Survey: Though ads influence, relevance is key

While many consumers agree that seeing product advertisements does influence their purchasing decisions somewhat, the relevance of ads is key to engagement. That's the takeaway from a new Rapt Media survey which found most (95%) are blocking ads because of relevance issues.

by Kristina Knight

Researchers with Rapt Media found that only 5% of consumers say ads influence their purchase decisions, but nearly half (43%) also say online ads are not personalized - i.e. relevant - to them. Most surveyed (62%) also said they feel content they 'discover themselves' is more personalized to their interests.

"Programmatic push messaging is implicit personalization perceived by consumers as irrelevant and inauthentic," said Erika Trautman, founder and CEO of Rapt Media. "Explicit content personalization through choice and discovery builds trust, increases engagement, and delivers a truly valuable experience starting at the point of creation. Millennials, in particular, are embracing the value of content discovery, forcing marketers to rethink the way content is created, distributed and consumed. The only way to compete in an increasingly crowded market is by providing valuable content for consumers to discover on their own and building relationships through interaction and engagement."

Other interesting findings from the report include:

• 57% of Millennials block ad content because 'it is pushy'
• 61% say they prefer to discover even customized content
• 46% say self-discovered content 'influences' purchase decisions

Tags: ad personalization, ad relevance, advertising, Rapt Media, targeted ads