The growth of UGC (user generated content) has been explosive on the internet, and similarly is expected to become a major presence on the mobile web. How best to monetize UGC content with advertising is a topic of much conversation – the reach is huge, but will UGC audiences accept ads and respond to them?

At the end of last year, comScore, a global internet information provider, conducted a survey of internet users in the US to help answer these questions. A couple of interesting facts from the study:

• over 40% of 18-34 year old respondents said they were receptive to ads with UGC content, the figure drops to 23% for the 55+ demographic
• video streaming is already pervasive, 64% of internet users initiated a stream last August, with the average viewer seeing 63 streams.
• 30% of 18-34 year old respondents post comments on blogs, but only 4% of the 55+ demographic does.
• people are more likely to trust information from the TV (63%) than from print (50%), UGC sites (23%), or billboards (19).

Data from comScore, Inc.

To obtain a full copy of the 40 slide presentation by Gian Fulgoni, Chairman of comScore, click on the Download button below. You will need to register with comScore to receive the presentation, but it is free.