Behind the decision-making power of ad blocking users

Behind the decision-making power of ad blocking users

This demographic has some serious clout when it comes to choosing the rules of the game.

Ad blocking users are independent thinkers. They don’t shy away from making decisions, from the decision to use an ad blocker in the first place, to the decision to enthusiastically purchase digital content, or even to the decision to opt for Red Bull rather than red wine.

Our study “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Ad Blocking Users,” gleaned from consulting the data treasure trove at the GlobalWebIndex (GWI), touches upon all of these and more. ( The study is currently available for free download.)

But there was some data that simply couldn’t fit into the study, including a illuminating glimpse into the roles ad blocking users choose to fill in the workplace.

And—no surprises here—those roles tend to be heavily associated with decision-making.

Ad Blocking Users At Work

When the GWI polled various ad blocking users about their career profile,56% described themselves as “purchasers.”

Although purchasers exist in myriad fields—science, art, education, business—the foundation of purchasing remains similar. This is a demanding, intellectually stimulating job requiring both leadership capability and strong autonomy…as well as the ability to make well-informed, forward-thinking decisions.

Or, as one description puts it, purchasing “is a glamorous, powerful job in many respects. But the glitter and glitz cloud the hard work and keen intellect required to make it in this competitive field.” ( Source)

Professional Decision-Makers

How important is decision-making in the professional life of an ad blocking user?

So important that 53% of ad blocking users use the term “decision-maker” to summarize their job description…and 54.9% use the term “senior decision-maker.”

These positions have a definite and invaluable part in crafting the course of the organization. From strategy to research to review, decision-makers lead through a combination of hard work and rigorous thought.

Studies show that the process that leads to a decision is as valuable and integral to organizational health as the decision itself. As Ann Latham writes inForbes,“Because there are so many decisions and because they are literal forks in the road with dramatic impact on results, costs, time, feelings, and relationships, how you make decisions is extremely important.”

This underlines the fact that decision-making is a process rather than an event, and decision-makers and senior decision-makers alike confront systems and projects rather than single executive acts.

In other words? Decision-making is a marathon, not a 100-yard dash.

Operating Model

The last segment of polled ad blocking users? The54% that define their job as “operations.”

But don’t let the absence of “decision” in the title fool you: people who work in operations are busy making decisions about everything from improving customer relations to resolving inefficiency.

People who work in operations are in charge of making sure the ecosystem of a business place not only runs smoothly, but also…runs. Period. It’s a job that requires taking on an extremely heavy decision-making load, and then proceeding with approximately one million discrete tasks at once without breaking a sweat.

The Upshot

During the project of compiling and analyzing the data from GlobalWebIndex, we’ve stumbled upon some surprising facts about ad blocking users. (Did you know they have a thing for motorsports?)

But we have to say, learning that ad blocking users gravitate towards demanding, decision-intense jobs isn’t so much of a shock. After all, we already knew this demographic is youthful, ambitious, well-educated, tech savvy… and generally fascinating.

That’s why we compiled an entire study on them.

Topics:
  • Thought leadership