Online Ad Placement - Is the Middle the Best?
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Written By Reprise Media | July 6, 2005 | Share This
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Call it a case of Catch-22. A recent study conducted by professors at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism indicates that ads placed in the middle of online stories are the ones that readers remember most.
Unfortunately, they’re also the ones that users find most annoying and damaging to a publication’s credibility. This stands in contrast to conventional media wisdom, which dictates that the ‘front’ is usually best (the first commercial in a TV or radio set, ads in the front of the magazine, etc.).
The study, titled “Ad Placement in E-Newspapers Affects Memory, Attitude,” found that readers view ads at the very bottom of an article the most favorably and can have a hard time distinguishing ads at the top of the page from regular editorial content. To get these findings, researchers questioned 114 undergrads who were shown news stories containing ads appearing at various page locations.
“When brand awareness is the goal, advertisers should select the middle location. When image enhancement is a goal, the beginning location may be the best choice,”
said the study. The best choice to us? Whatever you’ve tested and have the numbers to show that it works.
The full text can be viewed here.
Topics: Advertising: Online |