40% of Tablet Users Think Ads Are Acceptable

As mobile is slowly but surely becoming the norm for UK marketing agencies and consumers alike, new research into mobile advertising sheds more light on consumers’ engagement.

According to a new study from research firm Nielsen, advertising on tablets has more impact than advertising on smartphones in a variety of ways. For instance, 40% of tablet users think that ads on their devices are “acceptable”, while just 30% of smartphone users share this opinion.

Interestingly, while almost a quarter of tablet owners say they have been exposed to an ad every time they have used the device and a similar proportion claim that this happens once a day, the numbers for smartphone users stand at 16% and 21%, respectively. Yet, despite being exposed to more advertising, tablet users seem more willing to accept it.

Meanwhile, some 28% of tablet owners have used the device to search for information about a product they have seen advertised on TV, while a more modest 18% of smartphone users have done so. Nearly two-thirds of the former use their devices while watching TV several times a week, which means that viewers get distracted during TV commercial breaks, says David Gosen, Nielsen’s European managing director for telecoms.

Nevertheless, Gosen believes that brands which can provide creative integrated campaigns on TV, mobile and online search are likely to reap benefits.