Web Banner Ads Reach More Women Than Men

Men are not as likely as women to click on an Internet banner ad. But for both, the decision to click is fueled more by curiosity than by discount offers, says an online survey by Internet research firm PC Data. When asked how often they click on a banner ad, 51% of women and 43% of men say they do so occasionally. Another 39% of men and 29% of women say they seldom click on ads. Animated ads are most preferred (70% of respondents) followed by nonanimated ads (23%) and pop-up ads (7%). Sixty-one percent of respondents say curiosity about the ad's subject is their main motivator for banner clicks, more so than discounts (10%) or familiarity with the product (10%). And half of both men and women say they rely on Internet ads as a source of information about new sites. Other top information sources: friends and colleagues (67%), and Internet searches (68%).