Ads on major websites fail to attract consumers, YouGov report reveals

11th February 2009

Nearly 60% of consumers rarely or never pay attention to advertising on major websites, according to a survey conducted by YouGov.

The 2009 Online Advertising Attitudes report, commissioned by ad network Addvantage Media, found that 57% of consumers rarely pay attention to ads on major sites, with 56% of ABC1 adults being more likely to go to specialist niche sites dedicated to their interests, rather than visit larger portal sites.

The report also found that 22% of British consumers claim to only visit niche sites that are specific to their interests, compared to just 2% who claim to only visit larger, generalist sites.

A further 34% of British consumers spend the majority of their time visiting niche sites that are specific to their interests.

The report also raised questions about the effectiveness of advertising on social networking sites, such as Facebook. It found that 26% of users never pay attention to the advertising on these sites and a further 36% rarely claim to pay attention to it.

The report polled the views of a representative sample of 2,013 UK adults exploring their attitudes towards advertising online.

- Emma Barnett, mediaweek.co.uk