The study, conducted by Differentology on behalf of the IAB, revealed that 10% of Britons currently block mobile ads, with millennials accounting for 63% of this group. 

The report outlined the key dos and dont’s for marketers to get the most from mobile campaigns, based on consumer feedback.

When asked how to make mobile ads better, or more acceptable, 58% identified including a clear way to skip them, while 52% said making the ads unobtrusive would improve the experience, and the same proportion highlighted stopping ads that slow the page loading. 

Based on this, the ‘dos’ suggested by the IAB included keeping ads simple, fun and short, as well as less frequent. ‘Don'ts’ included hijacking or taking over the user experience, leaving out a ‘x’ or skip button, overloading users with ad frequency or data/ ad size.

The IAB also assigned superhero personas to each ad format in order to help advertisers use the best one(s), depending on the campaign parameters. More information on these can be found here. 

"Almost four in five consumers accept that ads fund free internet content but they need to feel in control, particularly on mobile, and ad blocking is the way to gain control,” said Mike Reynolds, the IAB UK’s mobile and video manager.

“It’s about understanding what consumers really want from mobile advertising and, consequently, knowing which format, or hero, to call on.

"Each format has a role to play and using a mix of high impact ads alongside standard ones, such as MPUs, will ensure you grab consumer attention without annoying them. This improves the ad experience, resulting in more effective campaigns and less reasons to block ads.”