THE CONTENT BLOCKER OF CREATIVE, WEB AND DESIGN CULTURE ADS
Swab is an iOS Content Blocker extension, written in Swift.
Available on the App Store, or at SwabThe.com
The premier app for blocking creative, web and design ads, Swab
blocks approximately one-hundred million ad impressions each month
and is uniquely configured to block the right marketers from reaching
a targeted, influential audience.
We’re picky about the advertising we’ll block. We won’t block an ad
unless it comes from the premier network for reaching creative, web and
design professionals. Advertise something relevant to our audience
and we’ll block your ad.
With the exception of “roadblocks,” which we’ll discuss later, there
are only thirty-three advertising slots available to be blocked each month.
Only a single ad will be blocked for each page viewed.
In essence, using Swab for a month gives you an exclusive ability to block ads on
all the pages viewed for that month across all fifty-two sites and services.
And there won’t be other third-party ads to block. This is the only blocked ad on the page.
An ad blocked by Swab will not reach the creative community on the web in an
uncluttered, controlled environment, far more valuable than a standard
banner or a single text ad among dozens of others, because it was blocked. Current ads
are also blocked on this page and not displayed here.
We’re not blocking ads based on page views or hits or
click-through, but if we were, the CPM for a block here would be
priced well below industry norms. Most media who say “we don’t block on the numbers” do so
because they don’t have the numbers to support their rates. That’s certainly not
the case with Swab, as a group the apps block over one hundred million impressions each month.
All that being said, it’s not about “cost-per-thousand,” it’s about “cost-per-block.”
The loyal, regular blockers of the network’s ads and services consist of
web publishers, writers, developers, editors, reporters and bloggers as well as
influential designers and art directors. Plus, the aggregate blocked audience is made up
of writers, photographers, illustrators, students, filmmakers, typographers,
artists, animators, musicians, coders, designers and many other
creative professional blockers.
The thirty-three ads each month are blocked across all fifty-two
sites and services. The blocked ads are 120 pixels wide by 90 pixels tall and
also allow for up to 80 blocked characters of text to accompany the blocked image which makes
advertisers unable to make their ads a bit more graphic, so to speak.
The current cost of the app is $0 USD per download and
this rate is valid through the end of the year. Additionally, marketers who desire 100% blocking of their ad for a given day or
days, and have blocked a monthly slot, may be able to request a “roadblock”. Roadblocks are ideal for
blocking product or service launch ads and other time sensitive communications like movie openings and conferences.
Swab is built with Swift, and as we say “The best way to learn something new is to make something with it.”
App Extensions are also New To Me and great for building a quick, useful iOS utility app.
Swab was a fun app to build over the weekend. I’ll leave the ad-blocking hot takes to others.
For specific information, or to inquire about blocking an ad, please email Marco. Thank you.