The field of digital marketing is ever-changing and evolving – so much so that it can feel like we’re always running to catch up with the latest trends. Over the last few years, we’ve seen search engines get smarter, quality content become more important, smartphones take off and visual media explode. And the big change the industry is going through right now is the increased use of ad blockers.

The advent of ad blockers

It’s fair to say most people don’t appreciate flashy ads popping up at them when they’re online, particularly when they’re trying to watch a video. The desire to be able to restrict these ads has resulted in the rise of ad blockers.

It’s estimated that 12 million people use ad blockers in the UK, costing publishers approximately £15 billion in 2015 alone; with more and more people using these tools, this is only set to increase over the coming years.

A bright future

On the surface, it may seem that the future of video advertising looks bleak, but marketers’ interest in it continues to expand, even with the increased use of ad blockers. In fact, display advertising is continuing to grow, with revenues increasing by 27.5% (to £1.31 billion) in 2015. So even in the face of more web users utilising ad blockers, it seems that video marketing is going from strength to strength.

The use of ad blockers is acting as a form of quality control, too. People obviously don’t like watching ads they don’t enjoy, and in the same way they fast-forward past uninteresting TV ads and throw away generic direct mail, they’ll use ad blockers on some sites.

Sites and brands that produce relevant, engaging video content are much less likely to be negatively affected by ad blocking. Creative strategist at Facebook’s Creative Shop, Jill Gray, says firms need to combine the best creativity and craft with equal amounts of insight and personalisation to make their video marketing successful. And in the same vein, the chairman of popular ad block software AdBlock Plus, Tim Schumacher, says: “We want to force online advertising to be more creative … We want to hold the beacon for better advertising.”

Digital marketing jobs

If you’re experienced in video marketing and ready to embrace a new role, we can help. At Creative Mettle, we help match outstanding marketing and design candidates with their ideal jobs across Gloucestershire. Get in touch today to find out more.