Red Herring, 1080076X, 1/21/2008.

Moresco, Justin.

This short article reports some of the key findings of a survey conducted to investigate internet users' attitudes and behaviors related to in-stream video ads--video advertisements which proceed, interrupt, or precede normal video content.  The findings show an extreme dissatisfaction with in-stream video ads which has led to a portion abandoning the websites they were using when such ads were introduced.  Some light is shed on why ads elicited such a strong reaction; viewers of video content like TV shows may expect and be reconciled to commercials on traditional mediums like television, but they do not expect ads in their online content, and are perhaps unpleasantly surprised by their intrusion.  In order to increase effectiveness of in-stream video ads, the author recommends making ad content more relevant to the video content being viewed and decreasing the length of ads.  This latter recommendation makes particular sense for a number of reasons.  Consumers generally prefer minimally intrusive ads to longer ones.  The also seem particularly disgusted with internet video advertising when compared with television ads, and are thus less likely to sit through television-length ads on the internet.  The article also describes some creative ad placement which may minimize consumer irritation by blocking less of the video screen.

This report is interesting from a number of perspectives.  First, it provides some support for the social contract view of advertising by noting that consumers seem less likely to accept video ads on the internet than on television, despite similarities in their use.  While television viewers utilize many different strategies to minimize their exposure to ads, from channel surfing to DVR, there seems to be less hostility toward the ads themselves than on the internet.  This may be because internet users have not yet adopted a contract in which their attention to ads seems a fair exchange for content.  The article is also interesting because it highlights another type of advertising--in-stream video--which appears to affect consumers' attitudes, in this case negatively.  It also reiterates the findings of Wise et al. that ad relevancy to content likely increases positive attitudes toward the ad and broadens the context of the finding from advergames to in-stream videos, a less unique type of advertising.

*Because this was not an academic study, I was not able to access the actual study results, only this article.

Brandweek, 12/15/2008, 49(44), 8.

 

Internet Research: Electronic Networking Applications and Policy 13(5), 375-385.

Lori D. Wolin and Pradeep Korgaonkar, (2003).

This article explores the differences between male and female internet advertising beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.  The authors hypothesized that males would have in general more positive beliefs about internet advertising, stronger positive attitudes about internet advertising, and more internet consumption behavior.  A survey was conducted with 420 respondents.  Six dimensions of belief were tested: enjoyability, offensiveness, informative, deceptiveness, annoyingness, and usefulness.  Regarding attitudes, respondents were asked how good or bad they found internet advertising, how much they liked it, and how essential it was in general and to them.  Behavior was measured by whether respondents had purchased something over the internet in the past year, and how often they visited 22 different websites.  Results mostly supported the hypotheses.  In particular, men held more positive beliefs about internet advertising, and had slightly stronger positive feelings about internet advertising.  Interestingly, these positive beliefs and attitudes converted into behavior as well.  Men reported more frequent internet purchases.

Wolin and Korgaonkar's study provides specific information on the effect the consumer characteristics of gender have on attitudes about internet advertising.  It indicates that, while other articles assume the ineffectiveness of internet advertising because of low click-through rates, some groups, particularly males, may not feel as negatively about internet ads as would be expected.  Other studies, such as the one reported in "Report: Most Men (18-34) Don't Mind Online Ads" (Brandweek, 49(44), 8; not included in this project), have found similar trends.  Wolin and Korgaonkar's study also reveals an unusual trend: females tend to have more negative attitudes and beliefs about internet ads and, as predicted, less purchase behavior on the internet, but reportedly prefer shopping sites more then men.  Wolin and Korgaonkar note that belief, attitude, and behavior do not necessarily have the hierarchical, causal relationship often expected, as this is an example of.  Rather, one or two of the dimensions may align with each other while another may be completely opposite.  Lastly, this article also details ways that advertising may be better targeted to the respective genders.  Particularly they should target women through ads in traditional media and offering tangible rewards when utilizing the internet.

New York Times article that discusses the influence movies have over people's behavior. Says that people have debated this link between entertainment and reality for a long time. Mentions not only influence over fads and fashions, but real social movements, as well.