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Just How Effective is Online Advertising?

June 20, 2006 at 15:22 | Print This Post Print This Post

Looking at some webvertising stats recently I realized that in over 10 years of intensive web browsing I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve clicked on an ad. Less than 5 in over thousands of hours of browsing. And as far as branding effectiveness is concerned, I can’t remember a recent online ad that, well, that I remember. I’m sure I’m an unusual browser - but I wonder just how atypical I really am. Update: Hmmm - could this have anything to do with why online advertising seems to register less with my sample of - ahem - one? Update 2: Dane Carlson is reading my mind.


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2 Responses to “Just How Effective is Online Advertising?”


  1. David Canton (21 comments.)
    June 20th, 2006 at 16:40

    I tend not to click on the ads either, but I think the real test is how effective they are compared to, for example, magazine ads or TV ads.

    We don’t pay a lot of attention to most of those either, but I’ll bet they do have some effect on us.

    Perhaps this is a question for Steve Rubel?


  2. Rob Hyndman (317 comments.)
    June 20th, 2006 at 16:45

    Well, it’s an interesting question, David. I can rhyme off several TV and magazine ads - even from years ago (please God, make them stop (!)), but darned if I can remember a single online ad. My gut tells me the former is dramatically more effective both at directly inducing a purchase, and at penetrating the limbic.