Social networks don’t show trusted ads? Trusted ads are on media sites

The Online Publishers Association published the results of its research into how brands are perceived across content in various online environments. The study looked at how environments like media publications (such as ESPN.com, iVillage, NYTimes.com, Wall Street Journal, etc.), portal channels (such as AOL News, MSN Money, Yahoo Sports, etc.), and social networks (Facebook, MySpace, etc.) influence content and advertisers.

"The goal of our research was to help brand marketers better understand why consumers receive and respond to online brand advertising differently depending on the content environment in which the message appears," explains OPA president Pam Horan. "Our findings show that site destination matters as trust and relevant content are perceived differently across content environments. This study concludes that consumers perceive and take action differently depending on where the advertiser's message appears."

Thus, the survey has found that 80% of participants who purchase brands as a result of online ads say they have a strong, positive emotional connection to the sites where the ads run.

The research shows that consumers are more likely to trust content on media sites (72%) than on portal channels (60%) and social media (23%). Audiences on media sites are significantly more likely to believe these sites' advertisers are high quality and reputable (24%), compared to portal channels (20%) and social media (8%), the OPA says.

"The study clearly concludes that online media proprieties offer advertisers a distinct brand halo effect for their advertising messages," says Horan.