According to InsightsOne, with Harris Interactive, Americans Are Fed Up With Bad Ads, 87% of American adults 18 and over are putting their foot down on the number of irrelevant ads they
are willing to see before they ignore a company completely. 23% of Americans say they will do so after seeing just one spam email or online ad, and 43% say they will ignore a company completely after
seeing as many as two.
Annoying ads are pervasive, says the report, with 91% of Americans reporting they see them. While email spam and junk mail tend to get the most attention, many Americans
are annoyed by website ad spam, email spam/sidebar ads, postal junk mail, television ads and ads on social media.
Media With Most Annoying Ads (91% of Americans; 2013) |
Media | advertisement advertisement % of Respondents |
Television | 60% |
Websites | 52 |
Email /sidebar ads | 55 |
Postal junk mail | 37 |
Social media | 37 |
Source: InsightsOne, April 2013 |
The results create challenges for
ecommerce companies that advertise and sell over the web. 88% of Americans say they have even been “flooded” with online ad spam, and 91% of those say they take action when it occurs.
36% of those who have ever been flooded with online ad spam say they would leave a website because of too many irrelevant ads, and many more feel that the company doing the advertising
doesn’t respect their time. For email, 60% will unsubscribe from future messages, but 45% will simply ignore future communications.
Actions Taken by US Internet Users Following Online Spam |
Action | % of Respondents |
Unsubscribe from future emails | 60% |
Ignore future emails | 45 |
Leave website | 36 |
Stop using product advertised | 14 |
Boycott company advertising | 13 |
Tell friends | 9 |
Respond angrily | 5 |
Source: InsightsOne, April 2013 |
Men were statistically more likely than women to take certain actions,
including:
- Stop using the product (17% vs. 11%)
- Completely boycott the company doing the advertising (16% vs. 10%)
- Respond angrily (7% vs. 3%)
- Hit their
computer or mobile device in frustration (5% vs. 3%)
- Feel the company doesn’t respect their time (30% vs. 22%)
Source: InsightsOne, April 2013
Waqar
Hasan, CEO of InsightsOne says “... consumers have a real limit on what they’re willing to put up with... will have a negative impact on a company’s income statement... “
The study looked at where the biggest problems are, and what ads people find more annoying. Overall, more Americans get annoyed by irrelevant pop-up ads and lottery scams.
Most Annoying Ads
(Americans; 2013)
- Irrelevant pop up ads 70%
- Lottery scams 70%
- Male enhancement ads 66%
- Ads for products and services
they do not need 58%
- Female enhancement ads 54%
- Money bequests from deceased African leaders 64%
Source:
InsightsOne, April 2013
83% of people report that irrelevant advertisements are actually getting in the way of their activities, such as web surfing (51%), and online shopping (37%),
further demonstrating that when ecommerce sites fail to treat customers as unique individuals and anticipate their needs, they may be damaging their reputation, says the report. 20% also report that
irrelevant ads get in the way of working, and surprising percentages believe that irrelevant ads have now started to even get in the way of Working (20%), having sex (19%) and sleeping (13%).
44% of Americans won’t put up with more than three spam emails or online ads before they ignore a company completely; 83% report irrelevant ads are getting in the way of activities such as
Sex (19%) and Sleeping (13%)
Hasan concludes that “... while the results of the study may seem amusing, they point to a real concern in American life... people are fed up with seeing ads
and other communications that aren’t relevant to them as individuals...”
For more
information please visit here