“RIP” flash ads!

One of the most used methods of advertisement, flash ads are plastered all over the internet. However, given the recent difficulties with flash ads (most specifically, security flaws) many will rid their sites of flash ads altogether. What’s more, thanks to companies such as Amazon, Google Chrome, Youtube, Twitch, and many others, the usage of these advertisements are drastically dwindling. Amazon and Google both decided to turn off flash ads on Sept. 1st 2015 and we expect many more to follow suit.

Why the change?

Well, as aforementioned there have been a number of security related issues. Given that several hackers were able to successfully break into the system, this left many users and site owners alike, feeling a bit uneasy in terms of flash ads. However, the bulk of the issues seem to revolve around the fact that many are tired of the distracting pop-up ads as they tend to slow down computers and the overall functionality of a website.

The Future of Flash Ads

The legacy of flash ad fails is being cleaned up in a variety of ways. The first of which involves getting rid of the ads altogether. This is certainly a welcome idea for many who were affected by the hacks, however for ad companies and those who get paid from these advertisers, this is obviously the least desirable outcome. On the flip side, many other sites have opted to simply pause the ads.

Thusly, this gives users a level of control in terms of deciding which sites to frequent as well as which ads to watch, mute, or ex out altogether. Lastly, others still are converting the flash ads to HTML5. Thought to be a far superior the present flash ads, migrating the format could work wonders in terms of putting a stop to security issues as well as the decreased functionality of sites.

Furthermore, by making these changes to sites, this will likely decrease the demand for such advertisements and thus, significantly increase the costs for present users. Beginning on September 1, the functionality of most ads will be altered indefinitely.

This is due to the fact that although most of the functions of the flash ads can be replicated in HTML5, others can not, or at least not in the exact same way.  However, on the plus side of things, HTML5 is supported across all devices so there shouldn’t be an issue with viewing ads, no matter if you login from a computer, tablet, or cell phone.

Either way, it seems that Google AdWords is poised to get their share of the revenue. With the ability to remove, alter, and /or disable flash ads, Google, as well as other online ad services, are in the position to vastly expand their presence online. Nevertheless, for once, it does seem that these changes are actually being made in the interest of the consumers. In this highly technological age, time is often a limited luxury. By ridding sites of those lagging flash ads, users can once again enjoy the internet without massive interruptions and / or delays.

Katrina is a product specialist for RackSolutions, the market leader for designing and manufacturing custom racking products for the IT industry! You can read more about our company Here.