Rakuten Marketing Advertising Insights: Consumers Associate Online Advertising With Fake News; Company Commits to 'Save the Web'

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Marketing, a leading technology company that enables brands to increase sales through data-driven marketing, today released its latest Rakuten Marketing Insights report: Consumer Online Ad Sentiments: What Needs to Change About Online Advertising. The survey findings reveal global consumer attitudes about online advertising, including their annoyance with ad frequency and their desire for better ad personalization – both of which contribute to the low tolerance of advertising that has cost $22 billion in revenue from ad blocking. Rakuten Marketing is taking action on these findings by launching a leadership movement to Save the Web. Through this initiative, Rakuten Marketing will help advertisers and publishers create positive ad experiences by providing insights, technology and strategies that better reflect the relationships consumers want to have with their brands.

Advertising Interrupts Online Experiences, Consumers Say
Over the last 20 years there has been outstanding innovation in ad tech, but, according to the survey, most consumers believe online advertising has stayed static or gotten worse over time. The majority of consumers, 82 percent, also say that too much advertising interrupts their online experiences, particularly ads that pop-up and cover content, pre-roll video ads, and ads that are delivered through push notification. Frequency is also an issue for consumers – 56 percent have felt that a single brand was advertising to them too frequently. Perhaps most troubling is that 67 percent of consumers associate online advertising with other disruptive content, including fake news.

U.S. consumer findings include:

• 69 percent of consumers say online advertising needs to change.
• 50 percent proactively 'opt-out' of online ads.
• 40 percent abandon websites because of bad ad experiences.
• 48 percent believe websites are responsible for improving online experiences, followed closely by 36 percent who believe the responsibility lies with brands. This means advertisers and publishers need to be aligned on solving this problem to protect their online revenue opportunity.

According to Tony Zito, CEO, Rakuten Marketing, "The findings from this research revealed important data on the current state of consumer sentiments about online advertising. Access to free content online is one of the most valuable propositions the internet offers, but the advertising that funds it needs to get better. At Rakuten Marketing, all of the investments we make are towards better understanding the advertising that meaningfully influences consumers, so we can improve overall performance, and solve this problem."  

Consumers Like Advertising That is Helpful and Personalized
Not all consumer sentiment about online advertising is negative, according to the Rakuten Marketing Insights report. Seventy percent of consumers polled recognize advertising can enhance their shopping experience when it connects them to more options and better discounts. Many consumers proactively engage with certain native ad experiences, and prefer advertising that is personalized to their likes, lifestyles and interests.

U.S. consumer findings include:

• 57 percent of consumers follow an online blogger or social influencer.
• 88 percent of those who follow an influencer have made a purchase the influencer recommended.
• Nearly 90 percent seek out discount codes on voucher/coupon sites before making a purchase.

The key takeaway – 81 percent of U.S. consumers want brands to know that advertising is acceptable when the ad content is useful and doesn't interrupt their online experience.

We Can Save The Web
Through its Save the Web initiative, Rakuten Marketing is challenging the industry to improve brand, publisher and consumer relationships by increasing the amount of good advertising that brings value to consumers, without the disruption. The goal is to promote greater transparency, create more meaningful consumer engagement, decrease ad blocking, and increase revenue opportunities.

Zito continued, "Rakuten Marketing operates at the cross-section between brands and publishers and the consumers they serve, making us uniquely positioned to lead an industry change that unifies their interests. We are passionate about driving the education, communication and action needed to create a more positive and profitable web." 

The full Rakuten Marketing Insights Consumer Online Ad Sentiments results are available here: rakutenmarketing.com/save-the-web. The survey was completed by more than 2,500 global consumers who responded to an online questionnaire distributed by third-party research company, Qualtircs. The questionnaires were completed between April 17-21, 2017. Follow Save The Web on Facebook to get ongoing updates, insights and news about consumers' relationships with online advertising.

For more information about Rakuten Marketing and its integrated marketing solutions that deliver clear and actionable insights into consumer experiences, visit RakutenMarketing.com.

About Rakuten Marketing
Rakuten Marketing is the global leader in integrated marketing solutions, spanning affiliate, display and search. Rakuten Marketing empowers marketers to achieve the full potential of digital marketing by delivering data-driven personalized ad experiences that engage consumers – across screens, platforms and traditional publishers – and influence them to purchase. Rakuten Marketing is committed to transparency, providing consumer journey insights that are used to continually optimize for performance.

Rakuten Marketing is a division of Rakuten Inc. (4755: TOKYO), one of the world's leading Internet service companies. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, California, with offices in Australia, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, and throughout the United States. Follow us on Twitter or learn more at http://rakutenmarketing.com.

PR Contact
Lisa Tadje, Sr. Director, Communications
Rakuten Marketing
801-718-9980
[email protected]

SOURCE Rakuten Marketing

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