Gigya just put out an interesting study the other day that shows Social widgets outperformed Utility widgets, when installed by users on Social Network pages, in the categories of user interaction, longevity, and virality.

For the purpose of the study, Gigya defined “Social widgets” as those as those that contain elements of entertainment, self-expression or communication (games, videos, photo and avatar customizations, and comparison quizzes, i.e.). “Utility widgets” are defined as those that are designed to be helpful to the user, incorporating news feeds, daily tips, activity planning or other tools and information.

Social widgets demonstrated the following results by category when compared to Utility widgets:

• User Interaction
• Received 4.6 times the number of interactions per widget impression
• Received 6.8 times the number of interactions per installed widget
• Achieved a 38% lower cost per interaction
• Widget Longevity
• Remained on a user’s page 21% longer
• Achieved an effective CPM 16% lower
• Widget Virality
• Drove 4.3 times the number of viral grabs
• Reached 15% more unique users for every installed widget
• Had a cost per unique user reached that was 19% lower