Some interesting data from Starcom MediaVest seems to indicate that the majority of clicks being purchased by the known world are being consumed by unemployed, Twenty-something, gambling, shop-a-holic, Internet addicts.

Hmmm, this tends to explain why those overpriced Google AdWord campaigns you are running don’t seem to be performing very well despite the mountains of cash you’re dishing out.

The study illustrates that heavy clickers represent just 6% of the online population yet account for 50% of all display ad clicks. While many online media companies use click-through rate as an ad negotiation currency, the study shows that heavy clickers are not representative of the general public. In fact, heavy clickers skew towards Internet users between the ages of 25-44 and households with an income under $40,000. Heavy clickers behave very differently online than the typical Internet user, and while they spend four times more time online than non-clickers, their spending does not proportionately reflect this very heavy Internet usage. Heavy clickers are also relatively more likely to visit auctions, gambling, and career services sites – a markedly different surfing pattern than non-clickers.

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