Study finds that younger internet users want to be entertained and older consumers want relevance and usefulness.
A survey by Lightspeed Research and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) – the trade body for digital marketing in the UK – has revealed what consumers believe are the kinds of ads most likely to grab their attention online. The online audience knows they want - adverts that are relevant, useful and the third most popular incentive, money off - but the results reveal that there are key differences by age group when developing appealing creative executions.
Younger audiences concerned with entertainment, exclusivity and freebies
The survey found that younger audiences are more interested in special offers, the entertainment factor and exclusive information within advertising. For 45-54 year olds however, ads need to be more relevant and useful to make an impact. And whilst money off particularly appeals to 18-35 year olds, with the economy expected to be slow, people of all ages are more likely to be looking for advertising that offers money off. In each case, and for the other age groups in the survey, consumers want online advertisers to understand their needs and devise their creative executions accordingly.
Most respondents believed they had been exposed to the more ‘traditional’ forms of online advertising, such as sponsored links, banners and emails and these ads were most likely to have generated click-throughs. Every age group surveyed chose sponsored links in a search result and advertising within a page as the top two ad formats for sparking their interest to click through to the advertisers’ website.
The research found that newer forms of online advertising are gaining ground, with ads using sound and video, widgets, in-game advertising and free gifts on Facebook proving to be effective approaches. In particular Facebook gifts and branded applications online are especially effective with 18-24 year old respondents – 29% had seen and sometimes interacted with an ad from either Facebook or branded content across various other social networking sites. As has happened with other online applications such as social networking, this suggests that these forms of advertising have the potential to become more mainstream.
Email advertising is particularly effective for those aged over 25, with 34% of 25-34 year olds saying they had seen and sometimes clicked on an ad from an email. This suggests there is a valuable role for email, not only for advertisers but for businesses who want to remain in contact with their customers as well as provide them with information about products and services they might be interested in.
Sorcha Garduce, research manager for IAB UK says: “The research has found that even though not all consumers click on ads, they are now fully acquainted with most forms of advertising online, with the majority having been exposed to most internet ad formats. It also highlights exactly what consumers what online: relevance, entertainment and value for money, and its important for brands to bear this in mind when planning their digital campaigns.”
David Day, Lightspeed Research chief executive Europe comments: “This research shows what different age groups look for in adverts and what stimulates their interest. It is clear younger people are interested in more for entertaining adverts and it is important that marketers adapt their messages to appeal to their target audiences.
For press enquiries please contact:
Lucy Green, PR Consultant Greenfields Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 7817 698366 lgreen@greenfieldscommunications.com
Amy Kean Senior PR & Marketing Manager IAB UK
Tel: 0207 050 6946 amy@iabuk.net
Ralph Risk, Marketing Director Europe – Lightspeed Research
Tel office +44 (0)20 7896 1950 mobile +44 (0)787 650 7689 rrisk@lightspeedresearch.com
