Good idea, bad image: What Internet users think about online advertising

For Internet users, online advertising is a double-edged sword: Nearly one in two emphasizes that digital ad formats can enrich the shopping experience. Nevertheless, 84 percent often find online advertising annoying. So the marketing measures are a good idea with a bad image, according to a survey by Rakuten Marketing shows. Together with Qualtrics, Rakuten Marketing surveyed what consumers want from advertisers and website operators in the third part of the "Save the Web" study series. For this purpose, 2,500 consumers worldwide were surveyed in April 2017.What are the most important points that the online advertising industry needs to change? From the user's point of view, it's primarily the frequency of advertising: one in two would like to see better dosed advertising approaches. Opinions differ on whether ads should be more or less personalized to meet user needs: While one-fifth of consumers want more personalization, one-sixth want less.The top 3 wishes of consumers1. less frequent targeting of ads (48 percent)2. ads better tailored to my likes and interests (19 percent)3. ads less tailored to my likes and interests (14 percent)Stefan Bernauer, Director DACH at Rakuten Marketing, advocates a rethink of the industry in the interests of end consumers: "Users express very clear wishes for the advertising industry. They are open to a better advertising experience that helps them, does not disrupt the user experience and inspires them. If advertisers and publishers pull together here, they can not only make online advertising user-friendly, but also still secure the financing of valuable content in the long term. Ultimately, it's about saving the web as we know it."Influencer marketing: positive example with potentialA prime example of advertising with a good image is influencer marketing, despite minor scandals in the marketing scene. 34 percent of German users follow influencers, eight out of ten also trust them for product recommendations and occasionally buy or inform themselves about the products shown by influencers. They find it particularly important that their idols deal openly with paid collaborations - three quarters demand such labeling. If the product recommendations are labeled as sponsored content, 41 percent still trust the influencers and are open to buying a product.About the study seriesThe present study results are part of the "Save the Web" study series, which Rakuten Marketing conducted together with Qualtrics in April 2017. In the computer-based survey, 2,500 consumers worldwide, 519 of them in Germany (aged 18 to 54), were asked about their opinions, their interaction behavior and their wishes for online advertising.