Changes to Facebook's platform that would thwart ad blockers "send a strong message to the industry", MMA regional managing director Rohit Dadwal says.

The move - which will see ads appearing for all users accessing the network through its desktop website - was also accompanied by the launch of new ad preferences to allow users more control over the types of ads they wish to see.

"This decision sends a strong message to the industry around the limited role that ad blocking software plays in enhancing the online user experience," says Dadwal. "At the end of the day, it is more important to rethink how to advertise responsibly and how to use advertisements to engage and educate users, than to inhibit the delivery of good ads altogether."

On the sidelines of this announcement, he says Facebook's new preferences tools allow users to control which ads they wish to view for instance, disallowing ads from a certain vertical, such as the travel or automotive industry. "This will definitely facilitate a more dynamic, and transparent exchange between users and publishers.

"It is no question that ads serve a purpose if they are relevant, well-targeted, and especially if customers are given the power to decide which ads they want to block themselves. However, the social media network is not extending this feature to mobile devices. This means that ad blockers used on mobile web browsers and on Facebook's mobile apps, will not be hindered."

Dadwal, who is managing director of the Mobile Marketing Association in Asia, says as usage of mobile devices grows, it is likely that the proliferation of mobile ad blockers will follow suit. "Given that mobile devices made up approximately 84 per cent of Facebook's total ad revenue in the second quarter of 2016, I am definitely looking forward to seeing more high-quality ads dominate the mobile ecosystem - in view of the feature rolling out on mobile," he says.

"It remains to be seen if other big industry players will join Facebook in the fight against ad blocking, and until then, there needs to be greater discussion around how only through a coordinated effort, will good ads have a chance to flourish."

Dadwal is a board member of the Digital Advertising Alliance and is an advisor for the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines and IDBYTE.