It’s no secret that advertisements are a powerful marketing tool in the world we live in, but these days it seems that advertisements, especially on the internet, are becoming more commonplace on every streaming service and website you can think of. The question remains, how far will the forced advertisement game go?

Targeted Ads

Targeted ads are some of the most common and downright creepy versions of today’s advertisement game. A common occurrence while shopping online is to see ads pop up for the thing you just searched for. These ads have been at the center of a worldwide discussion about privacy laws and ways we can limit how much data websites collect from users.

The Streaming Service Dilemma 

As streaming services become more popular and are taking over cable tv, advertisements are going to move with it. This was expected but now a new annoyance has come to play. Amazon Prime is one of the first to introduce ads even with a paid subscription. You would think that the $140 a year subscription would be enough to get rid of ads all together, and that was the case but now you could pay an additional three dollars a month for ad free streaming if you so choose. 

The Fight Against Ad-blockers

Ad-blockers are some of the most useful tools to make your browsing experience easier and less populated with unwanted ads, but it seems like these days websites will not let you view their content without turning off your ad-blocker. Recently, Youtube has caught on to ad-blockers and will give you three more viewings before prohibiting you from using the website with the ad blocker turned on. At the same time, Youtube is promoting Youtube Premium where you can get rid of ads for the ridiculous price of $13.99 a month. Youtube is one of the first platforms to really crack down on the use of ad-blockers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if more follow and attempt to limit users who don’t pay.

What does this all mean?

The internet has opened up a whole new way of advertising and as people move away from cable tv, you might see more ads within streaming services and might have to deal with more additional fees. Social media platforms might also adopt premium subscriptions as the digital marketing industry continues to grow year after year. Advertisements have their place but it’s already reached a point where you cannot catch a break without paying a fee.