TV Ads Most Helpful; Web Banners Most Ignored
More than one-third of Americans (37%) say that TV ads are most helpful to them in making a purchase decision, while nearly half say they ignore internet banner ads, according to (pdf) a poll from AdWeekMedia and Harris Interactive.
In terms of the helpfulness of ads in other media, newspapers rank second behind TV, with 17% reporting that newspaper ads are most helpful, while 14% say the same about internet search-engine ads:
At the other end of the spectrum, Radio ads (3%) and internet banner ads (1%) are not considered helpful by many people. The poll found also that more than one fourth (28%) of Americans say that none of these types of advertisements are helpful to them in the purchase-decision-making process.
Not surprisingly, the types of ads Americans find helpful vary by age and, slightly, by region:
- 50% of people ages 18-34 find TV ads most helpful.
- 31% of those ages 55+ say newspaper ads are most helpful.
- 40% of Southerners find TV ads most helpful, while only one-third (33%) of Midwesterners feel the same.
Banner Ads Most Ignored
Almost half of Americans (46%) say they ignore internet banner ads, according to the study. Much further down the list of ignored items are internet search engine ads (17% of people ignore), television ads (13%), radio ads (9%), and newspaper ads (6%):
One in ten Americans (9%) say they do not ignore any of these types of ads.
Age and regional differences:
- 50% of those ages 35-44 and 51% of Midwesterners say they ignore Internet banner ads compared with 43% of 18-34 year olds as well as Easterners and Southerners.
- 20% of Americans 18-34 years old (20%) say they ignore Internet search engine ads while 20% of those ages 55+ ignore TV ads.
Harris Interactive suggestes that these findings are important because, despite online video and the ability to use a DVR to shift live programming, TV ads remain most helpful to consumers. Conversely, while an internet strategy is essential for a comprehensive ad campaign, banner ads are only considered helpful by a few and are ignored the most, the polling fiirm said.
About the survey: The AdweekMedia/The Harris Poll was conducted online in the US from June 4-8, 2009 among 2,521 adults (ages 18+). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Good information. We have to remember that this is based upon people’s perception of how a media influences them and not necessarily their behavior. In general, the two may track similarly, but when a media gets a bad wrap due to abuse people are less inclined to acknowledge the media’s influence on them. As an example banners may be at the bottom, because people equate them with their early (and in some cases current) abuse of a viable messaging medium. Much like Direct Mail. their are many companies that still rely almost exclusively on this channel to drive their business, but public perception is that of “junk mail”. Well, it is only junk when someone doesn’t want it. Keep it relevant and non-invasive and you will find plenty of people responding even if they won’t acknowledge it.
It is also noteworthy to mention the phrasing of the question….”which one is most helpful”. Not sure banners are designed to be as helpful as they are to drive Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Trial and Purchase. The landing page and/or the company website should be the more “helpful” piece of that equation.
July 1st, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Thank God Internet advertising is much cheaper then TV or print!
July 18th, 2009 at 5:18 am
it would be useful to have some info on sample size and methodology of this survey
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:53 am
Alex — look above in the “about the survey” paragraph. Sample size and online methodology is noted. -victoria@marketingcharts.com
August 14th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
This study just goes to show that you can prove anything with a “survey”. Just ask the question in the right way.
August 21st, 2009 at 12:53 pm
The thing I find interesting with this study is that they used the “medium” (online) -which is according to their research the least effective- to actually conduct the study. So the same people who “interacted” with this study’s online ads are also the ones who say they are least likely to interact with online advertising and let it influence them. I don’t get it. Anyone else find this kind of oxymoronic or kind of deflates the validity of the study?