Social Networkers Don’t Trust Internet Advertising

More than half of online social networkers between the ages of 13 and 49 never trust marketing material they receive and almost half say that internet advertising is driving them “insane”, according to a poll conducted by Facebook on behalf of Kyp Systems.

Pop-ups are a particular source of irritation and 90% of the 800 people surveyed voted them the least trustworthy source of internet marketing.

The results demonstrate that internet marketers are at risk of alienating themselves from their target audience and are damaging their chances of making sales by swamping possible consumers with a series of banner ads and pop-ups.

There is also anecdotal evidence that there is growing distaste among consumers regarding networking sites using their details for marketing purposes, according to Kyp.

The news comes as marketers are becoming increasingly interested in using online social networking sites as an effective marketing tool to target specific types of consumer depending on age, musical tastes or hobbies.

Nicholas Miller, CEO Kyp Systems, said consumers felt their privacy was being undermined and that they were being targeted by irrelevant marketing. He advised companies to think of ways of connecting with customers in a more unobtrusive manner.

Last week, social networking site, MySpace, announced it was launching an advertising system in the UK that targets consumers using the personal information on their profile pages.

Travis Katz, the senior vice-president and general manager for international at MySpace, said the “hyper-targeting” system was already popular with advertisers in the US (see MySpace To Launch Targeted Ad System).

Last November, Facebook launched a new ad system which it said would “create the most effective marketing ever seen”, according to the company’s chief revenue officer, Owen Van Natta.

Speaking at the IAB Engage conference, Van Natta outlined the system, explaining that brands and advertisers could now create their own profile, as well as placing ads into users’ ‘feeds’.

Facebook Ads allows businesses to build custom-designed pages on the site, which include photos, videos, music, and applications, such a booking system or ticket purchasing.

Users can become “fans” of brands and advertisers, acting like a “trusted referral” (see Facebook Launches “Most Effective Marketing Ever Seen”).