How will ad strategies fare post net-neutrality?

Kristina: We’re only a short way into the repeal of net neutrality. What impact do you think this might have on businesses?

Francis Dinha, CEO of OpenVPN: Now that net neutrality is repealed, marketers will have to reevaluate many of their strategies. Freemium marketing could see a huge transformation, as users may not be likely to pay an ISP to access a traditionally-free product (like a marketer’s video or a webinar). With this in mind, there are solutions for both users and marketers to get around blocking or slowdown, like VPNs or other encryption tools.

Kristina: Is a VPN service one option for marketers?

Francis: It will be very difficult for ISPs to slow down or block a VPN service that supports advanced obfuscation techniques. A very simple example is China’s Great Firewall, which is designed to block access to specific public internet services such as Facebook and Twitter. Many VPN service providers in China are utilizing OpenVPN protocol coupled with advanced obfuscation techniques are able to circumvent the Great Firewall. When net neutrality is repealed this year, it’s likely that end-users and marketers could take similar action.

Kristina: What about in the short term?

Francis: For SMB owners and marketers alike, using a personal VPN is the best technology for a post-neutrality world. In the short-term, if audience members are blocked or face paywalls when accessing blogs and news sites, marketers will need to rethink the strategy behind their content marketing and inbound marketing efforts. That being said, looking at the long-term, it’s possible that users will find a way around these regulations, potentially through personal VPNs. Once we see how the repeal unfolds (and whether the FTC potentially steps in) in the months after it goes into effect, users will likely turn to their own VPNs, making them accessible to marketers once again.”