Informative or just annoying?
Pro Active International's Internet Monitor identifies a change in the image of online advertising
Pro Active International's Internet Monitor reveals a change in the image of online advertisingBy Clemens HörlerSwiss Internet users are more critical of online advertising than the European average. Users find it increasingly time-consuming and annoying. This is also the result of the second Internet Monitor from fall 2000.
27 percent of Swiss Internet users regard Internet advertising as confusing, 19 percent as annoying and 13 percent as time-consuming. Compared to the results obtained by Pro Active International, Amsterdam, in spring 2000, Swiss interest in online advertising declined further last fall. And in a European comparison, Swiss Internet users are far more critical of online advertising, confirming the results of the Internet Monitor from the spring (see also the chart).
The image of positive associations has changed far more than the negative characteristics attributed to online advertising: While 34 percent of users still described Internet advertising as informative in the spring, this figure had fallen to just 25 percent by the fall. Online advertising also scored lower in the second wave of the survey than in the first in terms of usefulness and entertainment value. The decline in the entertainment aspect of online advertising is astonishing. In the spring, 27% of the users surveyed were still having fun on their PCs, but six months later this figure had fallen to just 12%. Are users already overtired?
Experienced users no longer respond to every advertisement
If we look at the figures for Europe as a whole, we see that internet users describe online advertising as less confusing than in the first survey, but also as less informative. This development is probably a result of the growing experience in dealing with online advertising.
The longer users have been on the web and the more familiar they are with it, the less they use online advertising as a guide and are therefore less likely to be misled by tricky advertising.
As a result, Internet users are also wasting less time on unwanted trips into the blue and no longer see online advertising as a waste of time as they used to. The faster Internet connections probably only play a subordinate role here.
It has long been a well-known trend that it is becoming increasingly difficult to persuade Internet users to click on an advertisement. This is also confirmed by the Internet Monitor: Only just 29 percent of Internet users surveyed in Europe stated that they had accessed the advertiser's site directly via an advertising link in the last two weeks. Six months previously, the figure was 34 percent. However, these figures are self-assessments by the respondents and not empirically proven behavior.
The most common reason given by European internet users for clicking on an advertising link was interest in the advertised product (49%). Other important reasons were interest in the advertised website (21%), animations (20%), a good price offer (19%) and interest in the advertising company (17%).
After all, 15 percent of those surveyed stated that they had clicked on an encrypted advertisement in the last two weeks to find out where it would take them. However, the figures clearly show that the majority of users no longer simply click into the blue because the banners are mysterious or flash nicely, but because they make a specific product offer.
Internet monitor
27 percent of Swiss Internet users regard Internet advertising as confusing, 19 percent as annoying and 13 percent as time-consuming. Compared to the results obtained by Pro Active International, Amsterdam, in spring 2000, Swiss interest in online advertising declined further last fall. And in a European comparison, Swiss Internet users are far more critical of online advertising, confirming the results of the Internet Monitor from the spring (see also the chart).
The image of positive associations has changed far more than the negative characteristics attributed to online advertising: While 34 percent of users still described Internet advertising as informative in the spring, this figure had fallen to just 25 percent by the fall. Online advertising also scored lower in the second wave of the survey than in the first in terms of usefulness and entertainment value. The decline in the entertainment aspect of online advertising is astonishing. In the spring, 27% of the users surveyed were still having fun on their PCs, but six months later this figure had fallen to just 12%. Are users already overtired?
Experienced users no longer respond to every advertisement
If we look at the figures for Europe as a whole, we see that internet users describe online advertising as less confusing than in the first survey, but also as less informative. This development is probably a result of the growing experience in dealing with online advertising.
The longer users have been on the web and the more familiar they are with it, the less they use online advertising as a guide and are therefore less likely to be misled by tricky advertising.
As a result, Internet users are also wasting less time on unwanted trips into the blue and no longer see online advertising as a waste of time as they used to. The faster Internet connections probably only play a subordinate role here.
It has long been a well-known trend that it is becoming increasingly difficult to persuade Internet users to click on an advertisement. This is also confirmed by the Internet Monitor: Only just 29 percent of Internet users surveyed in Europe stated that they had accessed the advertiser's site directly via an advertising link in the last two weeks. Six months previously, the figure was 34 percent. However, these figures are self-assessments by the respondents and not empirically proven behavior.
The most common reason given by European internet users for clicking on an advertising link was interest in the advertised product (49%). Other important reasons were interest in the advertised website (21%), animations (20%), a good price offer (19%) and interest in the advertising company (17%).
After all, 15 percent of those surveyed stated that they had clicked on an encrypted advertisement in the last two weeks to find out where it would take them. However, the figures clearly show that the majority of users no longer simply click into the blue because the banners are mysterious or flash nicely, but because they make a specific product offer.
Internet monitor
The Internet Monitor is a study on demographics, internet behavior, e-commerce and advertising. It is conducted globally by Pro Active International, Amsterdam, every six months. The basic data is collected by means of telephone interviews. The behavior and attitudes of users are surveyed using online questionnaires. The sample consists of 400,000 people worldwide.
Assessment of internet advertising
CH Spring 2000 Fall 2000 Europe Spring 2000 Fall 200
confusing 28 % 27 % 28 % 22 %
annoying 19 % 19 % 17 % 16 %
Time-consuming 22 % 13 % 18 % 16 %
useful 30 % 20 % 22 % 22 %
informative 34 % 25 % 29 % 23 %
entertaining 27 % 12 % 13 % 14 %
Source: Internet Monitor, Pro Active International BV
