Formats & creative · also called Acceptable Ads Standard
Acceptable Ads
Acceptable Ads is a standard and program, started by eyeo (maker of Adblock Plus), under which ad blockers let through ads that meet criteria for being non-intrusive, unless users opt out.
Acceptable Ads is a compromise between blocking everything and blocking nothing. Ads that meet its criteria (for placement, size, distinction from content and no disruptive behaviour such as autoplay or pop-ups) are shown by default to users of participating ad blockers, who can turn the setting off.
The program was introduced by eyeo in 2011 for Adblock Plus. Since 2017 the standard has been governed by the independent Acceptable Ads Committee, which includes representatives of users, advertisers, publishers and ad tech. Several ad blockers and browsers participate.
The business model is controversial: most sites participate for free, but large companies pay eyeo a fee to be allowlisted, based on the extra impressions they gain. Critics call this a toll; supporters say it gives publishers a way to reach ad-blocking users with respectful ads. For publishers, it is one of several strategies to recover revenue lost to ad blocking.
Think of it like this
Acceptable Ads is like a quiet-carriage rule on a train: you may talk, but softly, and anyone who wants total silence can move to another carriage.
An example
A publisher enrols in Acceptable Ads, removes a pop-up and an autoplay video unit, and begins showing compliant banners to visitors using participating ad blockers.
Related terms
Ad blocking
Ad blocking is software, typically a browser extension, built-in browser feature, app or network filter, that stops ads and often tracking scripts from loading on web pages and apps.
Better Ads Standards
The Better Ads Standards are research-based guidelines from the Coalition for Better Ads that identify ad experiences consumers find most annoying, such as pop-ups and autoplaying video with sound.
Display advertising
Display advertising is visual online advertising, such as banners, images, animations and rich media, shown in ad slots on websites and apps, as distinct from search, video or audio ads.
Native advertising
Native advertising is paid advertising designed to match the look, feel and placement of the content around it, such as sponsored posts in feeds or promoted articles, and labelled as sponsored.
Sticky ad
A sticky ad is an ad unit that stays fixed on the screen, usually at the top, bottom or side, while the user scrolls through the page content.
Sources: Acceptable Ads