Commentary

Over-Content Ads Becoming More Acceptable

Over-Content Ads Becoming More Acceptable

Comments on a part of the Dynamic Logic AdReaction 5 Study, released recently, show that consumers continue to feel that the "appropriate" number of ads that appear over the content of the Web pages they are browsing is two per hour. This number is consistent with the results for the same question asked in previous surveys conducted in 2003 and 2005. A median was used, as opposed to mean, since the distribution curve is asymmetrical.

There continue to be people who feel that over-content, or "intrusive" ads, are never appropriate, even to support free Web content, but this amounts to roughly one in four people (21%), says the report. The majority of U.S. respondents feel that some over-content ads are appropriate to support free content and that number centers around two over-content ads per hour (a calculation based on median number).

This AdReaction study also noted that two-thirds of respondents felt advertising on the Web sites they visit has increased over the past six months. Compared to the results of this question in 2005, 66% of the respondents say online advertising has increased compared to 57% previously.

The report says that  based on prior research conducted around clutter, there are two main reasons why consumers perceive an increase in online advertising.

Firstly, over the last few years Web surfers have begun to broaden the number and types of Web sites they visit. Someone who used to visit a major portal to check mail and news now may go to a variety of sites... the so-called "long-tail of the Web." Consumers' usage of a wider variety of sites may be resulting in their perception of increased overall clutter, since one is more likely to see a greater percentage of intrusive ad formats and a larger number of ads in general.

And, as more and more big brands come online, people "see" more advertising than they used to. Online ads are more noticeable than before and this adds to the perception that clutter is increasing.

While it is safe to assume that consumers want less advertising rather than more, the most promising finding for advertisers and online publishers from this research, concludes the report, is that the percentage of people who feel that no over-content ads are appropriate has dropped from 32% in 2003 to 21% in this latest study, suggesting that people may be more willing to accept some advertising in exchange for viewing free content.

Consumer Expectation Of Acceptable Number Of Online Ads That Appear Over Free Web Content Per Hour(pop-ups, out-of-frame ads, floating ads, etc.)

# of Ads Appropriate

% Respondents

 

2003

2005

2007

0

32%

30%

21%

1

18

18

15

2

17

14

19

3

10

8

9

4

8

10

9

5

7

8

9

6

2

4

3

7

0

0

1

8

1

1

3

9

0

0

1

10

3

5

4

Source: Dynamic Logic's AdReaction Studies; AdReaction 5, 2007

For additional information about the research, please visit Dynamic Logic here.           

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