New Survey Shows Most People Find Online Ads Unappealing
Digital media research company Connect Insight have completed a study which finds that online advertisements annoy the majority of users. A mere 17% of people surveyed rated online ads to be repetitive, intrusive and cheap rather than impactful and appealing. 50% of over-55-year-olds actively avoid web pages where they are interrupted by ads.
Director of Connect Insight, Faye Weeks, commented, "These headline figures only tell part of the story. The internet is a highly fragmented environment that users personalise based on their own needs and interests. It illustrates the need for advertisers to understand their target audiences, their online behaviour, mindset and attitude to advertising, in order to deliver impactful online communications."
The younger generation was found to be most likely to be enticed by online ads, with 24% of the 16-34 year olds finding them impactful and appealing. Over 50% of this age group said they'd follow brands on social networking sites, compared to two-thirds of over-55s saying they wouldn't.
Connect Insight attributed this difference in generation opinion to the fact that younger people have not experienced the over intrusive advertising that was prevalent in the early days of the web.