--- title: "Advertising Bureau Tries New Lean in Blocker Fight" id: "30675" type: "post" slug: "advertising-bureau-tries-new-lean-in-blocker-fight" published_at: "2015-10-16T22:18:32+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T17:52:54+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/10/16/advertising-bureau-tries-new-lean-in-blocker-fight/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/10/16/advertising-bureau-tries-new-lean-in-blocker-fight.md" excerpt: "The Interactive Advertising Bureau, fighting a tide of consumers who are sick of advertisements bogging down the loading of web pages, announced a new campaign to improve the situation this week—an announcement that started with a little humble pie." taxonomy_category: - "Advocacy" taxonomy_post_tag: - "ad blocking" - "Advertising" - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "privacy" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Advertising Bureau Tries New Lean in Blocker Fight The argument in favor of using online ad blockers is becoming more compelling, and the Interactive Advertising Bureau knows it. With the bevy of trackers, weight-loss ads, and pop-overs turning the process of reading an article into something akin to running an obstacle course, IAB is making a new pledge to internet users: IAB members will better balance their own financial interests with what users want. “We messed up. As technologists, tasked with delivering content and services to users, we lost track of the user experience,” [wrote Scott Cunningham, IAB’s senior vice president of technology and ad operations (opens in a new tab)](http://www.iab.com/news/lean/) . In his blog post, Cunningham announced a new approach from the bureau’s IAB Tech Lab, something it calls the L.E.A.N. Ads program. (L.E.A.N. stands for Light, Encrypted, Ad choice supported, and Non-invasive.) The program launches as ad-blocking software is becoming more common, both within web browsers and on Apple’s iOS software, [which now supports ad-blocking tools (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-09/apple-s-ad-blocking-feature-is-sending-publishers-scrambling) . On top of this, companies such as [Facebook (opens in a new tab)](https://instantarticles.fb.com/) , [Google (opens in a new tab)](https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/introducing-accelerated-mobile-pages.html) , and [Snapchat (opens in a new tab)](http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/snapchat-promises-gorgeous-advertising-its-new-discover-channels-162570) , along with [Apple itself (opens in a new tab)](http://www.apple.com/news/) , have begun building out native publishing options that get around the tendency toward ad-heavy mobile pages. For IAB, which represents the companies that place the ads and trackers on those pages, the L.E.A.N Ads program represents a full-throttle response encouraging lightweight advertising that respects privacy and targets thoughtfully, so consumers are not repeatedly hit by ads for products that they’ve already purchased. “L.E.A.N. Ads do not replace the current advertising standards many consumers still enjoy and engage with while consuming content on our sites across all IP-enabled devices. Rather, these principles will guide an alternative set of standards that provide choice for marketers, content providers, and consumers,” Cunningham wrote. Arthur Coleman, vice president of product for Acxiom Innovation Labs, who works closely with Cunningham on the issue of ad blocking, noted the move is an intelligent reaction to a problem that threatens the industry’s growth. “First and foremost, we applaud the IAB’s initiative, as we believe it moves us in the right direction as an industry. It recognizes that what is going on here is an open negotiation, via Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand,’ between sellers and consumers of advertising. Ad blockers are nothing less than the consumers opening statement in that negotiation,” [Coleman wrote in a blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://www.acxiom.com/good-first-step-towards-consumer-friendly-internet-introducing-iabs-l-e-n-initiative/) . *The Register*‘s Shaun Nichols, [who is skeptical (opens in a new tab)](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/10/16/iab_lean_ads/) (“This could all be a complete waste of time,” he wote), noted that IAB’s suggestion that the initiative would encourage encryption could have a positive effect by improving online security for users. “The encrypted bit is important because it means the rest of the webpage can be encrypted too over HTTPS, improving people’s privacy online,” Nichols wrote. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#ad blocking](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ad-blocking/) [#Advertising](https://associationsnow.com/tag/advertising/) [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#privacy](https://associationsnow.com/tag/privacy/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoUrban Land Institute- Project Recovery: Rebuilding Los Angeles After the January 2025 WildfiresSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/urban-land-institute-project-recovery-rebuilding-los-angeles-after-the-january-2025-wildfires/) - [VideoThe Career Moves Every Association Leader Needs Right NowSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/the-career-moves-every-association-leader-needs-right-now/) - [VideoNCRA: Safeguarding Cancer Surveillance: An Advocacy Response to FY26 Budget ThreatsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/ncra-safeguarding-cancer-surveillance-an-advocacy-response-to-fy26-budget-threats/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F10%2F16%2Fadvertising-bureau-tries-new-lean-in-blocker-fight%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !