Condé Nast is the latest publisher to join the war on ad blocking. Its GQ magazine is preventing people using ad blockers from accessing its site with a popup asking them to disable their ad blockers or pay 50 cents to read an article.
GQ isn’t the first publication to take a hard line in forcing people to disable their ad blockers. Forbes has a message on its welcome screen asking people to turn off their ad blockers in order to access the site (but to soften the blow, it’s promising an ad-light version of the site in exchange).
Other publishers have taken a gentler approach, serving friendly messages to ad block users asking them to disable their ad blockers.
For the payment part, GQ is using CoinTent, a micropayment system started earlier this year that lets publishers charge for access to an article or video. Once you click the pay button, you’re prompted to set up an account with a digital wallet that’s designed to make it easy to buy content around the Web. CoinTent’s site also lists another Condé Nast site Epicurious as a client. GQ and Condé Nast haven’t responded to requests for comment.
Ad blocking has become a major concern among mainstream publishers this past year as consumers, fed up with ads clogging their surfing experience and worried about their online privacy, have begun ad blocking in big numbers. Ad blocking means lost revenue for publishers as it means fewer eyeballs to sell ads against.
More in Media
Marketers balance creepiness and realism as more AI-generated avatars come online
It’s now possible to generate avatars in minutes using audio, images or videos and produce content with hundreds of different backgrounds, outfits, tones and languages or gestures. Others use virtual influencers or animated characters – but either way, do you as a marketer aim for realism or steer clear of the uncanny valley?
Referral traffic from Google Discover increases in 2024 amid the steady decline of referrals from social
The fragmented social landscape continued to splinter in 2024, as traffic from social media platforms sent to publishers’ sites continued its steady decline this year.
AI fatigue sets in among workers and company leaders
About half of business leaders report declining company-wide enthusiasm for AI integration and adoption, according to a recent EY pulse survey.