WEB SITE AFFINITY BOOSTS ADVERTISING PERFORMANCE

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

Carlton Vogt, Technology Business, http://www.online-publishers.org

How users feel about a Web site strongly influences the effectiveness of ads on the site, according to an audience affinity study conducted for the Online Publishers Association (OPA).

Using both comScore Networks' consumer panel in conjunction with Millward Brown IntelliQuest, OPA found that affinity was an even greater influence than frequency of exposure on advertising effectiveness, although affinity plus frequency of exposure was the best combination for advertising effectiveness.

The study, the second phase of an OPA research project, found that three criteria determined the likelihood that a viewer would respond favorably to advertising:

* Whether the viewer would recommend the site to a friend

* Whether the viewer was satisfied with the site's content

* Whether the site was considered to be a favorite within its category

Study results indicated that 38 percent of high-affinity visitors indicated they were "very" or "somewhat" likely to buy the advertised product, as opposed to only 32 percent of those with less affinity.

Brand recall was also affected, with 12 percent of high-affinity viewers recalling online ads, versus 7 percent of low or medium affinity viewers.

"This research proves that the sites on which advertising appears significantly impact how that advertising performs," said Michael Zimbalist, the OPA's executive director, in a press release. "The existence of a media 'halo effect' has been presumed by advertisers in traditional media for decades. This research shows that the media halo effect works with online advertising as well, and that advertisers who target sites that attract loyal, high-affinity audiences will see superior results."

More information can be viewed and downloaded from the OPA Web
site: http://www.online-publishers.org.


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