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04.21.09
Internet Users Act On Newsletter Content Over Advertising
 By Frank Reed
It's always interesting to see research confirm something that your gut says is real. Ad blindness is a very real concern for marketers and it is forcing more creativity to get brands in front of the right people at the right time for THEIR right reason. A report from eMarketer shows that Internet users are more likely to act on brand mentions when reading about it in content form rather than advertising form. Not a shock but still good to know rather than suspect. Here's some info about what is working and what is not.
Advertising like banners may be losing some appeal because there is just too much of it. Online it is difficult to find major sites that aren't littered with ads in all shapes and sizes and everywhere on the screen. Even those sites that do things 'tastefully' can feel pushy after a long day of being pelted with messages.
It's gotten to the point that advertisers are starting to move in on the content concept more by disguising ads as articles. That's not good news but if it is what people, especially those in the must sought after 18-34 year old demographic, are paying attention to then marketers will be there for sure.
While they still exist most people have had enough with pop up ads which is really no surprise. Some of the other findings show that along with age being a major factor in taking action based on online information there are others. The study showed that African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to take action from online information than whites. Why that happens is beyond me but I am just telling you what was said in the report.
So while there continues to be the push to find ways to monetize everything online there is still something to be said for good old fashioned content. As the consumer gets smarter and smarter the conversation will need to be more than a megaphone like ad screaming "Buy me!".
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About the Author:
Frank Reed's blog Frank Thinking About Internet Marketing provides practical advice and insight for Internet marketers from local SMB's to Fortune 500's. Frank provides Internet marketing services through FT Internet Marketing, Inc.
In addition, Frank is a regular contributor to Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim and Mike Moran's Biznology blogs.
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