Social networking sites account for more than 25% of UK online display ad impressions
The results of a new UK study from comScore show that social networking sites accounted for 13.8 billion display ad impressions in August 2009, representing more than 25% of all display ads viewed online.
Telecommunications companies, including Telefonica O2, Deutsche Telekom, and British Telecommunications, were the heaviest social networking site advertisers, delivering more than 949 million display ad impressions on social networking sites in August, or approximately 7% of all display ads delivered in the site category.
The retail advertiser category, which includes leading brands such as DFS, Tesco, and John Lewis, ranked second with 753 million display ad views, followed by banking brands with 248 million, travel brands with 213 million, and entertainment brands with 181 million display ad views.
| Advertiser Category | Total ad impressionsviewed on social networking sites (000) | Total display ad impressions viewed across total internet (000) | Percent of advertiser category display ad impressions viewed on social networking sites (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Internet | 13,805,923 | 54243070 | 25.5 |
| Telecommunications | 949,078 | 3,499,401 | 27.1 |
| Retail | 752,726 | 2498512 | 30.1 |
| Banking | 247,595 | 1,186,369 | 20.9 |
| Travel | 212,531 | 1,844,621 | 11.5 |
| Entertainment | 181,336 | 1,072,914 | 16.9 |
| Online Gambling | 158,770 | 800,919 | 19.8 |
| Online Dating | 136,718 | 404,972 | 33.8 |
| Online Gaming | 131,521 | 1,188,177 | 11.1 |
| Government | 101,648 | 342,173 | 29.7 |
| Teens | 99,809 | 267,646 | 37.3 |
Recent figures from Experian Hitwise revealed that Facebook now accounts for one in every seven internet page views (14.5%) in the UK.
Facebook also accounts for almost 60% of all social networking traffic in the US, according to Hitwise.
comScore found that a demographic analysis of display ads on social networking sites in the UK revealed that while ad delivery skewed somewhat younger than average, all age segments were reached with a notable percentage of display ads.
15-24 year olds were the highest indexing age segment, accounting for 29% of display ad impressions while representing 23% of the total category audience. Those between the ages of 25-44 received ads at a slightly higher than average rate, while those 45 and older received ads at a lower than average rate. Each of the five age segments accounted for at least 15 percent of the category audience and 10 percent of ad impressions.
| Demographic | % Composition Display Ads in Social Networking Category | % Composition Unique Visitors to Social Networking Category | Composition index of Display Ads to Visitors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Audience | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100 |
| Persons: 15-24 | 29.0% | 23.0% | 126 |
| Persons: 25-34 | 22.3% | 21.2% | 105 |
| Persons: 35-44 | 21.1% | 22.0% | 104 |
| Persons: 45-54 | 15.9% | 18.1% | 88 |
| Persons: 55+ | 11.7% | 15.8% | 74 |
Mike Read, comScore managing director, Europe, said: “CPMs on social networking sites have traditionally suffered relative to other content categories, in part because of the perception that much of the audience are younger consumers with lower spending power.
“However, these data suggest that every demographic segment is reached via social networking sites and that no particular age segment accounts for an overwhelming percentage of ads delivered.
“Given the overall reach and volume of ads delivered on social networking sites, brand advertisers who ignore this channel may be missing a significant opportunity and enabling their competitors to gain a dominant share of voice in the channel.”