Publishers are invited to participate in a pilot program to test revenue gains and visitor engagement from better ad experiences. We're excited to announce today a partnership with the Coalition for Better Ads (press release below) and we're offering special pilot discounts for participating publishers.
The first phase of the partnership between Admiral and the Coalition for Better Ads concluded with survey results indicating Adblocker interest in sites using Better Ads. The second phase of the partnership is our pilot program for publishers described below.
Benefits include:
- a better perceived experience by users,
- unlocking new revenue quickly,
- early access to pilot insights, and
- promotion by the CBA and Admiral after the pilot is complete.
For more information on the CBA+Admiral partnership or participation in the pilot program, visit https://getadmiral.com/betterads.
Full press release:
Coalition for Better Ads Partners With Admiral to Help Publishers Turn Better Ad Experiences into Visitor Relationships and Revenue
Initial research found that 44.2% of adblock users are more willing to support sites that are Better Ads-Certified than sites that aren’t Better Ads-Certified..
NEW YORK, N.Y. – August 10, 2020 – Admiral, the world’s leading Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) platform, announced today a partnership with the Coalition for Better Ads (CBA) to unlock new revenue for publishers participating in the CBA’s Better Ads Experience Program. The partnership kicked off with a survey of 1,200+ adblock users from the Admiral Adblock Research Panel and includes multiple pilots with publishers participating in the Better Ads Experience Program to connect compliance with revenue growth.
The CBA has leveraged consumer insights and cross-industry expertise to develop and implement new global standards, the Better Ad Standards, and the Better Ads Experience Program, for improved advertising experiences based upon extensive consumer research. The CBA includes over 100 of the largest media publishers, brands and trade associations committed to improving ad experiences worldwide, including Board members such as the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, Facebook, Google, IAB, IAB Europe, Microsoft, Network Advertising Initiative, Unilever and the World Federation of Advertisers. Admiral, one of the CBA’s earliest members, helps thousands of media publishers grow visitor relationships and revenue by improving ad experiences and empowering publishers to offer a diverse range of value exchanges, including adblock recovery, email newsletters, paid subscriptions, donations and more.
“Admiral is the leader in adblock recovery and has supported the Coalition for Better Ads since the beginning. Their mission to grow visitor relationships and revenue for publishers aligns perfectly with the CBA’s mission to improve ad experiences to benefit visitors, publishers, brands and the Internet long-term,” said Neal Thurman, Director of the Coalition for Better Ads. “The CBA has focused on raising industry awareness of annoying ad experiences through extensive consumer research. This data-driven approach has helped publishers understand theimportance of quality ad experiences to long-term sustainability. The next phase of our work aims to build consumer awareness of this improved online ad experience. Thousands of publishers have committed to stop using ads that don’t meet the Better Ads Standards, but mostadblock users don’t even realize it. Now that the Standards have been researched, defined andimplemented, and publishers are improving their visitor ad experiences, this partnership with Admiral aims to help publishers see immediate revenue benefits from their commitment to Better Ads.”
“The primary goal of this multi-phase partnership is to directly connect publisher actions to meet the Better Ads Standards, with immediate consumer awareness and revenue benefits,” said Dan Rua, Admiral CEO. “Media publishers have worked extra hard over the past few years to improve their ad experiences, but the payback horizon can be long and uncertain if consumers never actually know about the publisher’s commitment to improved ad experiences. Silent adherence to the Better Ads Standards can leave adblock users completely unaware because their blocker hides any improvements. To reach its full potential, Better Ads publishers can connect compliance with awareness, transparently asking adblock users to checkout their improved ad experience and to support the publishers committed to Better Ads.”
Adblocker Survey
The first phase of the CBA+Admiral partnership included a survey of 1,200+ adblock users from June 22, 2020 to August 5, 2020, describing the Better Ads Standards and the fifteen different ad formats that don’t meet the Better Ads Standards and asking adblock users if they would be willing to turn off their adblocker to support sites that certify compliance with the Better Ads Standards.
More than twenty-four percent (24.3%) of adblock users said “I would be much more willing to allow ads to support a Better Ads-certified site“ and roughly twenty percent (19.9%) of adblock users said “I would be somewhat more willing to allow ads to support a Better Ads-certified site”; for a combined total of 44.2% of adblock users willing to allow ads to support Better Ads-Certified sites.
In fact, when asked about their willingness to add a list of Better Ads-certified sites to their adblocker versus having to opt-in on every site, roughly nineteen percent of respondents (18.6%) said “Yes, I want to support all sites that commit to The Better Ads Standards” and more than twenty-three percent (23.4%) said “Maybe, I'd need to learn more”. Therefore, with education, as many as 42% of adblockers would consider supporting all publishers adhering to the Better Ads Standards, by default.
These results are particularly encouraging given that adblocker awareness and understanding of the Better Ads Standards was low for respondents before taking this survey and support for the Better Ads Standards will grow with greater consumer visibility on publisher sites.
Better Ads-Certified Pilots
The second phase of the CBA+Admiral partnership includes integration of Better Ads-certified branding and messaging within Admiral’s Engage adblock recovery module, empowering Better Ads-certified publishers to message adblocking visitors to allow Better Ads and measure improved adblock revenue recovery. The goal of the pilots is to test whether adblock visitor actions will match their survey responses, supporting publishers they know have committed to use ads that meet the Better Ads Standards. Existing publishers who are registered with the Better Ads Experience Program and publishers using Admiral’s VRM platform are eligible for the pilot. New publishers interested in unlocking adblock revenue at a discounted pilot rate are encouraged to apply at https://getadmiral.com/betterads.
Pilot participants will benefit by providing their visitors a Better Ads Experience, testing opportunities to unlock new revenue quickly, early access to adblock recovery best practices gleaned from all pilots, and promotion by the CBA and Admiral with some of the largest brands and agencies in the world, as a publishing leader committed to quality ad experiences that benefit visitors and brands long-term.
“We’re excited to kickoff this partnership with Admiral, adding to our collective research on the benefits of ad quality with these pilots and securing unique pilot pricing for our members and all Better Ads-certified publishers,” said Neal. “This is one of those rare win-win-win partnerships for visitors, publishers and brands that moves us all closer to sustainability.”
“It’s not enough to just improve ad experiences, that’s table stakes,” said Rua. “Publishers also need to educate visitors about their commitment to ad quality and this partnership makes that very easy, with zero dev lift for Better Ads-certified publishers. At a time like this, it’s OK to ask visitors to help support content they love, and publishers who take actions to improve ad experiences and visitor relationships will be rewarded with sustainable revenue.”
For more information on the CBA+Admiral partnership, members can visit https://getadmiral.com/betterads.
ABOUT THE COALITION FOR BETTER ADS
Leading international trade associations and companies involved in online media formed the Coalition for Better Ads to improve consumers’ experience with online advertising. The Coalition has conducted extensive consumer research to develop Better Ads Standards to help the online ad industry address consumer preferences. The Coalition’s members include leading global advertisers, advertising agencies, publishers, and technology companies. An additional 80 trade associations from around the world are affiliates of the Coalition for Better Ads. Companies and trade associations that wish to join the Coalition can learn more at www.betterads.org
ABOUT ADMIRAL
Admiral is the industry’s leading Visitor Relationship Management (VRM) platform, serving thousands of publishers worldwide. Admiral empowers publishers to engage their audiences to drive and optimize revenue streams from paid subscriptions to adblock recovery. Admiral’s solution set includes a free revenue analytics module, and a suite of engagement, GDPR/CCPA privacy compliance, subscription, and revenue growth modules. Interested publishers and partners are encouraged to learn more at GetAdmiral.com
