A technology client asked us:
What are the perspectives and experiences of both Gen Z consumers and advertisers themselves in the online ad ecosystem?
How do they understand and tackle personalization and privacy concerns?
A technology client came to us for help designing a multi-segment study to better develop their understanding of the ads space following changes to privacy restrictions. Primarily, they were looking to dive into their youth audiences to understand how they experience the ad ecosystem, while also gaining feedback from advertisers themselves on how they approach personalization and privacy restrictions for this particular audience.
Our client’s primary research objectives included:
- Understanding younger consumers’ sentiments towards ad experiences and the ad ecosystem.
- Exploring how advertisers are thinking about and approaching personalization in relation to data privacy.
- Testing and prioritizing potential features related to each audience to gain targeted feedback and determine next steps.
We Answered:
In this study, we conducted one-on-one interviews with young adults (ages 18-21), including some participants who were more sensitive to data privacy, to understand how they consume digital content. We also interviewed a range of advertiser segments, including both in-house and agency roles across small to large ecommerce and retail businesses.
By comparing the experiences of both audiences, we were able to uncover how their perspectives intersected, where mismatched expectations could arise, and how preferences and approaches differed.
Outcome:
Our ads UX experts delivered in-depth insights on youth mental models and their overall understanding of online ads ecosystems, as well as key takeaways on advertisers’ experiences with their ads tools.
AnswerLab provided findings and recommendations, including:
- Key attitudes, behaviors, and mental models around ads for both segments
- Reasons consumers were more or less drawn to certain ad formats
- In-depth findings on potential features and flows for the client to create a roadmap for future development and tools, including critical implications and improvements for each
- User perceptions and preferences focused on key topics including data privacy, personalization, social media ads, cookies and more
...
Advertising is a complex space with multi-dimensional strategies and several key players who make up the industry, from buyers to sellers to agencies to the media.
Regardless of your place within the industry and the audience you’re targeting, AnswerLab can help you understand the nuances of each research question and audience to contextualize them within the broader ads landscape.
Get in touch with our team to learn more about our ads expertise.
