The announcement follows the news that one in five smartphone users block ads on their phone. According to WFA, the expansion of ad-blocking use is an indication that consumers have had enough of online advertising.
To combat ad-blocking, WFA’s approach is for the advertising industry to improve online ads so that audiences won’t want to block them.
Similar projects already exist at different parts of the advertising value chain: IAB has an initiative that aims to improve online ad quality, while Google is reportedly working on “acceptable” advertising standards.
However, WFA’s proposal would group together the whole advertising chain, from marketers and publishers to ad tech companies, in a global coalition. The alliance would then monitor real user behaviour to identify the types of advertising that audiences find annoying.