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Facebook sponsored ads unfavoured by consumers

Forty-four percent of global consumers would ‘never’ click on a Facebook sponsored ad, according to Greenlight’s Search & Social Survey (2011-2012).

The survey of 500 global consumers found that just 3% of respondents indicated they ‘regularly’ click on ads or sponsored listing on Facebook, with 10% ‘often’ clicking. Thirty-one percent suggested they ‘rarely’ click on ads, while 44% said they ‘never’ do.

The report also revealed that 30% of people ‘strongly distrust’ both Facebook and Twitter with their personal data. Apple and Google favoured better, with the majority of consumers trusting these brands with their data.

Facebook ranked as the third most popular website after Google and YouTube in terms of regularity, but came in second when accessed via a mobile phone. Fifty percent of respondents said they use Facebook for social engagement, photo sharing and catching up with friends and family.

“Facebook’s popularity doesn’t come as a surprise. However, with over 30% of respondents saying they ‘strongly distrust’ Facebook with their personal data, Facebook’s advertising programme has an upward struggle,” says Greenlight director of paid media Hannah Kimuyu. “Facebook’s advertising programme allows brands to connect with more than 800 million potential customers, through targeting their age, gender, location and interests, in other words – personal data.”

The findings mirror a recent AP-CNBC poll that showed eight in 10 Facebook users in the US hardly ever (26%) or never (57%) click on online advertising or sponsored content when using the site.

Jenni Baker, London