Trade: 36% of Romanians declare they are more appreciative of a brand that has online sponsored ads

A study by Reveal Marketing Research on Romanians’ perception regarding advertising on social media:

• Of all the social networks, Facebook is in the first place in Romanians’ preferences (92%) with an average time spent online of 2.3 hours / day.

• 46% of respondents say they feel indifferent regarding sponsored ads on Facebook or Instagram, while also  admitting they are tired and bored of them.

• On the other hand, for 36% of Romanians, online advertising determines them to be more appreciative of that specific brand or person.

During the last year, we have witnessed the rise of all social networks. The time spent on the internet is increasing, so brands are adapting to this context with online advertising growing significantly. The Reveal Marketing Research (https://reveal.ro/.) study analyzes both the behavior and the perception of Romanians towards advertising on social media. Here are the results!

Of all the social networks, Facebook is in the first place in Romanians’ preferences (92%) with an average time spent online of 2.3 hours / day. Other applications frequently used on a daily basis by Romanians are Youtube with 63% and Instagram with 37%. Although TikTok is not in the top 3 apps, being mentioned by only 15% of respondents, data showed, however, that users spend a lot of time on this network. Romanians who use TikTok spend an average of 2.3 hours / day browsing through videos.

46% of Romanians say they feel tired and bored of sponsored ads on social media

As consumers spend more and more time in the virtual environment, we are seeing an increase in online advertising through sponsored campaigns on social media. In this context, the Reveal Marketing Research study analyzed the perception of Romanians regarding these advertisements. 46% of Romanians say they feel indifferent to sponsored ads seen on Facebook or Instagram, even saying that they feel tired and bored of them. We notice that the respondents affirm their indifference even when asked about their opinion on the brands that promote themselves in this way. Almost half of Romanians (47%) say they do not form an opinion when they see promoted ads on social media.

Some Romanians are annoyed by sponsored ads, an aspect mentioned by 17% of respondents. Only 9% of Romanians say they feel lucky to see these ads giving them the energy to look for new products. More than half of consumers (53%) say that they usually click on these ads only if they are truly interested in the product and are involved in the purchase process. Others, although they do not want to buy the products, stated that they clicked on the ad only out of curiosity (25%).

Even if the sponsored ads annoy some Romanians, they make others more appreciative of the brand.

Although for many Romanians online ads provoke negative emotions, others admit that this sort of advertising has a positive impact. 28% of them say they are happy to see such ads and admit they are satisfied with this type of experience on social media. In addition, 36% of Romanians declare they appreciate more the brand or the person as a result of online advertising.

What makes users more appreciative of these brands is the fact that online ads help them find out more about products, a reason mentioned by 53% of respondents. Also, sponsored ads help users decide more easily in the purchase process (47%).

Therefore, 52% of consumers say that the sponsored ads they see on social media are usually related to their interests, even saying that they previously searched the internet for similar products. We see that brands investing in online advertising are appreciated by 53% of respondents. These brands are also evaluated as offering products or services of higher quality, an aspect mentioned by 31% of respondents. 

Another element that determines Romanians to click on these ads is the visual identity. 33% of respondents say they open an advertisement that they find visually appealing. 27% of respondents say they click on the ad if it is for a brand they know of. These data are relevant for brands, as they can calibrate their communication strategy according to the reactions and behaviors of consumers.

Only 17% of respondents say they appreciate less a brand that has sponsored ads. The main reason mentioned by them is the desire to search for products on their own (57%), while 33% even consider that online promotion is an indicator of lower quality brands. Some Romanians say that sponsored ads are not helpful in the purchase decision (29%). Also, a barrier in accessing these ads is the risk of being retargeted, and once they clicked on an ad, to receive other similar ads in the newsfeed (27%). In addition to all this, more than a quarter of Romanians would avoid clicking on the ad because it does not seem reliable (26%).

About Reveal Marketing Research

Reveal Marketing Research is a market research company, with a team specialized in marketing research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and an accurate brand positioning. The qualitative and quantitative solutions provided by Reveal have been helping companies in Romania and Europe for over 12 years.

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The method used was CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) and 1014 online interviews were conducted with respondents over the age of 18, online users, on a nationally representative urban and rural sample between April 2-6, 2021. Sampling error +/- 3%. Confidence level: 95%.

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