Survey: Internet users like targeted ads, free content
The Digital Advertising Alliance also notes that a US Senate committee has a hearing scheduled on do-not-track efforts next week
April 19, 2013, 3:27 PM
Internet users overwhelmingly enjoy free Web content supported by advertising, and they'd rather see advertisements targeted toward their interests than random ads, according to a survey released this week by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA).
While it may seem the popularity of free online content is a no-brainer, the DAA said it's important to drive home those points as a U.S. Senate committee hosts a hearing on voluntary do-not-track efforts next week. The DAA, a coalition of online advertising groups, operates a program that allows Web users to opt out of receiving targeted, or behavioral, advertising.
Nearly 69 percent of respondents to the survey said free content like news, weather and email is "extremely important" to the value of the Internet. More than 75 percent said they'd prefer ad-supported free content on the Web to paying for ad-free content. Just 9 percent said they'd prefer to pay for content.
Several lawmakers, including Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John "Jay" Rockefeller, have called for new laws that would allow Web users to stop websites and ad networks from tracking them online. Earlier this year, Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, introduced a bill that would require websites and networks to honor do-not-track requests from consumers.
"Online companies are collecting massive amounts of information, often without consumers' knowledge or consent," Rockefeller said then. "Consumers should be empowered to make their own decision about whether their information can be tracked and used online. My bill gives consumers the opportunity to simply say 'no thank you' to anyone and everyone collecting their online information."
The Commerce Committee will examine industry-led do-not-track efforts during a Wednesday hearing.
The survey shows that many Internet users understand that advertising pays for free content, said Lou Mastria, the DAA's managing director. Targeted advertising is particularly effective because about twice the number of people click through targeted ads than on random ads, he noted.
Many Internet users realize "there is no free lunch," Mastria said. "The reality is you need some funding sources."
The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted in early April by Zogby Analytics, found that nearly 41 percent of responders prefer ads targeted to their interests over random ads. Sixteen percent said they would prefer random ads, and 28 percent said they would prefer a mix of both.
Forty-seven percent of respondents said they wouldn't support a law that restricts how data is used for Internet advertising, if it potentially reduced the availability of free content. Only 22 percent said they would support such a law, with the rest unsure.
Asked who should be making the choice over what sorts of ads they see, 75 percent said the individual Internet user should be in control. Eleven percent said browser companies should make that choice, while 9 percent said the government should choose.
Zogby asked respondents about their biggest concern about the Internet, and only about 4 percent identified behavioral advertising. Nearly 39 percent said their biggest concern was ID theft, and 34 percent said viruses and malware. Another 12 percent said their biggest concern was government surveillance of data.
The survey didn't ask if Internet users would prefer to continue to get free content while not seeing advertising. A May study by ClarityRay, a company that helps Web publishers defeat ad-blocking software, found that more than 9.2 percent of Internet users in the U.S. and Europe were using ad-blocking software.
More than 18 percent of Chrome and Firefox browser users have ad-blocking extensions installed, according to the company.
Large-scale ad-blocking on the Internet is "untenable" for publishing companies, Mastria said. "Someone has to pay for that service," he said.
Grant Gross covers technology and telecom policy in the U.S. government for The IDG News Service. Follow Grant on Twitter at GrantGross. Grant's e-mail address is grant_gross@idg.com.
Poll: Americans Want Free Internet Content,
Poll: Americans Want Free Internet Content,
Value Interest-Based Advertising
New poll commissioned by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) shows that Americans
understand and appreciate the importance of the ad-supported Internet
understand and appreciate the importance of the ad-supported Internet
WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 18, 2013 – Americans place great value on the availability of free Internet content, and appreciate Internet advertising that is tailored to their specific interests, a new poll finds. The survey, commissioned by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), measured attitudes regarding online advertising, with a specific focus on interest-based ads.
In addition to strongly supporting Internet advertising in general, poll respondents were highly receptive to the interest-based advertising that lies at the heart of the DAA’s mission. Nearly 70 percent of respondents indicated that they’d like at least some ads tailored directly to their interests, compared to only 16 percent who preferred to only see generic ads for products and services. Zogby Analytics conducted the poll of 1,000 US adults.
“What the poll makes clear is that consumers prefer ads that reflect their particular interests, which is precisely what interest-based advertising was created to provide,” said Lou Mastria, managing director of the DAA, a self-regulatory body that promotes transparency and user choice for interest-based ads. “The poll also demonstrates that Americans’ privacy concerns are rightly focused on real threats like malware and identity theft, and not on an industry that follows rigorous, enforceable guidelines for data collection and use. DAA is proud to operate a choice tool that gives consumers the choice and control they need to feel comfortable and confident with interest-based advertising.”
More than 90 percent of Americans polled said that free content was important to the overall value of the Internet, and more than 60 percent said it was “extremely” important. Similarly, more than 75 percent of poll respondents said they prefer content (like news, blogs and entertainment sites) to remain free and supported by advertising, compared to fewer than 10 percent who said they’d rather pay for ad-free content.
DAA operates a consumer education program and choice tool that allows users to tailor how and whether they receive interest-based advertising. DAA’s ubiquitous AdChoices icon is served over a trillion times per month and simultaneously supports ad-funded content while providing real-time transparency and on-demand choice. The DAA choice tool presents a consistent user experience on any browser and soon the DAA Principles will be extended to the mobile environment. In the past year alone more than five million Americans accessed the choice tool, and more than 14 million visited the DAA’s education site.
Importantly, the DAA program makes publicly accountable those companies who join the program and agree to the responsible data use practices embodied by the DAA Principles. In addition, two independent enforcement mechanisms monitor and respond to compliance concerns for both members and non-members. This effectively educates the interest-based advertising ecosystem that consumers’ demand for relevant ad-supported content and services is appropriately balanced when it is complemented with just-in-time transparency and choice.
While lawmakers, regulators and technologists are considering a range of proposals aimed at limiting – or eliminating – interest-based advertising, the DAA program gives users real transparency and choice today, without harming the economic engine of the free Internet.
“The data reveals an American public that is largely supportive of the advertising-funded Internet, and is leery of efforts to drastically change the way it operates,” Mastria said. “In light of that, it makes sense to focus on transparency and choice solutions that are already working, rather than on new, untested initiatives which obscure choice and may damage the advertising support of the Internet economy.”
Survey results include data showing:
· 92 percent of Americans think free content like news, weather and blogs is important to the overall value of the Internet (64 percent extremely important, 28 percent somewhat important)
· 75 percent prefer ad supported content to paying for ad-free content
· 68 percent prefer to get at least some ads Internet directed at their interests
· 40 percent prefer to get all their ads directed to their interests
· 47 percent would oppose a law that would restrict how data is used for Internet advertising but also potentially reduced free content availability, compared to only 22 percent that support such a law
· 75 percent say they should be able to choose the ads they want to see as opposed to
4 percent who say government should
4 percent who say government should
· Biggest concerns about the Internet: identity theft (39 percent); viruses and malware
(33 percent); government surveillance (12 percent); cyber bullying and/or stalking (5 percent); behavioral targeting (4 percent)
(33 percent); government surveillance (12 percent); cyber bullying and/or stalking (5 percent); behavioral targeting (4 percent)
· 61 percent don’t trust the government to regulate how Internet advertising is delivered
· 41 percent of users think that browser obstacles to displaying advertising will result in less access to free content
The poll, conducted on April 2-3, 2013, surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults and possessed a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points. The full results of the study are posted here: http://www.aboutads.info/resource/image/Poll/Zogby_DAA_Poll.pdf