Digital tops TV and print ads among many teenagers
UK teenagers have grown up with internet-enabled consumer electronics, and that digital affinity is now translating into which ads influence these younger consumers’ purchase decisions. December 2012 research from Deloitte found that a good portion younger consumers (41%) believed digital ads had greater influence than print or TV ads. But there is still a ways to go before online ads have the same acceptance and familiarity as offline ads.
In October, research from K&A BrandResearch showed that digital ads still get lower marks from young UK consumers than most offline ads. Half of 12- to 17-year-olds said online ads “really get on my nerves” compared with 20% who felt the same way about offline ads. Another 49% said they “try not to pay attention to [online ads]” compared with 17% for offline ads. This means that while younger people may be more disposed to online ads than their older counterparts, there may be problems in the targeting or execution of these ads to teenagers.
Delving deeper into which digital ads UK teens find most pesky, research from Ipsos MORI in April 2012 found that UK internet users between 11- to 16-years-old were most annoyed by advertising they saw on general browsing sites. That was followed by a social networking site, where users seemed to expect to engage with connections, not marketers. These younger internet users were less bothered by advertising appearing in emails and on gaming sites or while listening to digital music, and they also didn’t mind being distracted by online ads while doing their schoolwork online.
Younger people are often classified as “digital natives,” and have not had to adapt to digital advertising—it’s been a constant presence for them. Consequently they are better disposed to digital ads than older age groups, although the data shows they remain wary.
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