UK consumers believe they are most likely to pay attention to online ads from the early evening onwards, according to a new survey by Lightspeed Research and the IAB.
While the early evening was the best time of the day for all age groups, the IAB found that for younger audiences there was likely to be a steady increase in their attention to adverts as the day progressed. This was markedly different for older age groups who had peaks between 9-12pm and 2-6pm.
According to respondents, the best time to reach them with ads is during e-commerce activity, whether researching the best deals or shopping online.
The survey also showed that people prefer not to be interrupted with ads when they are watching catch-up TV or movie clips.
Sorcha Proctor, research manager at IAB UK, said: “This research highlights the need for marketers fully to appreciate and understand the consumer mindset when planning their online marketing campaigns.
“Most significantly, the study highlights the need for retail brands to get in front of internet users at every point of the online customer journey and emphasises the need to respect consumers if they want them to engage effectively with their marketing messages.”
David Day, Lightspeed Research chief executive Europe, said: “Knowing when surfers are more receptive to advertising messages allows marketers to target their campaigns more closely and get the most from their online advertising budget. With so many different activities being carried out by the online population, knowing when to get your message across can be the difference between success or failure for an online campaign.”
An advertising forecast produced by WARC for the Advertising Association found that adspend levels in the UK will fall by 4.3% in 2009 at current prices, with the first upturn, a modest 0.3% rise year-on-year, set for Q2 2010 (see UK adspend levels to fall 4.3% in 2009).
The report found that online is the only medium likely to grow throughout this period, at an average of 9% per quarter, while outdoor and transport will be the first form of traditional media to recover, with growth of 4.3% in Q1 2010.
At the end of last year, eMarketer cut its forecast for UK online ad spend, predicting that it would grow 7.2% in 2009, down from its May forecast of 17.2% (see UK online ad spend forecast to grow 7.2% in 2009).
