Somehow I missed this NYTimes article yesterday: The Ad-Averse: Finicky and Opinionated:
The study of 660 consumers found that ad-skippers were generally more interested than their ad-watching peers in online product research and more likely to participate in online discussions of products, like those on blogs or product review sites. Those who skipped ads were 17 percent more likely to research computer hardware or software online, and they posted comments on Web sites 25 percent more often.
This creates problems for marketers, said Pete Blackshaw of Intelliseek. “The same consumers they’re spending money researching are now taking control of the message,” sometimes voicing opinions that are the opposite of what the marketers want to project.
Active, engaged consumers may well create problems for marketers. But what a great sign of life for the blogotopia. The privacy whiners of the world (like me!) don’t just crawl in a hole when they turn off ads — instead, they do more research and talk to more of their peers. That’s fantastic! Imagine how much better products and services would get if everyone acted this way.
The first marketer who complains about this and has the nerve to call themselves a capitalist gets an official O’Reilly Radar Boot up the Bum, courtesy of yours truly. Come on! Bring it on! I’m ready for you.