Brand/Marketing/Category
managers/Media Buyers special press release.
The
following report, courtesy of Britain's Association of Online
Publishers, gives Australian brand/Marketing managers some crucial
perspectives on emerging online advertising trends in Australia.
AOP has members that include all major media outlets including
AP and Hollingers and these findings make for interesting reading
for media buyers and marketers and also help explain why resources
like Virtualhaircare are doing so well in aquiring a large audience.
IN
THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT, CONTEXT IS KING
The most
elusive and attractive audience on the net in terms of demographics
and behaviour are users of quality content websites according
to a study by AOP.
The research
was undertaken to investigate users’ reaction to advertising
in different online environments and supports the case that
advertisers should take account of quality of site audience
rather than volume.
By comparing
users and non-users of 20 leading branded quality content websites,
the study has confirmed the existence of an ‘online elite’ among
web users in terms of demographics and behavior.
The findings
prove that, for the ‘online elite’, the internet is critical
for decision-making with more than 85 per cent claiming they
often refer to the internet before buying something, while when
they need information the internet is the first place they look.
Moreover
the ‘online elite’ is responsive to advertising. Eighty per
cent admitted to clicking on an online advertisement to find
out more, while 67 per cent admitted to having performed three
or more actions (such as book-marking a site, purchasing a product,
requesting further information) as a direct result of seeing
online adverting. Critically, users of branded quality content
sites have an average online spend of £800 in the last six months,
compared with the general online user spend of £570.
Most importantly
the research shows that, for the online elite, context is
king when it comes to online advertising. These users react
more positively to advertising on websites they have a strong
relationship with and feel are relevant to them. More than 50
per cent say they pay more attention to advertising on websites
they trust, while more than 60 per cent say they prefer to see
online advertising that relates to the content they are viewing.
Bill Murray,
chairman of AOP and managing director of Haymarket Motoring
Publications, comments: “Our research has confirmed that the
stronger the relationship users have with a site, the more positive
their reaction to its advertising.” He continued: “The findings
are great news for online publishers as they can demonstrate
to advertisers the value of advertising on quality content sites,
and therefore reaching the sought-after ‘online elite’. In turn
advertisers must look to all the research that is available
when placing online spend, so they get the best value for money,
and reach the most responsive audience.”
Click
here to download research presentation
*The users
of branded, quality content sites, ‘the online elite’, can be
described as follows:
• They visit at least two quality content sites at least twice
per month
• The Internet is their primary medium
• Compared to other users:
• They represent a more attractive demographic
• They have a higher level of online experience
• They are bigger spenders online
• They represent an audience of significant scale, reaching
45% of all UK ABC1 25-34s, for example
**Sites chosen to represent branded, quality content
• economist.com
• fhm.com
• football365.com
• ft.com
• guardian.co.uk
• handbag.com
• independent.co.uk
• maxim-magazine.co.uk
• menshealth.co.uk
• NME.com
• skynews.co.uk
• telegraph.co.uk
• thesun.co.uk
• thisislondon.co.uk
• thisismoney.co.uk
• timesonline.co.uk
• topgear.com
• totaljobs.com
• vogue.co.uk
• whatcar.com
Reprinted
with Acknowlegements of the Association of Online Publishers
