Survey: 64% find targeted ads invasive
October 20, 2021
A poll from data intelligence company Morning Consult reveals that 69 per cent of US adults think ads on streaming services are repetitive and 79 per cent are bothered by that experience. And paradoxically, 51 per cent said they’re bothered by irrelevant ads, but 64 per cent said they find targeted ads to be “invasive.”
So what are advertisers and broadcasters to do?
Michael Schwalb, GM of Data and Advertising at JW Player, whose video software powers the streaming services for BBC, FOX, CNBC, Viacom, VICE and more, commented: “The good news for advertisers is that widespread subscription fatigue among consumers is fueling the growth of ad-supported models. But the pendulum can just as easily swing the other way if consumers are annoyed by repetitive, invasive, or irrelevant ads. Broadcasters need to do their part by allowing more trusted 3rd party monetisation sources to compete so that viewers see a greater diversity of ads.
“My second piece of advice might be a hard pill to swallow, but advertisers should decrease their reliance on targeting ads based on their audiences’ past online behaviour. It’s unsettling and invasive. Instead, advertisers should use contextual targeting to place ads on videos relevant to their brand. Video analytics has advanced to the point where you can precisely identify what’s happening on the screen, which allows you to do things like, for example, advertise a grill immediately after a barbeque scene,” added Schwalb.