Warc, 2 May 2014
LONDON: Online ad buyers can achieve significantly better
results by avoiding cluttered websites, according to a new study.
For the report, Adblock Plus, the ad blocking tool, and
Sticky, the media tech firm, set out to determine the effectiveness of
different types of online website ad formats by analysing the eye movements of
1,200 research participants in Europe and North America as they viewed a set of
test websites.
They measured which ads were viewed, how quickly ads were
noticed on the page, and how much time viewers spent on each ad, while
follow-up survey questions measured ad recall and brand perceptions.
They found that ads placed on clutter-free web pages were
nearly 200% more likely to be seen, and were noticed 300% faster.
Furthermore, the same ads were more likeable when they
appeared on such sites. Viewers reported 129% higher likeability scores for ads
on clean sites compared to exactly the same ads when presented on a cluttered
site.
Unsurprisingly, ad recall was rather lower for those ads
appearing on jumbled websites, falling 36%.
The study also measured viewers' responses to different types
of ad and established that people much preferred the static format to
attention-grabbing animated ads. The latter were viewed as simply annoying and
resulted in increased negative sentiment towards a brand and reduced click
through rates.
"Respectful online ads outperform sites that are
cluttered and tacky," declared Till Faida, Adblock Plus co-founder and
CEO. He added that publishers should take note that consumers "do not want
to suffer from sensory overload on a jumbled, flashy site".
In a separate development, the UK's Joint Industry Committee
for Web Standards (JICWEBS) – the independent body that defines best practice
and standards for online ad trading – has awarded kitemarks to nine companies
that meet industry-agreed standards to reduce the risk of ads being served next
to inappropriate or illegal content online.
Another seven organisations are set to join them within six
months after undergoing an independent verification process.
Data sourced from Adblock Plus, JICWEBS; additional content by
Warc staff
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