Another Reason Why Viral is the Way To Go

When TiVo came on the scene not too long ago, it started the slow death of the 30 second ad spot. It was the catalyst that served to convince even the most conservative marketers that it was time to start thinking about Web advertising.

TV advertising went on for over 50 years without threat, but unfortunately, Web marketers have not been as lucky. Within the last year, an extension for Mozilla Firefox has become popular, and some advertisers are worried about it - and they should be. Pop-ups aren't going to be the only thing blocked by knowledgeable Web-surfers.

The add-on application is called Adblock Plus. The program integrates with a user's browser (only Firefox at this point) and identifies, then blocks, advertising messages. The program is able to identify banners and advertisements by size and location and through a maintained database. The application is completely open-source and also not for profit, so ad companies can't easily buy it up and shut it down. And even if they did, another iteration would surely and swiftly rise from the dust.


Although it poses quite a threat for that portion of internet advertising, it has only been adopted by a small portion of the public. The New York Times quoted the creator of Adblock Plus, citing that approximately 2.5 million downloads have taken place so far, and 300,000 to 400,000 downloads occur each month. If growth continues at that rate, it will surely be something for marketers to worry about.

What does any of this have to do with Viral marketing? Well, Adblock Plus isn't blocking YouTube videos. It's not MySpace profiles or emails. And when interesting content is passed on from a friend or co-worker, the recipient will often go out of their way to experience it.

To sum it up: banners out, viral in.