Depending on the industry, the portal delivers CTRs up to 5.5 times higher the average, according to an analysis by Kagiso Digital media solutions company Mediamark.

For example, Howzit.MSN offers CTR in the telecom industry of 1.39% versus an industry average of 0.25%; 0.64% in the auto industry compared to a norm of 0.25%; 0.59% in entertainment versus an average of 0.25%; 0.68% in financial services versus 0.15%; and 0.55% in electronics compared to 0.28%.

Says Ian Drummond, head of Mediamark digital: “What these numbers illustrate is that Howzit.MSN has highly engaged users who are more likely to click through on an ad than most other portals in South Africa. Howzit.MSN has created a trusted environment for both consumers and advertisers that creates a platform for interaction and engagement.”

Drummond points to the fact that Howzit.MSN offers free rich-media serving allowing advertisers to create more engaging advertising as one reason for its success. Advertisers can serve up impactful rich media ads at a low cost on Howzit.MSN, driving up the audience’s interest and creating engagement. In addition, Howzit.MSN’s focus on snackable content means it has built an audience that is open to receiving information from contextually relevant advertisers. And its high penetration among emerging tech users – especially the rising black middle class - means that it offers access to an audience that is excited about engaging with advertisers.

Justin Zehmke, executive producer at Kagiso New Media, adds that Howzit.MSN has a loyal audience and little crossover with South Africa’s other major portals. That means its audience is less likely to suffer from campaign fatigue that arises from seeing an ad more than once.

“What we have found is that the way we package our content for people to read during a quick break at work really drives engagement,” he adds. “In addition, we have created a range of channels catering to different interests and topics, which makes it simple for our advertisers to speak to the demographics they’re interested in with relevant content.”

Drummond says that engagement isn’t just about CTRs, but also about generating brand awareness and immersion with ads which can be measured by “dwell” times - the amount of time a user spends interacting with a rich media ad. Campaigns can also feature multiple engagement opportunities through paid-for editorial, questionnaires, competitions and audience submissions. All of these elements drive user engagement with brands, says Zehmke.

Drummond recommends that advertisers with the objective of creating awareness and brand presence look to vehicles such as a homepage takeover to establish visibility with the target market. But if the objective is conversion, the ads need to be visually enticing, contain a clear call-to-action, be relevant to the Web site’s audience profile, and should be refreshed often to retain the user’s interest.