Found this on the Mashable website. Fantastic as ever insight into social media.
Key points:
-While 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.
-Corporate profiles are effective but they work better when users can become a fan of the profile and add a logo to their own page.
- More people engage with give/get widgets than with banner ads, however widgets do not increase purchase intent or viral recommendations.
-Regardless 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).
- Of the seven advertising types, banner ads and newsletter links were the most successful at encouraging purchase intent
via mashable.com
