Dynamic Logic: Beyond the Click

This issue of Beyond the Click highlights more UK findings from Dynamic Logic's AdReaction 5 Survey, which gauges consumers' opinions towards advertising.

Users' Resistance To Intrusive Ads May Be Dwindling As They Surf More

Recent research from Dynamic Logic's AdReaction Study, which is a recurring online survey that measures consumer perceptions of various formats of advertising, shows 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 the previous AdReaction surveys, conducted in 2003 and 2005.

Not surprisingly, some people 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 (24%). The majority of UK respondents feel that some over-content ads are appropriate to support free content and that number centers around two over-content ads per hour.

The most promising finding for advertisers and online publishers from this research is that the percentage of people who feel that no over-content ads are appropriate has dropped from 32% in 2003 to 24% in this latest study, suggesting that people may be more willing to accept some advertising in exchange for viewing free content.

Q. How many online ads that appear OVER Web content (such as pop-ups, out-of-frame ads, floating ads, etc.) PER HOUR, do you think are appropriate for a FREE Web site that you use?

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Source: Dynamic Logic's AdReaction 2007 (n=357 UK respondents), 2005 (n=2,988 respondents), 2003 (n=425 respondents)

This research also highlighted that 71% of UK respondents feel that advertising on the Web sites they visit has increased over the past six months while only 28% say that they haven't noticed a change.

Previous research conducted by Dynamic Logic around online clutter suggests that there are two primary reasons why consumers perceive an increase in online advertising. Firstly, over the last few years Web surfers have started visiting more websites. Someone who used to visit a major portal to check mail and news may now go to a variety of sites – their social networking page, a local newspaper site and various sites suited for their particular hobbies and interests. The so-called "long-tail of the Web" is getting fatter. Some of the less recognised sites attract less popular brands and have less strict ad policies. Therefore; on these sites, people are more likely to see more ads and a greater percentage of intrusive ad formats. While the major portals and other large sites have likely maintained or even decreased the number of ads on their sites, based on ad effectiveness and user research. Consumers' usage of a wider variety of sites may be resulting in their perception of increased overall clutter.

Secondly, as more and more well-known brands began to advertise online, people "see" more advertising than they used to. Online ads are more noticeable than before, and this could be contributing to the perception of increased clutter.

While we all know that people want less advertising rather than more in their lives, many consumers understand advertising's role in supporting the content that they like. Finding the right balance between the amount of advertising that produces positive results for brands and what consumers feel is fair and appropriate in exchange for valuable and relevant content is important.

NOTE: A median was used as opposed to mean since the distribution curve is asymmetrical. Median is calculated by finding a number where 50% of the population is below that number and 50% is above. Field dates: Sept 2007, sample size: 357 UK respondents.