People need to be convinced that online ads are trustworthy

Advertisers need to do more to convince consumers that online ads are trustworthy, a new study has claimed.

Nielsen questioned 26,486 internet users in 47 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, the Americas and the Middle East about their opinions on advertising.

The study found that just 26 per cent of consumers trusted online banner ads and 34 per cent believed search ads.

This compares to the 63 and 56 per cent who said they trusted newspaper and TV ads respectively.

However, the study did show that consumers trusted the opinions of other internet users - with 61 per cent of respondents saying that they believed online posts about products. Blogs were also trusted by about 60 per cent of consumers.

"Advertisers around the world are able to reach consumers across an increasingly diverse range of media platforms," explained David McCallum, Nielsen´s global managing director of customised research.

"Even so, the recommendation of someone else remains the most trusted source of information when consumers decide which products and services to buy."

A recent Deloitte study showed that younger internet users increasingly viewed content on blogs and online video sites, suggested that these should be areas that advertisers target.