- The majority of UK Internet users with spending power are looking beyond web portals in search of more dedicated content from specialist niche sites, according to The 2009 Online Advertising Attitudes Report.
- 56% of ABC1 adults are more likely to go to specialist niche sites dedicated to their interests than visit larger portal sites. 57% of consumers rarely or never pay attention to the advertising on major portal sites.
Commissioned by Addvantage Media, and conducted by YouGov, The 2009 Online Advertising Trends Report polled the views of a representative sample of 2,013 UK adults exploring their attitudes towards advertising online.
Going Beyond the Most Trafficked Sites
The 2009 Online Advertising Attitudes Report points to a wider trend in which web users are spending more of their surfing time on more niche sites dedicated to their interests rather than traditional portal sites.
- 50% of people prefer to regularly visit niche/specialist web sites that are dedicated to their specific interests, compared with just 46% who regularly visit larger sites.
- The extent to which consumers are deserting mass media portals is shown by the fact that almost a quarter (22%) of British consumers claim to only visit niche sites that are specific to their interests compared to just 2% who claim to only visit larger, generalist sites.
- A further third (34%) of British consumers spend the majority of their time visiting niche sites that are specific to their interests.
- In comparison C2DE consumers are more likely to visit larger sites (47%) than smaller sites dedicated to their interests (43%).
- Additionally, niche sites are the most popular destination online for British consumers aged 25-54, reinforcing their popularity with demographic groups with the most spending power.
- The key reason for this preference for niche websites appears to lie in a desire for quality content.
- Despite all the investment major internet portals have made in improving content, especially video, 41% of British consumers believe that niche sites relevant to their specific interests have the best content compared to just 29%for big web sites.
- There is a clear difference in web habits linked to wealth and associated spending power, with 32% of C2DE respondents claiming major portal sites have better quality content while 46%of ABC1 respondents believing niche sites have better quality content. -
“These findings raise serious questions about WHERE ADVERTISERS SHOULD BE PURCHASING INVENTORY if they are to be maximising their marketing budgets in the economic downturn”, said Harvey Sarjant, Managing Partner at Addvantage Media.
“Comscore reported last year that 75% of media consumption takes place outside of the top 1,000 websites but what this research reveals is the extent to which more affluent web users are surfing these niche websites. In a recession it’s particularly vital that advertisers avoid the traditional scatter-gun approach to ad placement and ensure that their advertising is speaking in a relevant way to the consumers with the greatest purchasing power.”
Research methodology
The 2009 Online Advertising Trends Report was commissioned by Addvantage Media and conducted by YouGov, polling a nationally representative sample of 2,013 UK adults aged 18+ in December 2008.
Written by Michael Leander Nielsen