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Revenue Science—Ponemon Study Shows Sixty—Three Percent of Consumers Always Prefer Advertising Based on Their Interests
55% Say Relevant Advertising Improves Online Experience; Marked Decrease in Cookie Concerns
NEW YORK (April 27, 2006) — In a growing sign of consumers' evolving attitudes toward online advertising, a new study sponsored by Revenue Science and conducted by the Ponemon Institute showed that a majority of consumers prefer advertising based on their individual interests. Specifically, 63 percent of those surveyed said that Internet marketers should "always" understand their interests prior to sending them advertising; while 55 percent stated that online ads of interest to them "improves" or "greatly improves" their overall online experience.
The Ponemon Institute, a research institute dedicated to privacy management practices in business and government, polled more than 1,700 people to learn about consumers' motivations and preferences in receiving online advertising, as well as how knowledge about cookies impacted these issues.
"This study shows that not only do consumers prefer relevant advertising, but also that advertisers should consider behavioural targeting methods for providing consumers with more relevant ads as long as privacy and anonymity are assured," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, founder and chairman of Ponemon Institute. "The tables are indeed turning and the advertising community would be well served to pay attention."
Falling Cookies Concerns
Bolstering these findings were strong indications that cookie deletion is on a significant downward trend. When asked how often they delete cookies form their hard drives, only 8 percent answered "very frequently" compared to 18 percent in a 2004 survey; while 24 percent indicated they "never" delete cookies—more than double the 11 percent from the previous survey.
"What's especially interesting is that knowledgeable respondents appeared to be much less concerned about the use of cookies," said Omar Tawakol, chief marketing officer at Revenue Science. "In fact, 63 percent of respondents stated that they're likely to click on an Internet ad that reflects their interests and preferences regardless of whether it utilizes cookies."
Welcome News
This data on shifting consumer attitudes is good news for a media industry still grappling with the debate of free versus paid content. Indeed, 86 percent of respondents said they would prefer to accept relevant advertising rather than pay for content-an increase of 7 percent from the 2004 study.
"This is an exciting time for behavioural targeting especially when you consider the tremendous growth online advertising is experiencing," said Tawakol. "The key for continued success is to listen to what consumers say they want and act on it. Clearly, we believe behavioural targeting can continue to play an important role in helping advertisers and publishers provide consumers with the most relevant experience possible, and ultimately help to build strong relationships with them."
Tawakol added that Revenue Science is a member of the Network Advertising Initiative and Safecount.org, and that the company will remain committed to continually monitoring short- and long-term trends regarding cookie deletion.
About Ponemon Institute, LLC
Ponemon Institute is a "think tank" dedicated to advancing responsible information management practices in business and government. To achieve this objective, Ponemon Institute conducts independent research to promote best practices, to educate leaders from the private and public sectors and to verify the privacy and data protection practices of organizations. The Institute is headquartered in Michigan. For more information, visit www.ponemon.org or contact (800) 877-3118.
About Revenue Science, Inc.
Revenue Science is the only online advertising leader with the science, service and scale that make behaviourally targeted advertising easy to buy and sell. The Revenue Science Behavioural Targeting Marketplace™ connects marketers to qualified audiences, enables publishers to increase revenue and creates a better consumer experience. Innovative publisher and advertiser programs provide behaviourally targeted solutions to the world's top brand advertisers and premium media properties. With clients like The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, ESPN.com, KelleyBlueBook.com, Guardian.co.uk, Maxim.com, Reuters.com, Univison.com, and WashingtonPost.com, Newsweek Interactive, Revenue Science serves more behaviourally targeted ads than any other company. For more information, visit www.revenuescience.com.