Dive Brief:
- According to a Wall Street Journal report, publishers are testing offering website visitors incentives to remain on the site for a set duration of time.
- The incentives are an effort to boost website traffic, which in turn would lift advertising rates, and is a tactic borrowed from the advertising world where web browsers are offered rewards to view ads.
- According to the WSJ, both Condé Nast and New York Magazine are partnering with Jun Group, an incentive-based advertising specialist, to implement the tactic.
Dive Insight:
One issue with essentially “paying” people to remain on a website is it doesn’t necessarily drive desired traffic. The WSJ reported that Time Inc. ended a partnership with Jun Group because the incentive tactic was bringing in visitors that weren’t as engaged as Time wanted.
The process involves a web browser clicking on links that promise them they will earn points for viewing content. They are then taken to a publisher’s website to view a page with a countdown time of 10, 15 or 30 seconds. Once the timer ends, the web browser must click further to remain on the site and continue receiving rewards, such as points that can be redeemed for cash or gifts at retailers.
Publishers offering incentives to web browsers simply to view website content is the result the increased importance of comScore traffic numbers in determining ad rates. It is also the result of publishers taking a big hit by the ongoing ad blocking battle between fed up consumers and intrusive ads. Until the advertising industry finds a unified front in meeting the ad block challenge, publishers are going to have to continue looking for ways to get readers to come to their pages and view ads.