Well this is a tad awkward – UK consumers are more trusting of digital content delivered by brands than publications, a new study has claimed.
A survey of around 1,000 Brits from contextual ad solutions provider Vibrant Media finds that 27% trust content delivered by the brands they follow, with a slightly lesser proportion – of 23% – saying the same about publications.
To further amplify this point, 24.5% of the consumers surveyed by Vibrant Media claimed to distrust content from publications, higher than the 19% of consumers who viewed brands as untrustworthy sources.
It was not all doom and gloom for publishers, however, as some positives could be gleaned from feedback delivered by younger readers. Consumers aged 13-34 years were reportedly far more welcoming of content from all sources compared to readers aged 35-64.
Not only this, publishers have nothing about their profile to hide, and 47% of consumers said they would like to be informed that a piece of content is branded before digesting its information.
Craig Gooding, executive chairman & founder of Vibrant Media, said the findings also prove that web publishers are having no such problems with introducing sponsored posts to their audiences.
“The findings have reassured us that publishers who offer branded content, or are considering doing so, are not compromising their relationship with consumers.
“Yet British consumers’ cynicism means it is essential to act with the utmost responsibility when introducing branded content into an editorial environment.”