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"As time spent on social networking sites increases, advertisers are funneling more ad dollars into campaigns targeting users on those platforms.\nBut what type of ads on Facebook or other social networks work the best? To find out, Psychster Inc. teamed up with Allrecipes to determine which kinds of ads are most effective and whether the platforms  advertisements appear on make a difference.\nThe study (embedded below) tested seven different types of ads on two different publisher websites, Facebook and Allrecipes. The ad types evaluated were: banner ads, newsletter subscription ads, corporate profiles with fans and logos, corporate profiles without fans or logos, get widgets, give widgets and sponsored content.\nThe Results\n\n\nWhile sponsored content provided the most user interaction (and was the least likely to be perceived as advertising), it also triggered the lowest level of purchase intent and the fewest viral recommendations.\nCorporate profiles are effective but they work better when users can become a fan of the profile and add a logo to their own page.\nMore people engage with give/get widgets than with banner ads, however widgets do not increase purchase intent or viral recommendations.\nRegardless of format, the most effective advertisements were those that were related to the content on the publisher's website (i.e. a soup advertisement on a cooking website).\nOf the seven advertising types, banner ads and newsletter links were the most successful at encouraging purchase intent.\n\nSurprisingly, the study suggests that banner ads may be the best choice for advertisers that want to push a product. However, for campaigns that want to build engagement, corporate profiles or sponsored content is the better option.\nThe Report\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYour Thoughts\nWhat do you think about this study? Do you think that ad placement has any impact?  Let us know!\n\nFor more social media coverage, follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2010/03/30/social-media-ad-stats/>