Despite the billions of pounds spent on marketing, the vast majority of consumers – 92% – trust word-of-mouth and recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising, and this is up by 20% since
2007.
Nielsen’s Global Trust in Advertising Survey of more than 28,000 Internet respondents in 56 countries shows online consumer reviews are the second most trusted form of advertising, with 70% of those surveyed indicating they trust this platform, an increase of 15% in four years. And while nearly half (47%) trust television, magazine and newspaper ads, confidence declined by 24%, 20% and 25% respectively since 2009.
Some 58% of global online consumers trust “owned media”, such as messages on company websites, and 50% find content in emails they consent to receive to be credible.
Online banner ads have also seen an increase in ‘trust’, with 33% believing messages in online banner ads, up from 26% in 2007. Ads viewed in search engine results are trusted by 40% of global respondents in Nielsen’s survey, up from 34% in 2007. Sponsored ads on social networking sites are deemed credible by 36% of global respondents.
Nielsen global head of advertiser solutions Randall Beard said: “The growth in trust for online search and display ads over the past four years should give marketers increased confidence in putting more of their spend into this medium.
Many companies are already increasing their paid advertising activity on social networking sites, in part due to the high level of trust consumers place in friends’ recommendations and online opinions. Brands should be watching this emerging ad channel closely as it continues to grow.”
