Survey: Ads for free media okay with people

One new report underlines the importance of ad-supported content: their findings conclude that more than half of consumers are currently accessing digital content without paying for it. About one-quarter say viewing ads prior to getting to their content is fine.

by Kristina Knight

Researchers from CloudSense surveyed more than 2000 US consumers for the study, which found 59% are currently not paying for access to any of the digital content they consume. This, even though nearly half (49%) say seeing ads around content is the way they prefer to pay for the content they want.

"The traditional models of advertising are shifting at a greater pace than even a year ago. We're living in multi-screen society where the youngest generation is both tech savvy and multi-connected. With so many sites out there, it's not surprising these consumers are not used to paying for content," said Rowley Douglas, Executive Vice President, CloudSense North America. "That said, this generation doesn't mind seeing ads around the content they're trying to access. This means publishers now have to modify their approach to attract - and justify - why advertisers should continue to invest in an audience that may or may not click into ads surrounding the content on the publisher's sites. With the erosion of print spend the need to ensure a sustainable digital future is dependent on ad revenues."

Some interesting takeaways from the CloudSense study include:

• 56% of 16-24 year olds say they accept ad-supported content
• 24% of 16-24 year olds say up front ads - launched before content - are okay
• 9% say they would prefer to pay for content than see ads
• 46% say ads are okay, but they don't want to share personal information with advertisers

"Where publishers hold the advantage today is in their ability to offer true cross media advertising for brands. They have the heritage and content but the majority need to make a major step in how they sell and fulfil ads. Too much time and cost is due to separate teams for different platforms. With the increasing competition being easy to do business with and having a clear and complete view of customers is an important differentiator. There is a great opportunity but time is running out to make the change," said Douglas.

Image via Shutterstock

Tags: ad supported content, advertising, CloudSense, content, content trends