Study: Niche Ads Get More Attention

If you think simply buying a display ad on a popular website like MySpace is enough, think again. While ads on popular content sites do work, a new study indicates that ads on niche websites get more attention from users than ads placed on the most popular sites.

by Kristina Knight

The report from Media-Screen surveyed more than 1,300 broadband users, asking them to rank sites according to their likeliness of responding to an ad. 42% of the smaller sites – those with fewer than one million unique hits – got top ratings. Only 39% of larger sites’ ads were preferred. According to Cate Riegner, Media-Screen’s director of research this is because the way people use the Internet is changing.

"The Internet experience is changing the consumer mindset from laid-back channel surfers into engaged content searchers,” Riegner said (in a prepared statement). “As more advertising dollars are invested in reaching consumers online, understanding these users beyond the traditional metrics of gender, age and income is imperative for anyone doing business online."

According to Riegner, the average broadband user spends 2+hours each week surfing the `Net for sites of specific interest`.

Content Kings prefer user generated content and may be found on entertainment sites.

Social Clickers will be found on networking sites. These users want communication, and they actively participate in user forums and peer to peer interaction.

Online Insiders just like being online – playing games, interacting with friends and like being “in the know” at an early stage. These users are more likely to choose new products and services first.