New research from Adobe Systems Incorporated, The State of Online Advertising, exposes new insights into the beliefs of both consumers and professional marketers that traditional marketing is still more effective than online marketing. According to the online survey, print magazines and while watching a favorite TV show are the two most preferred places to look at an ad, as rated by consumers and marketers. Preferred Places To Look At An Ad (% of Respondents) Media ConsumersMarketers Favorite Print Magazine 45% 55% Favorite TV Show 23% 21% Favorite Website 11% 3% Billboard 10% 4% Window Display 6% 2% Social Media 3% 2% Favorite Digital Magazine 2% 3% Apps 0% 1% Source: Adobe Study, October 2012 (Q: Where do you prefer to look at an ad?) Respondents were presented with 17 statements about marketing and advertisements and asked with which they agree. Two-thirds agreed that a video is worth 1,000 words and that user product reviews are the best source of truth. Key Findings in Bold: 68% of consumers find online ads “annoying” and “distracting” Attitude About Online Advertising (% of Respondents) AttitudeConsumersMarketers Annoying 68% 47% Distracting 51% 44% All Over the Place 46% 50% Invasive 38% 36% Creepy 16% 11% Eye-Catching 14% 21% Clever 10% 22% Persuasive 7% 10% Evil l6% 3% Source: Adobe Study, October 2012 (Which of the following adjectives would you use to describe online advertising?) “Like” encourages consumers to “check out” a product, but doesn’t translate to sales Action on Seeing “Like” From a FriendAction% of Respondents None 35% Check out the product 29% I do not visit social networking sites 20% Visit the product's website 14% Visit the product's social media page 11% Like' the product 5% 'Comment' on the product 4% Hide that person from your social media newsfeed 2% Recommend the product to others 2% Purchase the product 2% De-friend that person on social media 1% Source: Adobe Study, October 2012 (Which of the following would you do if you saw your friend like a product on social media or social networking site?)Consumers and marketing professionals agree that marketing is valued, strategic to business and paramount to driving sales Best for marketing and advertising (% of Respondents) Media ConsumersMarketers Traditional Media: Newspapers / TV Traditional 45% 42% Family/Friends/Coworkers Traditional 36% 27% Consumer Forums / Publications Traditional 28% 24% News Websites Modern / Digital 9% 13% Company Websites Modern / Digital 22% 23% Company Social Media Pages Modern / Digital 9% 11% Industry Publications Traditional 7% 18% Blogs Modern / Digital 4% 9% Source: Adobe Study, October 2012 Q40. (Which source is best for marketing and advertising?)Professional advertising is the most effective form of advertising, 27% of marketers believe that user-generated content is the most popular form of online advertising Type Of Promotion Most Effective (% of Respondents) PromotionConsumersMarketers Advertising Created By Professional Marketers 36% 49% Consumer/User-Generated Content 28% 27% Social Media Endorsements 7% 7% Outdoor/out-of-home advertising 6% 3% Email Marketing 4% 5% Paid Search Listings 3% 7% Source: Adobe Study, October 2012 (Which type of promotion is most effective?) 53% of consumers think most marketing is a bunch of B.S., 53% agree; 44% of consumers feel advertising works better on women than men Consumers Agree With Following StatementsStatement% of Respondents Advertisements should tell a unique story, not just try to sell 73% A video is worth 1,000 words 67% User product reviews are the best source of truth 67% In-Store experiences trump online experiences 67% Television commercials are more effective than online 66% People buy what celebrities wear / like 57% The Super Bowl is the best advertising opportunity of the year 57% Web Banner advertisements do not work 54% Most marketing is a bunch of B.S. 53% Beautiful advertising is more effective 51% Advertising works better on women than on men 44% Online advertising isn't effective 30% No one watches TV commercials anymore 27% All "likes" are good in social media 22% Every brand needs a funny viral video 19% Advertising works better on men than women 12% Source: Adobe Study, October 2012 (Rate each of the following statements based on whether you agree or disagree) N.B. The data points referenced above come from a study commissioned by Adobe, produced by research firm Edelman Berland and conducted as an online survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults, 18 years or older, and 250 professional marketers in the United States. Interviewing took place from October 8 to 16, 2012. The margin of error is +/-3% for consumers and 6% for marketers, and may be considered as a benchmark for further exploration. For additional information and access to the PDF report, please visit Adobe here.