As time spent on social networking sites increases, advertisers are funneling more ad dollars into campaigns targeting users on those platforms.

But 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.

The study 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.

The Results

* 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.

See the full article at Mashable

Additional source: Scribd.com