GeoEdge launches “Report by the User” –empowering online audiences to report bad ads directly to the publisher.
GeoEdge’s Real-Time Audience Ad Feedback Tool
The relationship between users and publishers always starts with one essential factor: trust. Providing positive ad experiences today often involves a lot of guesswork. Publishers assume their audience’s preferences and set their ad quality policies accordingly. But assumptions don’t make for adequate quality control. Publishers often serve ads with creative inappropriate for their audiences or brands that are poorly aligned with the audience’s preferences. Those mismatched experiences lead users to question where the publisher’s values lie, and that loss of trust leads to user churn and a tarnished reputation.
GeoEdge has launched the “Report by the User” feature – empowering users to communicate their ad preferences directly with the publisher. The feature displays a bell icon in the corner of the ad, which the User can click to flag an unwanted, offensive, or otherwise inappropriate ad, sending a report to the publisher immediately. This enables publishers to enact a user-first approach – closing the feedback loop between their teams and their audiences. Being invited to this simple dialogue about ad preferences makes users feel heard and builds trust between the user and publisher. Input direct from the audience creates a framework for providing consistently relevant and engaging ad experiences, leading to a sustainable, profitable digital ecosystem.
Report by the User cuts out intermediaries, so your users can inform you immediately when they’re seeing ads that send the wrong message. Report by the User differs from Google’s Mute-Ad or other platforms’ solutions, with Report by the User, the publisher receives the report directly and can take immediate action. Google’s Mute-Ad, by contrast, reports bad ads to Google and any other platform that serves the ads. Publishers with a user-first approach can immediately take action on that feedback and begin blocking flagged ad creative. This keeps the dialogue instant, continuous, and actionable, building a trust-based relationship that keeps audiences returning to the site.
When users believe the ad experiences they’re served are beyond their control, they take matters into their own hands. Installing an ad blocker is one of the more extreme measures a user can take – but it’s very common. As many as 40% of users in the US now implement ad blockers on at least one of their devices. And 18-24-year-olds are most likely to use an ad blocker – around 60% of them, preventing publishers from monetizing sessions from untold amounts of users who could be monetizing their sites from visits over the next several years. Publishers can’t risk losing monetization from an entire generation of users. They need to take action and show users they’re listening.
Removing the Guesswork from Ad Quality Control
Report by the User removes the guesswork from the process of creating positive ad experiences. Publishers can learn instantly about any ads users are unhappy with and can inform future ad strategies with those insights. User feedback goes straight to the publisher – who has always been in the best position to take swift action on bad ads, as long as they’re informed of the actions they need to take. And the publisher can take action, reviewing and blocking unwanted ads or advertisers in one dashboard, saving time and energy for the publisher’s teams. Users feel as though the publisher is on their side and cares about their values.
Beyond increasing the audience’s trust in a publisher’s sites and brand, allowing users to report inappropriate ads differentiates a publisher from their competition. Publishers who foster these connections with the audiences stand out in the media landscape – more important than ever, in an era when audiences want the brands they interact with to share their values and respect their preferences.
Creating a Sustainable Feedback Loop with Your Audience
The direct line of communication provided by Report by the User also creates a desirable alternative to hearing about and responding to bad ad experiences via social media – where a negative call-out can reach hundreds or thousands of users within minutes. And this line of communication is always open. Audience preferences change over time. Instantly actionable reporting allows publishers to fine-tune their ad quality policies over time and customize and adapt ad experiences as preferences evolve.
In media, publishers need to earn the trust of their audiences – not just once, but every time every User comes to their site. Clear, direct communication fosters trust and builds loyalty – ultimately bringing positive effects to the publisher’s bottom line.
