Can marketers get customers to view ads as less intrusive, if the ad content is more relevant? According to the findings in The 2004 Survey on Internet Ads, co-sponsored by Chapell & Associates and Revenue Science and conducted by the Ponemon Institute, a majority of people would view banner ads as less intrusive if they were more relevant to their specific areas of interest.

The survey of more than 1,000 people revealed that consumers prefer banner ads that are relevant to their needs and interests by a 2 to 1 margin over those that are not relevant. 52 percent of those polled stated they would be more likely to click on targeted ads than on others.

The 2004 Survey on Internet Ads also found that consumers want stronger privacy measures in conjunction with providing the information that will enable more relevant ads. Although 45 percent of respondents said they would be willing to provide additional personal information if it meant they would receive more ads targeted to their individual interests, 55 percent showed a preference for technology that allows targeted ads without collecting personal information. Moreover, 69 percent favor the use of privacy-enabling technology to prevent misuse of sensitive personal data, rather than third-party verification of “good” privacy practices.

The study also found strong anti-banner ad sentiment among consumers. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said banner ads were “always annoying” — a frustration level just below that exhibited toward spam and telemarketers. 44 percent went so far as to say that unwanted Internet ads should be banned by law. However, a majority indicated that they are unwilling to pay for ad blocking services or online content to stop such ads.