• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 8, 2011

While casual observers often lump tablet-style computers and e-readers together because of their evident similarities, tablets would appear to be a more effective ad platform for magazine brands, according to a new study by GfK MRI's Starch Advertising Research.

But the survey of an estimated 7,000 users of magazine apps, conducted from May-July of this year, may be too early to reflect real, long-term trends.

Overall, 55% of consumers who read magazines on tablet devices said they "noted" a magazine ad displayed on their devices. By comparison, the proportion among consumers with e-readers was just 41%. Interestingly, the two figures straddle the proportion who "noted" hard copy magazine ads in 2010 (53%).

Magazine ads on tablet devices were also more likely to drive engagement than e-readers. Among the group that "noted" a magazine ad on a tablet, 26% said they had a more favorable perception of the advertiser than before, compared to 19% for e-readers.

Meanwhile, 21% of tablet readers who noted ads said they looked for information about the product or service afterwards, compared to 15% of those who noted ads on e-readers. The proportion who said they were more likely to consider purchasing the product or service after viewing an ad was the same -- 22% of those who noted ads -- for both tablets and e-readers. (The overall number who noted ads on tablets was higher to begin with.)

Some of the most dramatic differences were revealed when GfK MRI Starch explored specific types of responses to advertising on the two platforms. Among those who noted an ad on a tablet, 23% said they accessed a Web site in the ad, 9% said they viewed multiple pages of ad content, and 8% said they watched a video or commercial.

That compares to less than 1% of e-reader users in all three categories -- perhaps reflecting some of the technical limitations of the first wave of e-readers, as well as different user behaviors.