How to beat ad-blocking: ‘Bring something to the party’

Condé Nast CEO Chuck Townsend’s response to ad-blocking:

“I would say this to advertisers: Put your advertising in digital content that has perfect context, so that it brings something to the party and then why would someone ignore it?”

“So put it in context. Don’t just run it in mass digital. Don’t just run it on the side of search. Don’t just run it in social media. If you want to put great digital fashion advertising to work, put it on content with great fashion editorial in digital form and you won’t be blocked.”

Chuck, a big, robust guy at 73 who loves sailing and has won a lot of trophies doing it, maintains that the answer to ad blocking is also the key to good branded content.

If the content is “interesting and pertinent, people will react.”

We think it’s also worth publishing editorial that isn’t explicitly advertising, but nevertheless talks about a brand’s products, expertise, perspective, values. Content that your customers will enjoy because it’s ‘interesting and pertinent’. We call it Brand Editorial Marketing.