Pop goes the filter bubble
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New research from the UK's largest independent media agency, the7stars, in partnership with Newsworks, reveals that 63% of the nation want more serendipitous online content.
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Pop goes the filter bubble
- 4. 82% of people have never heard of the term “filter bubble” The general public are MORE aware of terms such as.. 88% aware 81% aware
- 5. What we did
- 6. ‘“Going on the internet is like going through a middle eastern souk, you’re constantly bombarded with stuff all the time, coming at all angles. You start off and you're politely brushing people off at first but by the time you get to the end you’re like f*** off leave me alone” What do consumers think of their online experience?
- 7. Consumer knowledge of tracking and targeting 7/10are aware that advertisers pay to appear within Google search results Consumer naїvety of personalisation 47% believe they know what a web cookie is and does 64% are not aware that Google searches are personalised 61% are not aware that Facebook ads are matched to their personal profile
- 8. The challenge for brands 59% of consumers feel bombarded by information that isn’t relevant ‘it’s nice to have something fresh and new, but to be bombarded with information… after a while you’re not really interested. It’s just everywhere, so there’s never any new information there. It’s just telling me what I already know.’
- 9. The challenge for brands 2/3of ads that consumers see are random or not relevant You know, lose seven stone in four weeks and all these rubbish adverts, they always seem to be the same rubbish adverts down the side. There never seems to be anything really amazing or good company advertising…would you take the gamble of going on their website? Is it a scam? Probably.’
- 10. The challenge for brands 57% of consumers are scared to click on a brand ad in case it follows them around ‘Even if you click on them once just for a little curiosity value, suddenly they follow you around for two or three months and I just can’t be arsed. I’m very wary now of clicking anything.’
- 11. 63%of people love it when they stumble across something useful and interesting but unexpected Opportunity for brands Serendipity Redefining relevance We need more serendipity – in between the hyper-targeted and completely random. Something relevant but not exact. 52% 37% 37% 36% 35% 19% My interests and hobbies Products I have bought previously Products I have looked at recently but not bought Websites I have visited Recommendations based on other things I have looked at or bought My age
- 12. Where newsbrands stand 32% of participants cited newsbrands as their preferred source of news, whereas this figure was only 9% for Facebook. 50% 34% 14% 26% 6% My interests and hobbies My age My social class 17% Relevant advertising x preferred source of news Newsbrands Facebook
- 14. Golden rules for online planning Show a little respect Redefine the role for online advertising Re-evaluate relevance Keep the consumer curious
- 15. the7stars Founded in 2005, the7stars is the UK’s largest independent media agency. Any questions: Helen Rose, head of insight helen.rose@the7stars.co.uk 0207 436 7275 Newsworks Newsworks is the marketing body for national newspapers in all their forms. Any questions: Rupert Medler, insight executive rupert.medler@newsworks.org.uk 0207 747 2134
Editor's Notes
- Eli Pariser coined the team Filter Bubble in 2011. Filter bubbles result from personalized searches when a website algorithm selectively guesses what information a user would like to see based on information about the user (such as location, past click-behavior and search history).[1][2][3] As a result, users become separated from information that disagrees with their viewpoints, effectively isolating them in their own cultural or ideological bubbles.[4] The filter bubble term rose to prominence last year off the back of the surprising results of the EU referendum and U.S. presidential election The results called into question the effects of the "filter bubble" phenomenon on user exposure to fake news and echo chambers,[9] spurring new interest in the term,[10] with many concerned that the phenomenon may harm democracy But how is this of relevance to brands?
- Well, if filter bubbles can affect an election outcome, they will also be impacting what brands and content people consume, and most importantly how they discover new stuff. One of the big claims of the digital world was the ability to filter through the choice overload and find information relevant to our needs and preferences. It promised to broaden our horizons by mass-producing moments of “pleasant surprise”. This promise is not being met. The filtering, and the definition of relevance behind it, has become too restrictive; trapping people inside bubbles rather than widening their choices. Outside of the bubble is largely meaningless choice; the random, irrelevant and feared. The middle ground – serendipity – is what is missing. 9 - Random - Not relevant at all = meaningless choice - Serendipitous - Broadly relevant = provides choice and delight - Targeted - Precisely relevant = useful, expected, don’t provide the moments of joy There are three main types of adverts online defined by their level of relevance – Brands and products that areneither relevant or trustworthy;unexpected but unneeded– Increases information overloadand meaningless choice – Things that are relevant butunexpected, different andhaven’t been considered– Broadens horizons, providingboth choice and delight – Relevant but expected; basedon things already purchased orrejected– Convenient reminders but don’t
- BUT.. The media industry is guilty of operating within a bubble of its own to some degree – the general population are not familiar with the term ‘filter bubble’ with less than 1 in 5 recognising the term. So while the concept of the filter bubble may not have widespread recognition among consumers, the lack of knowledge about algorithmic control becomes a potentially even bigger issue for brands trying to reach them.
- So we thought we’d start the findings by giving an example of what the average person thinks about their online experience, showing that we haven’t quite reached our potential in terms of user experience just yet. This man was full of great analogies, but this particular one has to be our favourite.
- The results show that consumers do have an appreciation of how much their online experience is targeted and tracked, with 7 in 10 aware that advertisers pay to appear within Google search results, and just under 1 in 2 saying they know what a web cookie is and does. / However, this is contradicted by a majority who do not understand the algorithmic personalisation at play – 2 out of 3 are not aware their Google searches are personalised and 6 out of 10 do not realise adverts on Facebook are matched to personal profiles.
- So in this there's a challenge for brands. There's a scale of expectation when it comes to content and ad exposure. While targeted content is valued for providing relevant and convenient information, it doesn't trigger the positive surprises and discoveries we know consumers crave. At worst consumers feel bombarded by random information that isn't relevant, / where they're presented with meaningless choice. Here’s an example from our research. She also spoke about how this onslaught of irrelevant information put her off particular brands.
- Despite the amount of online targeting, consumers feel that almost 2/3 of the ads they see are random and not relevant. / The research found that people are most likely to feel 'annoyed', 'irritated' and 'invaded' as a result. This guy was great, I liked the multiple use of ‘rubbish’ along with the wild gesticulation in the video that really drilled home his point. The point that people are very wary of being conned due to the poor quality of some online ads came through in other interviews too.
- These negative associations engender a lack of trust in online brand discovery, with 57% of consumers agreeing they're scared to click on a brand ad in case they're then followed around by it. / Here he is again, describing how consumers are often put off clicking on brand adds for fear that they’ll be stalked around the internet. I guess you’ve picked up that this guy really liked to swear! He swears in every single video clip we’ve got of him…
- The questions brands need to address is how to define relevance in their targeting strategies. Consumers are most likely to agree that they associate relevance with their personal interests and hobbies rather than it being related to previous browsing and shopping behaviours or their demographics. / / With 63% of consumers craving more serendipitous brand moments online, there is clearly an opportunity to go beyond the comfort of standard targeting.
- So where do newsbrands stand in all of this? Firstly, it’s worth considering the scale of newsbrands vs Facebook as preferred sources of news. 32% of people cited newsbrands as their preferred source of news, whereas only 9% cited Facebook. (out of the survey of 1,000) People who prefer newsbrands as the source of their news are more likely to find an ad relevant if it relates to their 'interests and hobbies', whereas those who prefer Facebook are happier with more traditional means of targeting such as age and social class. It’s important to note that some findings from the experiment phase showed that online ads have different roles depending on the activity and mindset. When in a news mindset, people aren’t necessarily in ‘buy mode’, they seem to be in more of a ‘gather and explore’ frame of mind. Social media is often used for shopping inspiration. Back to Helen…
- The main output of the research has been to educate the industry, and ultimately to work towards improving the the online experience for consumers The research findings gained a lot of coverage in the trade press…..
- The industry’s responsibility Consumer-centric planning is key to addressing the challenges brands are facing. At the7stars we believe there are four online planning behaviours that should be adopted industry-wide: Show a little respect Finding the right proportion of targeted versus serendipitous content is essential to redress the balance consumers’ desire. While targeted content plays a welcome role for building brand familiarity and favourability, consumers are savvy about the negative side effects of too much of a good thing: 7 out of 10 consumers agree they start to ignore online ads they’ve seen too many times, and half would like to turn off ads when they become annoying. Redefining the role for online advertising Putting the consumer experience first would mean brands are more likely to consider what consumers want, rather than what will be best for their ROI metrics. Too much focus on last click attribution means the opportunity for the online environment is much broader than advertisers sometimes give it credit for. Re-evaluate relevance Aligning with personal passions and contextually appropriate content points to a truer definer of relevance for the majority of consumers today. Relevance is a multi-dimensional word current programmatic algorithms do not fully appreciate. While previous browser history was felt to have some impact on relevance, it was not rated as a #1 definer by any consumer groups. Equally, age was felt to be a driver of relevance only among the youngest and oldest groups (under 24yrs or over 65yrs) where life-stage plays a role. Keep the consumer curious Frequency capping and rules for best practice could easily improve the experience for consumers to have more faith in their online actions. The overriding emotion when they see serendipitous content and advertising is curiosity – an emotion that makes people want to act. Yet, the feelings of being stalked online are currently stifling it.