Marketers: Face it.  Consumers are skipping, blocking, and paying to avoid your ads. 

We are in a Tragedy of the Commons for consumer attention.  Consumers are rejecting the modus operandi of “more” – more ads in more places more often.  Forrester Consumer Technographics data for 2016 shows that nearly one third of US online adults say they currently use an ad blocker and 48% say they actively avoid ads on websites. 

In 2017 B2C Marketers will choose quality over quantity advertising.  This doesn't mean no advertising – just better advertising. And better for everyone involved.

In Prediction 2017: The Dawn of ‘Less Is More’ In Marketing, we predict the entire marketing ecosystem will adapt to diminished ad consumption.   We will see new standards for higher quality formats, new pricing to reflect that quality, and new attention-based measurement.  Better access to data, adtech and martech, and super-marketers with skills to apply these tools make it happen. 

And here is the real news for 2017.  Released from the burden of more advertising, marketers will embrace their post-digital calling: accountability for the entire brand experience as a manifestation of the brand promise that marketers craft in the first place.  This new mindset is the first step to pivoting when brand disruptors like Intelligent Agents and bots unleash loyalty pandemonium.

Read our 2017 predictions now to anticipate these changes.  Or ignore this message – consumers can show you how.