Targeted or Random; How Do You Like Your Ads?

Research Brief: From The Center for Market Research Wednesday, May 8, 2013 According to a new study by Zogby Analytics for the Digital Advertising Alliance, 40.5% of respondents chose targeted ads, while another 27.6% were content to see both. Only 16.1% preferred random ads, with 15.8% unsure. Separate results from the DAA survey indicate that 47.3% of respondents are opposed to a law that “restricted how data is used for online advertising, but also potentially reduced the availability of free content such as blogs and video sites.” Opposition to such a law, says the report, is possibly due more to potential reduction of free content rather than restrictions on the use of data. In the study, 9 in 10 respondents said that free content like news, weather, email, blogs and videos are either extremely (68.7%) or somewhat (28.6%) important to the overall value of the internet. 75.4% of respondents would rather get free ad-supported content, compared to 9.3% who would rather pay for ad-free content. Importance of Free Content To The Overall Value Of The Internet Importance % of Respondents Extremely 63.7 Somewhat 28.6 Somewhat unimportant 2.8 Completely unimportant 1.1 Source: Zogby Analytics, April 2013 Almost 6 in 10 respondents said an online ad had at some point helped them find an offer or product they wouldn’t otherwise have known about. When asked “... has an Internet ad ever helped you find an offer or product that you wouldn’t otherwise have known about?...” 58.5% said yes, 25.8%, no,  and 15.7% said “... not sure.” 42.1% of respondents reported having purchased a product because they saw or clicked on an online ad, but that was fewer than the 46.3% who said they had never done so. The remainder were unsure. And 50.2% reported saving money or time  because of an Online advertisement, though 37.2% said “no.” Preference For Internet Ads For Random/Generic Products And Services, Or Ads For Products And Services That Reflect Personal Interests Response % of Respondents Ad directed towards my interests 40.5 Ads for random products and services 16.1 Both 15.8 Not sure 27.6 Source: Zogby Analytics, April 2013 3 in 4 believe they should be the ones making choices about what sorts of ads they see and how they’re generated, while 11.3% feel the company that makes their browser software should choose. 9.4% think the government should choose. Concurrently, 61.5% don’t trust the government to trust how internet advertising is delivered, while 17.8% do. Identity theft is respondents’ biggest concern about the Internet, followed by viruses and malware Identy theft   38.7% Viruses and malware   33.5 Government surveillance   12.3 Behaviorally targeted advertising   4.4 41.1% of respondents believe that if a major internet browser were to make it harder for companies to display advertising to users, the impact will be that they will have access to less free content. A similar proportion, though, believe that it either wouldn’t have any effect (27.8%) or that it would result in access to more free content (8.7%). About the Data: The poll allows for a margin of error of +/- 3.2% points. For additional information and access to the complete PDF report including charts and graphs, please contact Zogby Analytics.   We use the term research in the broadest possible sense. We do not perform an audit, nor do we analyze the data for accuracy or reliability. Our intention is to inform you of the existence of research materials and so we present reports as they are presented to us. The only requirements we impose are that they are potentially useful and relevant to our readers and that they pass the rudimentary test of relying on acceptable industry standards. We explicitly do not take responsibility for the findings. Please be aware of this and check the source for yourself if you intend to rely on any of the data we present.