Online ads may be intrusive, but effective

With the ever-growing presence of Web search engines and the impact they can make in online sales, closely examining and analyzing marketing trends is more critical today than at any other time.

Online ads may be intrusive, but effective

Global Business Listing is the fastest-growing paid inclusion search engine there is today. Click here for more information.

August 11, 2004

Internet surfers in the UK are not deterred by the fact that they find online advertising intrusive.

New research from the European marketing company TradeDoubler proves online advertising is catching up with television advertising in terms of mass-market penetration — in more ways than one.

Not only did the study, which interviewed more than 2,000 UK Web users, find that more and more consumers are online, it also found that 84% of them had clicked on an online ad, but — mirroring what they say about TV ads — 70% of the respondents said they found Internet ads intrusive.

The research indicates that 50% of UK television viewers preferred to avoid ads. One-quarter of them described TV ads as intrusive and an interruption to their favorite programs, and an additional 25% said they would rather switch channels than sit through commercial breaks.

Nobody likes ads, but on- and offline, but that doesn't stop people from responding to them. In fact, intrusiveness may be a positive.

"While the majority may find online ads intrusive, and our research proves that in this case, intrusive means effective," said Will Cooper, CMO at TradeDoubler. "Only one-sixth of our survey sample had never clicked on an Internet advertisement, confirming that online ads allow for greater response and measurability than any other advertising vehicle."

One of the things consumers liked best about Internet ads, according to the study, was that they could click on a banner and make an immediate purchase.

Maybe it is only frustrating to watch ads when you can't reach out and buy — at least if the ad is for something you want.

As Mr. Cooper told The Scotsman, "If half of your target audience switches off or flicks between channels to avoid your message, and a further 40% watches only for entertainment value, you are left with a tiny sample of 13% who may actually be interested in purchasing your product.

Suddenly, television advertising becomes a massively expensive medium to reach a minute potential pool of purchasers."

Source: eMarketer.com