Zitec Study: Over 80% of Romanians, annoyed by stereotypes in online ads

Over 80% of the Romanians aged between 18 and 55 in the online consider they are annoyed by the online ads which reflect stereotypes such as genre ones, with women in the kitchen or men who drive powerful cars.   The conclusions were drawn following a study made by Zitec, leader on the IT and digital marketing market in Romania, and the research agency Ipsos through automated instrument and DIY for research Ipsos. Digital for the evaluation of the way in which Romanian consumers interact with brands and online publicity campaign.   According to the study, made at national level in the first part of 2022, on a sample of 500 people aged between 18 and 55, over 68% of the interviewees state they have noticed the presence of stereotypes in the online promotion campaigns, while 83% of them considered themselves annoyed by them. The most appreciated types of ads over the last period of time by the Romanians were those with funny content, which help them relax, 63%, being followed by those which present directly specifications or characteristics of a product (56%), those who promote values or urge to action (52%) and ads with moving content which speak about daily reality (43%). Otherwise, almost 73% of the participants to the study consider ads they follow online as being relevant for them.   At the other hand, the least appreciated ads were those who promote political agenda (57%), complex ads which are difficult to understand (42%), those with no action and only present a product or an offer (39%) or in which bands present values, but not facts (37%).   Intention to buy and factors which influence it: from values of brand to influencers   According to the Zitec study, over 62% of the interviewees choose to support a brand if the promoted values are similar to theirs, such as sustainability, promotion of certain causes or transmit messages with social impact. At the same time, 54% of the interviewees stated they gave up buying products or services of a brand as they were not in line with their values or actions.     At the same time, 6 % of the interviewees state they are drawn by an ad from a brand they have never heard of, but which presents a product they are interested in. Similarly, half of them stated the reason which make them to subscribe to the newsletter of a company are reductions or benefits they receive following this action.   As regards the type of content consumed most often on the online, almost 60% of the participants prefer video and images content, while only 26% are interested in the radio one.   The part of influencers marketing proved efficient in the case of brands which are directed to Romanian consumers. More than half of the participants to the study stated they acquired a product after they saw it promoted by an influencer, and 25% searched for more info about this product or brand. Similarly, 81% of the interviewees discovered a brand or company after they saw them promoted by an influencer.   While referring to the intent to buy online of the Romanians this year, according to the research Zitec and Ipsos, almost 52% of the interviewees estimate they will buy only as much as in 2021, and 30% propose to buy more online as compared to the previous year. On the other hand, only 16% of the participants estimate they will buy less online in 2022.   About Zitec Leader on the IT &Digital Marketing market in Romania with offices in Bucharest and Brasov, Zitec is specialized in the development of business, services and personalized technological products, mobile apps, blockchain, as well as digital marketing services.   Zitec is one of the few Romanian companies certified Google Cloud Premier Partner, Microsoft Application Development, Microsoft Gold Cloud Platform, Amazon AWS Technology Partner and supplier of the platform eCommerce in cloud VTEX, as well as Adobe Solution Bronze Partner.   In 2021, Zitec was among the 15 finalists of the programme ‘Made in Romania’ launched by the Stock Exchange Bucharest, for active contribution to the development of the IT industry in Romania and acceleration of the digital transformation in public companies and institutions. Zitec received the prize ‘Shining Star 2021’ offered by Inspiring Employers for the organizational culture based on open communication, continuous development and recognition.   Similarly, they won the title ‘The employer of the year’ with Romanian Business Services Forum & Awards two years in a row, in 2020 and 2021. At the same time, Zitec was second in ‘Top employers 2021’ ranking made by the platform Undelucram.ro.   For digital marketing services, the company was nominated in the top of digital agencies in Romania according to Forbes in 2019 and 2020, registering growth of the turnover of over 60% in 2021 against the previous year. For its activity in 2021, Zitec was named ‘The company of the year’ in the ANIS Romania 2022 Gala, receiving this distinction in 2020 as well. Zitec is partner of the European Community through European projects finalized or implemented in the programmes Ambient Assisted Living and Erasmus +.