Different Ads for Different Folks

Online marketers can reach their audience with many types of ad formats, but it’s critical that as we marketers leverage the formats that appeal to the particular target demographic. A recent report by eMarketer provides some insight on how users react to certain ad formats. Fully understanding the habits and preferences of your consumers can be very helpful in crafting an effective campaign. Many variables influence consumer behavior online including: age, income, education, occupation, and frequency of visits.

Which ad formats appeal to your demographic?
Text Ads and Banners seem to be effective with most age groups, but lose their luster with older individuals and higher incomes. Video Ads are much more effective with younger people that have lower incomes. Increased visits to a website help to increase clicks on all ad types.

Is the Internet the best form of media to target your demographic?
When it comes to average time spent daily with major media, Internet is the second most popular medium for all users behind TV. Radio, Newspapers, and Magazines follow behind TV and Internet usage. TV is consistently preferred by all ages, income, and education levels. Internet is most popular with age 64 and younger, income levels over 25k, and users with at least some college level education. Magazines and Newspapers gain more popularity as consumers grow older, and Radio trends in the opposite direction.

Given this data, it’s clear that marketers must have a full understanding of their target demographic and utilize a combination of channels to communicate their message. In addition to text, banner and video ad formats, there are some emerging channels that ought to be considered – mobile/sms, social, and interactive promotions.