• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, October 30, 2015

Trust in paid online and mobile ads has remained relatively consistent since 2013. Some 48% of respondents to a global survey from Nielsen say they completely or somewhat trust online video advertisements, but ads served in search engine results have fallen 1% to 47% in the past two years.

Online video ads topped search, taking the No. 1 spot with 48%. Social networks came in at 46% at No. 3, with mobile devices at 43%; online banner ads at 42%; and text ads on mobile phones at 36%. Social networks and mobile devices took the biggest hit, with each declining by 2% since 2013.

Apparently, for many consumers, it's easier to take action than to trust the advertisement. I think consumers would need to trust the advertisement to some extent in order to take action.

Self-reported action by survey participants exceeds trust by more than double digits for ads served in search engine results, where 47% of consumers say they trust the ad and 58% take action. Similar results are found for ads on social networks, where 46% trust the ads and 56% take action. Consumers say that for text ads on mobile phones, about 36% trust the ads, whereas 46% take action.

By region, Latin America trusts ads served in search engine results the most, along with recommendations from friends and family, editorial content, ads on TV, signed-up emails, TV product placements, radio ads, and movie trailer ads. Asia-Pacific consumers trust brand Web sites, ads on mobile devices, and text ads on mobile phones.

It makes sense that Millennials ages 21-34 have the highest levels of trust in online and mobile formats, followed closely by Generation X, ages 35-49. Millennials also show the highest levels of trust in 18 of 19 advertising formats and channels, including TV, newspapers and magazines, and they are also the most willing to take action on 16 of 19 formats.

Advertisements describing real-life situations resonate most with Latin America consumers at 50%, followed by Asia-Pacific, 45%; Africa/Middle East, 44%; Europe, 41%; and North America, 35%, according to findings from Nielsen released Tuesday. European and North American consumers look for humor.

Indeed, there are notable regional differences in how messages resonate. Humor resonates more in Europe and North America, 51% and 50%, respectively. Health-themed ads resonate in Latin America.

The Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey was conducted between Feb. 23 and March 13, 2015, and polled more than 30,000 consumers in 60 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America. 

This column was previously published in Search Blog on September 30, 2015.