Study: What Women Want (In Online Ads)

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What are women planning to do this summer? A full 95% plan to go online, according to new research from rich-media solutions provider Unicast. And what do they plan on doing when they get there?

Over three in four -- 76% -- plan to connect with friends and family, Unicast found after polling 516 adult women. Meanwhile, 67% plan to keep up with news; 64% plan to shop for sales/compare prices; 59% intend to entertain themselves (play games, listen to music or watch TV/movies); and 48% will research travel/vacations.

Among the ads that women will encounter online, this summer, the most likely to resonate include those related to sale and discount codes. Indeed, a full 46% of women respondents said they would be keeping an eye out for such ads. Just under a third -- 31% -- said ads that involve creating/submitting an entry to win a prize would get their attention; 24% noted those ads that provide customized local information; and 22% said they'd likely respond well to ads that offer interactive surveys/quizzes.

What products are women noticing ads for? More than any other category, 35% of women said entertainment products caught their eye. After that, 33% said food and beverages, or health/beauty products got their attention; 30% cited fashion/clothing; 27% said travel; while 20% same gaming-related ads were in their sites.

"This summer will generate high online traffic from women looking to plan their activities" noted Bryan Hjelm, VP of product and marketing for Unicast. "While entertainment, food & beverage, and health/beauty advertisements continue to build awareness within this group, marketers that focus on targeting and optimizing creative elements within their advertisements to include sales incentives, quizzes, social media and local content will realize higher engagement metrics across female audiences."

The report also found women who visit blogs notice online advertising far more than overall respondents. While this is a small group with just 13% of women who read blogs regularly, it shows that females are potentially more open to ads from relevant sources of information that they trust, according to Unicast.

Women age 18-24 are also more receptive to online advertising in various formats than the overall population -- and are particularly more interested in localized information, surveys, social media formats and downloadable content.

 

2 comments about "Study: What Women Want (In Online Ads)".
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  1. Jonathan Mirow from BroadbandVideo, Inc., June 22, 2010 at 1:11 p.m.

    Women want ads that really explore the depths and meaning of an item, how the product will enhance their lives, enrich the overall global experience of humanity and will demonstrate their concern and caring as planetary citizens. Guys want ads with tits. Next.

  2. Kevin Dwinnell from Brand Thunder, June 22, 2010 at 1:41 p.m.

    Thanks for the overview. Now I have something to test against.

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