UK consumers aren’t trusting branded editorial content but are warming to mobile and social ads
UK consumers are beginning to doubt what they read from advertisers in editorial content but their faith in the ads they see on mobile devices and social networks is on the upturn, according to a study.
While editorial content remains one of the most trusted advertising channels, there are signs its effectiveness is wavering. The medium was knocked by the sharpest decline in trust in the UK, plummeting eight per cent to 54 per cent year-on-year between 23 February and 13 March, according to Nielsen’s latest biennial Global Survey of Trust in Advertising.
Of the 19 formats assessed, online triumphed over traditional methods and only the three least trusted channels – mobile, text on mobile and social ads – noted an enhanced confidence score among consumers.
Trust in mobile ads improved by three per cent, while promotional text messages experienced a two per cent hike over the same period. 34 per cent of respondents said they trusted social ads – up one per cent from 2014.
The study, which polled 30,000 online respondents across 60 countries, indicated that trust in promotional emails and newspaper ads is weakening, having fallen by seven and six per cent respectively. However, both are still among the most trusted advertising formats among UK consumers.
A shift towards digital platforms was clear, and although online video and banner ads recorded a lower trust rating than established formats, their credibility score held up year-on-year while trust in TV ads fell by four per cent
The report also considered which ad formats were most likely to result in people taking action. Personal recommendation came out on top, with 71 per cent of respondents agreeing that word of mouth was conducive to further interaction.
In general, consumers said they were more likely to trust an ad than take action as a result of viewing it. Opted-in emails, search engine result ads and text ads bucked this trend, and were noted as more likely to engender action rather than trust.
Nielsen’s executive vice-president of marketing effectiveness for Europe, Terrie Brennan put this inclination down to the simplicity of online and mobile formats.
"They make it exceptionally easy for consumers to live in the moment and take quick action on the ad. Often, consumers simply click a link and they’re directed to a place where they can receive more information or purchase the item," he added.
Word of mouth also took the crown for the most trusted format overall, and 81 per cent of people said they would have faith in a recommendation from friends. A confidence rating of 58 per cent meant that online consumer opinions were also increasingly dominant, followed by promotional emails at 56 per cent.
The study indicated that Britons are generally less trusting of all types of advertising compared to the global average, but generally more trusting than Europeans as a whole.