• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 27, 2002

Ad Clutter Diminishes Performance

In a recent communiqué from BURST!Media, they reported on the clutter of ad impressions on the Internet and their impact on perceptions and retention. BURST pointed out that overall online advertising impressions jumped 77% year-over-year to 94.2 billion impressions in May, as compared to 53.2 billion ad impressions a year ago. As a consequence, the company recently surveyed nearly 3,000 web users with the purpose of better understanding two things: how clutter impacts the web users Internet experience, and its impact on their perception of advertisers.

The survey found that web users accept advertising on a web page, but for 63% of the respondents there is low tolerance for more than two units; one-third of web users said they could tolerate a single advertisement per web page, and another 30% of respondents said they could tolerate two advertisements per page.

More than one-in-three (36%) respondents said they would immediately leave a site if it appears cluttered with advertising. This finding is nearly identical for men and women, and for all income segments analyzed. Teens (13-17) are more likely than other age segments to abandon a site perceived as cluttered.

Nearly seven out of ten respondents who remain on a site they perceive to be cluttered say they pay less attention to the ads. Again, this finding is consistent for men and women, and among all age and income segments.

One of the most resounding findings from this survey is the negative impact advertising clutter can have on consumer's perception of advertisers' products and services. The BURST! study found that 58% of respondents said they had a less favorable opinion of an advertisers' product or service when it appeared in advertising on a web page they perceived as cluttered.

BURST!media concludes that clutter is a hidden cost that will impact not only the effectiveness, but also the return on the media dollars you spend.

For more information, contact http://www.burstmedia.com/