76 per cent of marketers believe ad blocking will be good for the industry, because it will generate creativity, according to a YouGov survey of 255 marketing professional Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) members.

Despite this, 38 per cent warned that ad blocking could lead to a decline in online marketing.

“The problem with online advertising is that there are still too many disruptive formats that actually end up with consumers forming negative opinions of brands and online marketing in general. No matter what people like to tell themselves, ad blockers present huge challenges,” said Ronny Raichura, client director of data and analytics at iProspect.

“The easiest way to fight this is to block the adblockers, but the industry needs to clean up its act before it can start insisting on less ad blocking. This is particularly important in the world of mobile ads where users need a better ad experience so that ad blockers are not required. The narrative that ad blockers mean we need better ads is flattering to the industry, and certainly boosts creativity, but at iProspect we believe the industry needs to look to go further than this.”

The research also found that 49 per cent of marketers feel under pressure to reinvent customer experience, due to industry disruptors, with 25 per cent naming it their primary focus. In addition, the survey found that 42 per cent of marketers are prioritising personalisation in the coming year, while 37 per cent will make data-driven marketing a priority and 31 per cent influencer marketing. However, only eight per cent highlighted the need to focus on VR and chatbots.

Moreover, a third of respondents feel that the lines between IT, digital and marketing are becoming increasingly blurred – leading to 22 per cent feeling there is more confusion, due to too many people being involved in the customer experience process.