Menu
EN

Readers disabled ad blockers for Financial Times when asked

Fighting against ad blockers, Financial Times (international business newspaper) carried an experiment several months ago. Readers were asked to stop an ad blocker on their website and.. well, many of them agreed to.

As noted by the represenative of Financial Times: "Through open dialogue with FT readers we are emphasizing the importance of advertising as a revenue stream for quality, independent journalism"

The experiment included 3 differents approaches to persuade readers to whitelist, or allow advertising at FT.com:

  1. An unintrusive banner was shown with an appeal to disable an ad blocker. Almost 40% of users added the website to the whitelist.

  2. Some words in articles were missing (replaced with blank spaces) and the banner asked users to whitelist. Such option has also resulted in many disabling ad blocker for the website.

  1. The access to the whole website was restricted. Here more than a half of audience have whitelisted the website.

These were the methods to persuade readers to support the site by watching ads. In all cases (with unobtrusive banner and more 'tangible' restrictions) the number of those who added the site to the list of exceptions is quite high - the audience decided that the content of Financial Times is worth it.

A lot of major publishers (Forbes, Wired, The New York Times etc) also ask readers to whitelist their sites. These messages are more polite rather than demanding restrictions, as the latter can simply result in the loss of audience.

You have probably encountered such restrictions - polite banners which ask you to turn off the ad blocker or when the access to the website is simply denied.
What do you think about it? What approaches to persuade readers do you tolerate? Do you believe that not all websites can demand this? Do you accept such restrictions? Share your opinion in the comment section.

Liked this post?
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard for Windows

AdGuard for Windows is more than an ad blocker. It is a multipurpose tool that blocks ads, controls access to dangerous sites, speeds up page loading, and protects children from inappropriate content.
By downloading the program you accept the terms of the License agreement
Read more
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard for Mac

AdGuard for Mac is a unique ad blocker designed with macOS in mind. In addition to protecting you from annoying ads in browsers and apps, it shields you from tracking, phishing, and fraud.
By downloading the program you accept the terms of the License agreement
Read more
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard for Android

AdGuard for Android is a perfect solution for Android devices. Unlike most other ad blockers, AdGuard doesn't require root access and provides a wide range of app management options.
By downloading the program you accept the terms of the License agreement
Read more
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard for iOS

The best iOS ad blocker for iPhone and iPad. AdGuard eliminates all kinds of ads in Safari, protects your privacy, and speeds up page loading. AdGuard for iOS ad-blocking technology ensures the highest quality filtering and allows you to use multiple filters at the same time
By downloading the program you accept the terms of the License agreement
Read more
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard VPN

74 locations worldwide

Access to any content

Strong encryption

No-logging policy

Fastest connection

24/7 support

Try for free
By downloading the program you accept the terms of the License agreement
Read more
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard Content Blocker

AdGuard Content Blocker will eliminate all kinds of ads in mobile browsers that support content blocker technology — namely, Samsung Internet and Yandex.Browser. While being more limited than AdGuard for Android, it is free, easy to install and still provides high ad blocking quality.
By downloading the program you accept the terms of the License agreement
Read more
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard Browser Extension

AdGuard is the fastest and most lightweight ad blocking extension that effectively blocks all types of ads on all web pages! Choose AdGuard for the browser you use and get ad-free, fast and safe browsing.
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard Assistant

A companion browser extension for AdGuard desktop apps. It offers an in-browser access to such features as custom element blocking, allowlisting a website or sending a report.
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard DNS

AdGuard DNS is a foolproof way to block Internet ads that does not require installing any applications. It is easy to use, absolutely free, easily set up on any device, and provides you with minimal necessary functions to block ads, counters, malicious websites, and adult content.
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard Home

AdGuard Home is a network-wide software for blocking ads & tracking. After you set it up, it’ll cover ALL your home devices, and you don’t need any client-side software for that. With the rise of Internet-Of-Things and connected devices, it becomes more and more important to be able to control your whole network.
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard Pro for iOS

AdGuard Pro has much to offer on top of the excellent iOS ad blocking in Safari already known to the users of the regular version. By providing access to custom DNS settings, the app allows you to block ads, protect your kids from adult content online, and safeguard your personal data from theft.
By downloading the program you accept the terms of the License agreement
Read more
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard for Safari

Ad blocking extensions for Safari are having hard time since Apple started to force everyone to use the new SDK. AdGuard extension is supposed to bring back the high quality ad blocking back to Safari.
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard Temp Mail

A free temporary email address generator that keeps you anonymous and protects your privacy. No spam in your main inbox!
18,421 18421 user reviews
Excellent!

AdGuard for Android TV

AdGuard for Android TV is the only app that blocks ads, guards your privacy, and acts as a firewall for your Smart TV. Get warnings about web threats, use secure DNS, and benefit from encrypted traffic. Relax and dive into your favorite shows with top-notch security and zero ads!
Downloading AdGuard To install AdGuard, click the file indicated by the arrow Select "Open" and click "OK", then wait for the file to be downloaded. In the opened window, drag the AdGuard icon to the "Applications" folder. Thank you for choosing AdGuard! Select "Open" and click "OK", then wait for the file to be downloaded. In the opened window, click "Install". Thank you for choosing AdGuard!
Install AdGuard on your mobile device