more general forum signed Scott Cunningham, head of the IAB Tech Lab. It has done a lot spoken since its publication, particularly because of his catchphrase: “ we screwed up .” Quite realistic, it is the opportunity to look back, and a bitter fact of the evolution of the web and advertising, it has evolved without much control, the various actors being driven by will always earn more in a market that some thought infinity.
And, even at the risk of seeing the rates of CPM (cost per thousand views) collapsing while the hearings and the number online kept growing. Everything is accompanied by technological innovations such as tracking, programmatic and other marketplaces where ad spaces are sold by the ton, without always great discernment. A madness that led to the current situation, and the defenses established by the Internet that will undoubtedly difficult to réconcillier with publishers and advertising market on the road to redemption.
But to facilitate this, the IAB Tech Lab launched the LEAN program, based as the name suggests four main axes, it intends to build as essential pillars to overhaul and construction of the famous moral contract now raised by all:
- Light
- Encrypted
- Ad supported choice
- Non-invasive ads
Again, the goal is to propose an advertising offer more acceptable and more responsible, which is mainly in substance the opportunity to avoid this initiative depends only companies like EYEO Editor Adblock More, who want to sit in judgment of good practices through the establishment of an ethics committee would be responsible for judging what is acceptable or not … while continuing to charge the big publishers who want to be on white list. A list that is used by a growing number of advertisements blockers, EYEO even up paying some developers that this is the case according to the Wall Street Journal .
. .. and acts?
LEAN is not binding, but set rules that can track market players to offer light advertising space, and therefore easy to load, HTTPS operator to be issued even in an encrypted environment, taking into account the choice of User on targeting and not being invasive.
This last point is unfortunately not yet specified, it does not know what it exactly. It would have been nice to know if it included or not video formats autoplay landing in the content, items displayed on the entire screen, those who have no visible cross to close them, etc.
Cunningham states that two points should be addressed: that of capping (limiting the number of times that the same user should see an ad), especially in the case of retargeting, to ensure a user is not drowned by advertisements for the same product throughout the day, and especially not offered him if he purchased the product.
The second point concerns the volume of ads per page, which poses many anyway problems, the issue of the visibility of these spaces to the pricing of advertising via its efficiency.
The road will still be long, but everyone (or almost) going in the right direction
But if this statement of intentions is significant, and that is probably healthy a body such as the IAB finally managed to hold a speech on the experience of the user and the user “ that is in demand these actions require us to do better, we must answer .” We regret the lack of concrete decisions or actions.
For as in the heyday of music online crisis if publishers and Internet users know that the situation is not good for anyone, and that things have to change, yet each “camp” looks earthenware dog awaiting the first step.
Now that almost everything is on the table, so there more than to roll up our sleeves and take action, and it will probably be this the real challenge of the coming months. A period which will undoubtedly crucial for the evolution of the Internet, its business model and content that are accessible. Let’s hope that everyone will work for the common good.
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