--- title: "Ad Bureau Offers Publishers Strategies to Tackle Ad Blocking" id: "32384" type: "post" slug: "ad-bureau-offers-publishers-strategies-to-tackle-ad-blocking" published_at: "2016-03-08T20:47:43+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T15:39:51+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/03/08/ad-bureau-offers-publishers-strategies-to-tackle-ad-blocking/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/03/08/ad-bureau-offers-publishers-strategies-to-tackle-ad-blocking.md" excerpt: "In an attempt to get ahead of an issue frustrating members in the publishing industry, the Interactive Advertising Bureau is offering a set of new solutions to fight ad-blocking software." taxonomy_category: - "Ethics" taxonomy_post_tag: - "ad blocking" - "Advertising" - "AssociationsNow" - "consultants" - "Ethics" - "industry partners" - "Media" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Ad Bureau Offers Publishers Strategies to Tackle Ad Blocking Ad blocking is such a big problem these days that [not even The New York Times can ignore it (opens in a new tab)](http://www.poynter.org/2016/the-new-york-times-joins-the-ad-blocking-wars/400341/) . And that growing headache is leading one major industry group to take steps to stop ad blockers dead in their tracks. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is taking a twofold approach to the ad-blocking problem—one strategic in nature, the other technical. First, it has released “[Publisher Ad Blocking Primer (opens in a new tab)](http://www.iab.com/iab-tech-lab-publisher-ad-blocking-primer/) ,” a strategy guide meant to assist publishers in dealing with the problem of ad blocking tactically. This guide includes a four-step approach it calls DEAL: - **Detect** ad blocking. - **Explain** the concerns of the publisher. - **Ask** for a change in behavior. - **Lift** restrictions or **Limit** access based on how consumers respond. On top of this, the bureau’s technical lab [is sharing an ad-blocking detection code (opens in a new tab)](http://www.iab.com/ad-block-detection-code-access-request/) that publishers can use to figure out who is blocking ads and then communicate their concerns with those consumers. “We believe that a combination of tools and the DEAL approach to communication with consumers will allow publishers big and small the chance to cut through the blockade, ensuring the strength of the open, ad-supported internet,” IAB’s Scott Cunningham, who manages the association’s Tech Lab and serves as its senior vice president of technology and ad operations, [said in a news release on Monday (opens in a new tab)](http://www.iab.com/news/new-iab-tech-lab-ad-blocking-primer/) . [In comments to Ad Age (opens in a new tab)](http://adage.com/article/digital/iab-creates-guide-publishers-combat-ad-blocking/302953/) , Cunningham emphasized that the strategy is meant to put the decision to block ads into the hands of consumers rather than simply blocking access to the website. “We know that users are looking for choice and we have to respect that,” Cunningham explained to the magazine. “So let’s offer them a choice, let’s make them a D.E.A.L.” Like the publishing world as a whole, IAB has been heavily focused on the ad-blocking challenge in recent months, running into controversy after the bureau [chose to disinvite the firm behind Adblock Plus (opens in a new tab)](http://www.wsj.com/articles/tensions-escalate-between-adblock-plus-and-iab-1452881625) from an event earlier this year. However, the trade group has made it clear that it opposes ad blocking from an ethical perspective but understands why consumers may be interested in the mechanism. “As abetted by for-profit technology companies, ad blocking is robbery, plain and simple—an extortionist scheme that exploits consumer disaffection and risks distorting the economics of democratic capitalism,” [the group wrote in a strongly worded essay (opens in a new tab)](http://www.iab.com/iab-believes-ad-blocking-is-wrong/) on the topic last year. The post recommended that advertisers consider focusing on acquiring higher-quality ads rather than allowing lower-quality approaches that raise concerns for consumers and lead them to use ad blockers. (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/) [#consultants](https://associationsnow.com/tag/consultants/) [#Ethics](https://associationsnow.com/tag/ethics/) [#industry partners](https://associationsnow.com/tag/industry-partners/) [#Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/media/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **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 - [VideoMessage from Gordon Taylor III, Chief Sales Officer for Destination ClevelandMay 17, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/05/17/message-from-gordon-taylor-iii-chief-sales-officer-for-destination-cleveland/) - [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/) - [VideoExploring New Frontiers: Leadership, Resilience and the Future of SpaceflightAugust 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/27/exploring-new-frontiers-leadership-resilience-and-the-future-of-spaceflight/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Industry Partner Edition-Sponsorships That Deliver Real ValueJuly 9, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/09/associations-now-presents-industry-partner-edition-sponsorships-that-deliver-real-value/) ## 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%2F2016%2F03%2F08%2Fad-bureau-offers-publishers-strategies-to-tackle-ad-blocking%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !