NEW YORK: A new study from MediaVest USA and Knowledge Networks has found that people pay more attention to traditional media ads and less so to online ones. Online ads performed better only next to ads appearing in public restrooms.

The research contradicts the prevailing air of skepticism among media planners in the US about the effectiveness of mass-media advertising. North American research director for MediaVest Mary Ellen Vincent was quoted in reports saying, "One often hears of media fragmentation and about how hard it is to reach consumers. While that's true, people tend to make sweeping statements about the extent to which that's the case."
Even though more than one in three people surveyed took little notice of at least one of the top five mass media: television, radio, newspapers, billboards and magazines consumers still pay greater attention to those outlets than most other venues for marketing. 27 per cent of respondents said that they were very attentive to mass media brand messages. 18 per cent had a similar response towards non-mainstream media and 10 per cent voted for the online medium.

Respondents paid least attention to banner ads on the Internet and ads in public restrooms. The online poll of 1,119 consumers was conducted in August and September by Knowledge Networks in California. 37 per cent were cynical. They pay little attention to at least one of the five mass media. On a positive note only six per cent were cynical about advertising across all mainstream media.

The study also found that interest in embracing new media, like personal video recorders and satellite radio, did not strongly correlate to income or Internet usage. It correlated to the amount of television watched and the amount of radio that the respondents listened to.