IN THE AGE of information technology, traditional means of advertising through media or in newspapers is swiftly being replaced by digital online advertising. Sherine Nasr discovers that consumers, too, play a major role in promoting new products. Consumers' opinions posted online and personal recommendations are believed to be the most trusted form of advertising globally. A recent survey conducted by Nielsen Company, a global information and media concern, has shown that nine in every 10 Internet consumers worldwide trust recommendations from people they know, while seven in every 10 trust consumer opinions posted online. The latest half-yearly Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey tracked 25,420 Internet consumers in 50 markets across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. The survey underlined that consumers most often rely on word of mouth in the decision-making process, either from people they know or other online consumers. "The explosion in consumer-generated media over the last couple of years has forced advertisers to use a more realistic form of messaging that is grounded in the experience of consumers, rather than the lofty ideals of advertisers," said Hany Mwafy, managing director for Egypt and North Africa of Nielsen Company. Egyptians, however, are among the least trusting group of online consumers. Only 40 per cent of Egyptian Internet consumers trust this form of advertising, compared to 81 per cent in Vietnam, 80 per cent in Italy and 77 per cent in China and France. Egypt ranked 41st out of the 50 countries represented in the survey. When it comes to brand websites, which are believed to be the most trusted form of advertiser-led global advertising, Egypt ranks in the middle, with 65 per cent of Internet consumers trusting brand websites. According to Mwafy, "regional differences provide a clear guide to advertisers as to how they should focus their ad strategy in different countries." Past Nielsen studies showed that the majority of people posting comments online went to the advertisers' website or e-mailed feedback to the company before they posted. "This provides advertisers with a golden opportunity to shape the tone and content of consumer opinion before it reaches the digital masses," said Mwafy. Further, the survey has shown that most of Egypt's Internet users (some 81 per cent) agree that advertising stimulates competition, which leads to better products and lower prices, but they also find advertising to be lacking in useful information on important issues to society such as safety and health. Although brand websites score highly amongst Internet consumers, the survey shows that other forms of digital advertising are trusted less than ads appearing in traditional media such as TV, billboards, radio, magazines and newspapers. Text ads on mobile phones, online banner ads, online video ads and ads in search engine results are forms of advertising least likely to elicit a degree of trust, the survey indicated.
