Online advertising: how to stand out by blending in

The dramatic rise in use of social networks may have led some within the marketing community to herald them as the next ‘big thing’ in online advertising, however a recent report by sales house Addvantage Media offers a more common-sense view of the Emperor’s new clothes.

Addvantage Media claims that while networks such as Facebook have a vast reach, 79 per cent of those who use them claim rarely or never to pay attention to the advertisements they feature. This compares with 68 per cent in similar research conducted twelve months earlier. Instead Addvantage’s survey, conducted by Maximiles, shows that over half of web users are more likely to be influenced by adverts directly related to site content, and nearly a third by relevant advertising on special interest websites focussed around hobbies or interests.

Addvantage Media managing partner Edward Tijdink is quoted in Marketing Week as saying that, rather than getting overexcited about social media, marketers should use a broad range of platforms to communicate with consumers.

“Marketing is about getting the right message in front of the right people at the right time. That is when consumers are susceptible to messages. That is also why relevant ads in a relevant environment make more sense and result in higher engagement levels.

“Whatever the product being promoted, online advertisers need to consider the mindset of the consumer and be sure that the ads served clearly match their brand and content expectations,” says Tijdink.

Addvantage’s research confirms what most would recognise already: that in the case of special interest websites response is related to visitor trust and personal engagement. Over 60 per cent of respondents claim to feel more of a personal connection with niche or special interest sites than generic ones. Trust in these sites as a source of information scores highly (65 per cent), with 54 per cent agreeing that they regularly find such content engaging and entertaining. Interestingly, the trend is especially prevalent among men.

The importance of a multi-channel approach is echoed in the survey findings, with over 40 per cent of respondents agreeing that they’re more likely to click on an online advertisement if they’ve also seen the product being promoted in a magazine or similar review.

“If you look at marketing communications and how people make decisions, they are influenced by an awful lot of things,” continues Tijdink. “Offline influences online decisions and vice versa. People are exposed to so many marketing messages from so many sources that it is too simple to judge the success of a campaign simply on the last cookie that has been dropped on a user’s PC.

“Unlike larger, more generic websites, the regular audience of a special-interest site will typically have a greater affinity with the feel and content of that site. Understanding these audiences and the nature of the affinity can enable advertisers to create brand affiliations,” he says.

Find out which are the most popular websites among specifiers

 

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