To Engage Today's Consumers, User-Generated and Personalized Advertising Could Be the Holy Grail, According to New Horowitz Research

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., Jan. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In today's increasingly fragmented media environment, effectively reaching and engaging with consumers with advertising is more challenging than ever. According to Horowitz Research's newly released State of Consumer Engagement 2018 study, new ad formats and technologies that create a more personalized experience are having a positive impact on consumers' attitudes towards advertising. Horowitz will reveal additional findings from this study during a webinar on January 23, 2019 from 1-2pm EST. Click here for more information and to register.

According to consumers surveyed, television advertising still delivers for advertisers, with live TV still being the platform on which half of 35-49 year-olds and six in ten 50+ year-olds say they are exposed to the most ads. Among 18-34 year-olds, one-third (33%) report seeing the most ads on live TV.

Social media, however, seems poised to eclipse TV as the platform where consumers are exposed to the most ads. Compared to the 33% of 18-34 year-olds who report seeing the most ads on TV, 42% mention social media (41% among 35-49 year-olds and 24% of 50+).

The form of promotions is evolving as well. When asked which forms of promotion they feel are most effective at reaching them with a brand message, almost half of consumers surveyed (45%) mention user reviews/unpacking videos and 44% mentioned product reviews or articles (paid media), on par with TV ads (41%). These more personalized and curated tactics (whose consumption implies that the consumer sought them out or searched for similar products or services online in order to be recommended those videos and articles) ranked even higher than when brands have an active social media presence (36%) or when sponsored posts come up in their social media feed (31%) (view chart).

Despite privacy concerns, consumers have an affinity to seeing brand messages that are relevant to them and want to have one-on-one relationships with the brands they interact with. Almost half (44%) of consumers surveyed said that it appeals to them when personalized ads that seem to be targeted to their needs and interests appear during a show; only 16% say it's a turn-off. Notably, younger and multicultural audiences are even more likely to find personalized advertising appealing, signaling an opportunity for TV providers and streaming platforms to continue to leverage addressable advertising technology to better engage with these valuable audiences and deliver better ROI for their advertisers.

In addition to ads that are personalized based on a viewer's needs and interests, consumers also find it very appealing when they see themselves represented in ads. This is especially true for multicultural audiences, who have long been underrepresented in the media world: Almost 6 in 10 Hispanics and over half of Blacks and Asians say that it appeals to them when ads "feature people that look like me."

"Interest-targeted advertising based on an individual's online activity and addressable TV advertising based on household profiles have created an environment in which consumers now expect, and respond more positively to, brand messages that are relevant to their interests and needs," noted Adriana Waterston, SVP of Insights and Strategy for Horowitz Research. "In today's incredibly fragmented, multiscreen environment, if it's not customized, consumers are just going to tune it out."
State of Consumer Engagement 2018 is an online survey conducted by Horowitz Research among 1,421 adults 18+. This report provides a comprehensive look at media usage, advertising attentiveness and avoidance, and how to strengthen consumers' relationships with brands, covering, among other topics:

    --  Social media usage
    --  Engagement and interaction with advertising
    --  The impact of personalizing the advertising experience
    --  The role of diversity in advertising
    --  Factors that impact consumers' perception of brands

The full report provides analyses by age and race (White, Hispanic, Black, and Asian). Additional segment analyses are available upon request. For more information, click here.

For more information, to schedule an interview with an analyst, or to request specific data, please contact stephaniew(at)horowitzresearch.com, 303-284-6879.

About Horowitz Research
Horowitz Research is a leading provider of consumer market research specializing in media content, services, and technology. Founded in 1985, Horowitz Research provides an annual syndicated research subscription and a full suite of à la carte syndicated reports about consumer attitudes, behaviors, and relationships with media, telecommunications, social media, technology, and advertising. With expertise in the pay TV, video, and consumer technology space, Horowitz also provides primary quantitative and qualitative consumer and market research for companies ranging from small start-ups to Fortune 500. For more information, visit http://www.horowitzresearch.com.

SOURCE Horowitz Associates, Inc.