Are You Serving Ads In the Right Online Places?

A new report from Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI) sheds light on how ads are being served across America - and in turn how Americans are responding to those ads. Are your online ads being shown in the right places?

by Kristina Knight

According to the report, consumers are most interested in - and therefore more likely to engage with - non-traditional ads. These are ads served on mobile devices, product placements (within games, movies and television shows) and ads on paper.

"Consumers who prefer advertising messages delivered through their mobile devices and through product placement tend to be younger, pro-innovation, pro-celebrity and pro-fashion," said Anne Marie Kelly, vice-president of marketing and strategic planning at MRI.

Mass media ads are preferred by 17% of adults in the US. This is the good news, now for some bad.

The report finds that more than 30% of US adults don't want ads delivered to them at all or they were simply not familiar with the ad platforms mentioned in the study.

What ad placements are most likely to appeal to a consumer? According to the report, celebrity endorsements are increasingly important to consumers decisions to purchase a product. Consumers are also becoming more willing to be an influencer; meaning, they want to be the first of their friends or family to try a new product and give their opinions on the product to friends. Consumers are also more influenced by brand; according to the survey Americans see brand names as a symbol of quality.