UK Internet Users Give Cold Shoulder to Sponsored Content

More open attitude among consumers in Germany

January 27, 2017 | Social Media | Marketing

A survey of blog and vlog users found contrasting responses to sponsored content in the UK and Germany.

Internet users in the UK expressed little interest in sponsored content in a November 2016 survey conducted by YouGov. Over one in four in the UK said they ignore such content completely. In Germany, only 13% said they completely ignored it.

Respondents in Germany were generally more open to sponsored content. More than one-third of those surveyed in Germany said they sometimes scan the content to see if it is interesting, compared with just 22% in the UK.

Not surprisingly, users in both countries rarely viewed sponsored content every single time—just 5% in Germany, and only 3% in the UK.

The survey also explored what users in the two countries did after viewing sponsored content, and here too German respondents indicated a greater level of engagement. In Germany, fully 24% said that they followed up by getting more information on the advertised product, compared with just 11% in the UK.

Not only that, the respondents in Germany were twice as likely to amplify sponsored content messaging by talking about it with family or friends. The survey found that 11% said they would do so, compared with just 4% in the UK.

—Ben Clague