Children ages two to 11 click on Web ads more often than any other age
group on the Internet, while teenagers are the age group least likely to
click on ads, according to a Nielsen//NetRatings report
released Tuesday.
The study is the first from Nielsen//NetRatings’ Internet Advertising
Strategies service. The service, which also launched today, offers global
online ad click-through measurement, allowing marketers to gauge advertising
trends and usage activity. Nielsen//NetRatings is a joint Internet audience
measurement service from Nielsen Media Research, ACNielsen,
eRatings.com and NetRatings Inc.
The report, based on data from June 2000, indicates that children click
on banner ads at a rate of 0.87 percent, as compared to an overall Internet
audience click-through rate of 0.45 percent for the month.
According to the study, teenagers’ click rates are well below June’s
overall average, with the 12-17 year old demographic clicking through at
0.19 percent. The 18-20 year old group clicked even less often, 0.11
percent.
Researchers said they believe advertisers’ strong brand identities,
combined with banner ads’ interactivity, contributed to the high
clickthrough rates for children, while teenagers’ disaffection with
advertising in general explains their lower rates.
“The strategy of leveraging strong offline brand loyalty with interactive
elements online, such as game playing or contests, is working to reach
kids,” said Kate Maddox, Nielsen//NetRatings Internet advertising strategies
director.
“It’s no secret disaffected teens are a tough audience for
marketers to crack. Jaded by advertising, they’ve historically clicked at a
lower rate than the average Internet audience.”
The study’s results show that children clicked most often on Trident Gum’s “Adventures of Supertooth” creative, with a 9.76 percent clickthrough
rate. Nestle Ice Cream’s “Stamps and Stomps” banner ad also appeared in the
demographic’s top 10 most-clicked creatives, with 5.80 percent. Both
creatives feature interactive games in the ads.
Three ads featuring games from Cartoon Network, another brand with
strong offline identity among children, also appeared in the top 10 —
“Powerpuff Girls,” “Scooby Doo” and “Sailor Moon.”
Despite their low average click rate, teens clicked most often on ads
offering free goods, sweepstakes, or useful information. The study’s
findings indicated that Eastpak’s banner ad, featuring a contest for a free
backpack and prizes, as the most popular for the teen demographic, with a
20.35 percent click rate.
Other ads by Cartoon Network, Alloy.com and Prize Central also featuring prizes or
games and appeared in the demographic’s top 10 most-clicked. Teenagers also
clicked on ads offering useful information, such as “Potfacts,” a campaign
produced by the White House
Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Apartments.com, which offers
apartment-searching capabilities.
“The message to marketers is: you can still reach teens, even if they’re
harder to attract, by creating campaigns that meet their specialized needs,”
said Maddox. “The more interactive, and the more highly targeted to their
interests, the better.”
Nielsen//NetRatings’ sample consists of 165,000 Internet users worldwide,
and purports to be the largest representative media research sample of
Internet users.
