Bigger Isn't Always Better for Online Advertising, Finds Netpop
Tuesday, 16 January 2007
New research shows that when choosing where to place their ads, brands can no longer ignore smaller Web sites with lower traffic.
As online consumers pursue their personal passions to the outer-reaches of the Web, they visit a variety of large and small sites along the way. Netpop | Response, a report on online advertising that was released last month, finds that consumers are more responsive to advertising on Web sites that best serve their personal interests.
The new study by Media-Screen, a market research firm that focuses on the online consumer, examines how broadband users respond and react to advertisements online. Netpop | Response finds that small, long tail Web sites, are indispensable to consumers and provide a new way for brands to place ads based on where users want to see them.
“Consumers have gained control over the content they consume online. and advertisers need to adjust their strategies to match,” said Josh Crandall, managing director of Media-Screen. “By advertising on smaller Web sites, those that consumers are visiting based on their personal interests, companies can reach a highly engaged consumer with a message that relates to a subject that is important to them.”
Participants in the Netpop | Response study were asked to identify three Web sites they use for each of their special interests. Respondents listed more than 17,700 mentions of Web sites.
By analyzing these sites, Media-Screen found that smaller sites are not only more likely to advertise products and brands that consumers are interested in, these sites are also more likely to prompt consumers to recommend or purchase the products advertised on these sites.
In fact, 42 percent of the sites with less than one million unique visitors are likely to advertise products or brands of interest, compared to 39 percent of sites with one million visitors or more. There is statistical evidence that consumers feel that the advertising included on smaller sites is more beneficial to them than the advertising on larger sites.
“Search engines are a driving force behind these trends, enabling broadbanders to venture beyond the major brands to the niche sites they previously never knew existed,” said Cate Riegner, research director of Media-Screen. “Sixty-two percent of sites that respondents mention receive less than one million unique visitors.”
In addition to special interests and size of site, Netpop | Response examines the impact of type of site (e.g., shopping or search engine), demographics and psychographics, on response to advertising among broadband consumers.
Netpop | Response is available through prepared reports and custom consulting engagements to address specific client needs. For more information about Netpop, please visit www.NetpopResearch.com or call 415-647-1007.