A global media and advertising study found that consumers tended to avoid ads whenever possible. Two-thirds felt there were too many ads on television, and 39% felt there were too many online ads.
The study included respondents from the US and Canada. US consumers were 44% more likely than last year to skip ads when watching television or listening to the radio, compared to only 41% more of Canadians.
One solution to consumers’ tendencies to avoid ads is behavioral targeting, or making ads more relevant to consumers according to their interests; however, due to Internet privacy concerns, implementing behavioral targeting may be a challenge. Consumers may find themselves resistant and require more transparency from marketers, therefore rejecting behavioral targeting.
Other advertising-related activities included consumers’ involvement with social media. In terms of social networking, the change in activity compared to last year showed a small increase, with 9% more promoting a brand or ad on Facebook and 4% more following a brand on Twitter.
Source: eMarketer; December 7, 2009
