Young internet users 'willing to interact with brands'

Young adults are showing a growing tendency towards engaging with brands on the internet through ads and social media, a new study has found.

Microsoft partnered with research firm Synovate to poll more than 12,600 18 to 24-year-olds in 26 countries around the world on their online habits.

The survey discovered that 47 per cent of young adults clicked on online ads regularly, while about a quarter had added branded content to instant messaging services and social media sites.

Almost three in ten respondents said they had talked about brands on internet forums, while 24 per cent had uploaded advertising content to video and social media sites.

Beth Uyenco, global research director at Microsoft Advertising, explained that there is a tendency to believe that young adults are hard to engage when it comes to online marketing.

"However, we know from this survey and our experience with our advertisers that if advertising is done in a relevant and credible way, young adults are actually eager to interact, share opinions and even pass the message on," she commented.

The teen "MySpace generation" is less used to online advertising than older web users, according to a recent Nielsen Online study.