I reviewed a report today conducted by the Online Publishers Association in cooperation with web traffic analytic company comScore.
The report finds that display advertising on websites increases consumer engagement. This may substantiate that Brokers may actually be able to convert more consumers on their websites if they offer advertising. As a secondary benefit, brokers may also pick up a few extra dollars from advertisers.
Historically brokers have believed that advertising cheepens thier site, and have recoiled from the concept of selling online advertising. Companies like Cyberhomes have developed ad networks that allow brokers to choose who advertises on the broker site, how much they pay, and even allow the broker to post their own ads.
Findings related to specific content sites:
- E-commerce spending by those visitors exposed to ads on OPA business news siteswas 21% higher (a total of $334) than those exposed on the top 50 business sites.
- E-commerce spending by exposed visitors on OPA news sites was 15% higher (a total of $426) than those exposed on the top 50 news sites.
- E-commerce spending by those exposed to ads on OPA sports sites was 8% higher (a total of $241) than those exposed on the top 50 sports sites.
About the research: The analysis consisted of an assessment of 80 of the biggest branding campaigns across 200 of the most trafficked sites over a months time. It measured searches related to the advertisers brands, the traffic driven to those advertisers sites, and e-commerce transactions related to advertisers brands.
