In the ORC study, conducted in March, respondents rated their likelihood to read and act upon five types of online advertising: banner ads, pop-up ads, email offers, articles that include brand information, and sponsored search engine links. Respondents said they were "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to read and respond to:
* Articles that include brand information: 53 percent compared to 51 percent a year ago
* Email offers: 51 percent compared to 47 percent last year
* Sponsored search engine links: 40 percent compared to 39 percent last year
* Banner ads: 28 percent compared to 25 percent last year
* Pop-up ads: 19 percent compared to 13 percent last year
There are several important lessons to apply from this data, which encompass the "marketing melting-pot" convergence trend, including:
Content is king -- especially in digital
The survey adds a data point to the voices of marketing pros and bloggers who are saying that many online ad methods aren't cutting it anymore. The data tells us that the most sought-after marketing audiences -- the young and high-income consumers -- want more. They want content -- and more context. Compared to banner ads or other options, these consumers respond better when they can read an informative article, evaluate it, and then decide to click through for more information.
