Preeminence and Credibility of Online Advertisements – A Behavioural Analysis of Young Internet Users

Background: Digital and technological advancements has enabled online advertisements penetrating into most of internet users’ day-to-day life and this has led internet users, particularly, young people to spend more time on it. The internet enables the users being attracted towards and engages in accessing online advertisements. Amongst several media available for business advertisements, for example from print to electronic media advertising through internet or through World Wide Web has emerged as a popular medium and online advertising is a key element of digital marketing around the world. Method: The behavioral study was adopted as a methodology. The required data were collected by administering questionnaire. Responses from young users who are viewing online advertisements are captured and critically analyzed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric test. Results: The results suggest that internet has become one of the emerging media for online advertisements, because of its wide accessibility and coverage as compared to other traditional forms of advertisement. In fact, use of digital technology could result in young internet users, not only for browsing internet for information and entertainment, but they are also forced to view and/or watch online advertisements displayed in the website which they are accessing. Amongst different age group of internet users, who browse for various purposes, young people, particularly teen age group, are widely using the internet, not only for email communication, social messaging but also for buying products and services through online. Implications: The results of the study have potential implications on online advertisements that could be helpful in framing digital strategies for organisational success. Thus, this paper emphasizes the preeminence and credibility of online advertisements through a critical behavioral analysis of young internet users and their perspectives.