Kids Click Through To More Banner Ads, Teens Click Less, According To Nielsen//NetRatings

NEW YORK, CA – August 15, 2000 – Nielsen//NetRatings, the Internet audience measurement service from Nielsen Media Research, ACNielsen eRatings.com and NetRatings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTRT), today reported the first findings of the Internet Advertising Strategies service, which was launched today.  The research revealed that kids click on Web ads more than any other age group, while teens are among the lowest clicking Internet users.  Understanding click rates by demographic groups enables marketers to better understand how to target ads to their audience.

The Nielsen//NetRatings Internet Advertising Strategies is a new analytical service that delivers the industry’s most effective global measurement system to accurately gauge advertising trends and usage activity.  Please refer to separate press release for further information.

The first report from the Nielsen//NetRatings Internet Advertising Strategies reveals that kids ages 2-11 are clicking at a consistently higher rate than any other age group.   In June 2000, kids averaged a click rate of 0.87 percent (see Graph 1). The average clickrate for the overall Internet audience for June 2000 was 0.45 percent, based on Nielsen//NetRatings data.

Table 1 shows the top 10 ads clicked on by kids ages 2-11 in June. The No. 1 ad clicked on was by Trident Gum, for its “Adventures of Supertooth” game.  Another consumer packaged goods advertiser, Nestle Ice Cream, showed up in the top 10 for its “Stamps and Stomps” online game campaign.  In the media space, another strong advertiser that is effectively reaching this market is Cartoon Network, which had three separate creatives—“Powerpuff Girls”, “Scooby Doo”, and “Sailor Moon”—hit the top 10.  

“The strategy of leveraging strong offline brand loyalty with interactive elements online, such as game playing or contests, is working to reach kids,” said Kate Maddox, director of Internet advertising strategies at NetRatings.  “The challenge will be to keep reaching this short-attention-span audience with new and creative advertising to break out of the clutter.”

“Although the click rate is higher for kids, it continues to decline at a steep rate, meaning advertisers will have to know what’s working and what’s not when it comes to reaching this segment.”

Table 1
Top 10 Ads Clicked On by Kids 2-11 Years Old, June 2000 (At-Home Users)

Jaded Teens Click Less
Click rates for the teenage audience are well below rates for other age groups, according to the Nielsen//NetRatings report. The average click rate for the 12-17 year old group was 0.19 percent in June 2000.  The click rate for the 18-20 year old group was even lower at 0.11 percent for the same time period.

“It’s no secret disaffected teens are a tough audience for marketers to crack.  Jaded by advertising, they’ve historically clicked at a lower rate than the average Internet audience,” said Maddox.

Despite their low average click rate, teens are clicking on ads that are highly targeted to their interests, such as ads that offer free goods and useful information.

The No. 1 ad clicked on by teens—garnering a 20.35 percent click rate—was by Eastpak, featuring a contest for a free backpack stuffed with prizes (see Table 2).  Other effective ads using prizes or games were by Cartoon Network (a “Sailor Moon” game in an ad), Alloy.com (a $500 shopping spree) and PrizeCentral (all kinds of free stuff).  Beyond looking for freebies, teens are also clicking on ads with useful information, such as “Potfacts,” a campaign produced by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and Apartments.com, which offers capabilities to search by state and to view floorplans. 

“The message to marketers is: you can still reach teens, even if they’re harder to attract, by creating campaigns that meet their specialized needs.  The more interactive, and the more highly targeted to their interests, the better,” said Maddox.

Table 2
Top 10 Ads Clicked On by Teens 12-17 Years Old, June 2000 (At-Home Users)

About Nielsen//NetRatings
Nielsen//NetRatings, the audience measurement service from Nielsen Media Research and NetRatings, Inc., collects real-time data from more than 65,000 panel members in the United States.  The U.S. panel sample consists of 57,000 at-home users and 8,000 at-work users.  These panels collectively represent the largest representative media research sample of Internet users in the industry.  Worldwide, Nielsen//NetRatings services are provided via a partnership with ACNielsen eRatings.com, a venture between ACNielsen (NYSE: ART) and NetRatings, Inc., and measure the Internet experiences of more than 165,000 Internet users.  

Nielsen//NetRatings services use unique technology capable of measuring both Internet use and advertising to provide the most timely, accurate and comprehensive Internet usage data and advertising information in the global marketplace.  Nielsen//NetRatings services leverage proprietary data-collection technology from NetRatings, Nielsen Media Research's 50 years of expertise in research and audience measurement, and ACNielsen’s international leadership in supplying market research information covering more than 100 countries.

Editor’s Note:  Please source all data to Nielsen//NetRatings.

# # #