Online Text Ads Most Clicked, Why Bother with CPC?

Ed: Advertisers and agencies working too hard to get readers to click. Why bother?

Online Text Ads Most Clicked, Only Young Like Video

Despite current buzz around fancy and expensive video ads, only 11% of consumers say they are likely to click on them, compared with 25% who would likely click on simple text ads and 20% who would click on right banners, according to a study from iPerceptions, Inc.

Though video ads are unpopular overall, the under-25 set is more likely to click on them than on any other type of ad. This age group accounts for nearly one-third of the video-ad viewing audience.

First-time visitors to a site and those with lower incomes also are more likely to click on video ads than other ad types.

The study found a strong relationship between income and likelihood of clicking. As consumers’ incomes rise, they become less likely to click on ads. On average, 40% of consumers likely to click on any ad make less than $50K a year - and only 15% make more than $150K. The income gap is most pronounced with video ads, with 49% of consumers likely to click on video ads making less than $50K a year - and only 13% making over $150K.

Click frequency also increases as site loyalty rises. Across the board, 65% of consumers likely to click on online ads are weekly or daily browsers on a site, and only 15% are first-time visitors and 6% are sporadic visitors...