Ads that run on websites with related content are 61% more likely to be recalled than ads running on sites with unrelated content, according to Cond? Nast and McPheters & Company, which recently released additional data from an earlier study about ad effectiveness in various media.
This new information is the result of a more in-depth analysis that looked at the effectiveness of internet banner ads that were aligned with the content of the websites they appeared on vs. those that were not. Examples of ads in context are food ads running on food sites, entertainment ads on entertainment sites, etc.
The study also revealed that social network, shopping, and food sites generate the highest recall levels (29% to 39%). However, despite a high ad recall level on social networks, previous research by Insight Express revealed that social networkers remain lukewarm to ads on their networks.
Additional findings from the analysis:
- Recall of ads varies by site type.
- Search and portal sites generate the lowest recall levels.
- There are large differences in recall by product type.
“While we have long known that context is important for print advertisers, we welcome proof that the same is true online,” said Drew Schutte, SVP and chief revenue officer for Cond? Nast Digital. “These results reinforce the importance of a marketer being associated with category-specific websites with established brands.”
About the study: The research used McPheters & Company’s AdWorks methodology to measure recall for 400 ads on a variety of websites. Ads were segmented by whether they appeared on websites with related content. Recall of ads was measured among internet users who were directed to surf the Internet at will for 30 minutes. McPheters & Company fielded the survey at CBS Vision’s Television City lab facilities in Las Vegas.
