Internet users associate advertising with fake news
Rakuten Marketing’s survey of more than 2,500 consumers globally including the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Europe found that many associate advertising with untruths. This is especially true of those in Australia and the U.K.
While just over half (54%) of French and German consumers, and 58% of American, associate ads with untruths, that figure is 71% among skeptical Brits and 76% among Australians.
However, while those in Australia and the U.K. were more skeptical, just 25% had had a bad experience with an online ad compared to 44% of Americans. It is just such experiences that are contributing to the rise of ad-blocking software, says the report, with almost a third (32%) of respondents reported using an ad blocker 46% proactively opting out of ads in other ways.
A bad ad experience will cause 45% of consumers to abandon a site and 28% will avoid the site altogether. A quarter (26%) will clear their cookies to stop receiving ads from a brand, and 19% will avoid brands they associate with bad advertising practices.
“The findings from this research revealed important data on the current state of consumer sentiments about online advertising,” says Tony Zito, CEO, Rakuten Marketing. “Access to free content online is one of the most valuable propositions the internet offers, but the advertising that funds it needs to get better.”
