Advertising Information

Advertising That Annoys: The Real Story


Critics conclude that entertaining or "creative" commercials sell better than those that are bland. But liking the commercial may not really be that important in the scheme of things. It all depends on the needs and preferences, motivation and financial reservations of the customer. The question isn't whether people like the advertisement or not, it's whether the advertisement is effective in selling.

Often, people who are irritated by certain campaigns don't fall within the intended target market. In 2000 Budweiser ran its ''Whassup?!'' campaign. Ad Track reported these commercials scored best with 18- to 24-year-olds; 52% of the survey participants said they liked them ''a lot'', while participants 65 years old and over didn't understand them, or didn't want to; 61% disliked the commercials. Yet, it's highly unlikely that Budweiser was trying to reach the 65+ market.

When Toys R Us launched their campaign featuring Geoffrey the giraffe to promote the revamping of all Toys R Us stores, 38% of women rated the advertisements highly compared to 16% of men. Since the advertiser's goal was to get moms back into the stores, that low rating from men was meaningless to Toys R Us.

Pier 1 started running its commercials featuring Kirstie Alley this year. Twenty-seven percent of the people familiar with the commercials didn't like them, and only 6% thought that they were effective. That comes as a surprise to Pier 1 because same-store sales rose 17% in February and foot traffic is up 12% since October! The goal of most advertising is to increase sales. So, if people buy, the advertising is effective-no matter what critics may say.

Let's look at some other factors that contribute to the effectiveness of "irritating" or "disliked" advertising. Media weighting has a lot to do with response to advertising. It's important the media plan is developed to accurately reach its target. Just the right amount of frequency has been proven to increase recall, recognition and even persuasion. So a focused and targeted media schedule with effective frequency is a major influence in selling a product.

Familiarity with the product plays a role in increased sales of a brand with an "irritating" advertising campaign, too. According to the Journal of Advertising Research, customers' knowledge of, experience with, or loyalty to a brand are components of familiarity-and familiarity is the most important factor in the effectiveness of advertising. Since customers tend to give greater attention to advertisements of a familiar brand, and may attach their experience with the brand to the advertisement, customers are likely to accept the message and respond to the "irritating" advertisement with a purchase.

International Brand & Advertising Research conducted a test to determine if "feelings of liking or disliking commercials are the motors that drive brand attitudes and sales." In the study, 251 30-second commercials were aired, representing six major product categories: food, confectionery & desserts, beverages, household products, personal care products and automotive. An analysis of the 251 commercials showed that there was no "robust, empirical evidence to suggest that either liking or disliking are reliable predictors of a commercial's performance in relation to sales-validated, evaluative measures." In fact, liking or disliking accounted for "no more that 11% of the variation on any of the major evaluative measures."

A "well-liked" advertising campaign does not always mean an increase in sales. Just like an "irritating" advertising campaign does not always suppress sales. The fact of the matter is that effectiveness depends on factors other than "likeability", and what may be "irritating" to some may not be "irritating" to the intended target. At the same time, what may be "well-liked" by one group may not be received as well by another. It's up to the advertiser to determine the most likely target and the best way to reach that market to make a campaign effective.

Mark Levit is managing partner of Partners & Levit Advertising and a professor of marketing at New York University. Partners & Levit's clients include Procter & Gamble, UnitedHealth Group, and GE Commercial Finance. For more information call 212-696-1200 or visit http://www.partnerslevit.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Reuters

Why Don’t Newspapers Do a Better Job of Advertising?
New Yorker, United States - 4 hours ago
Of course, they’re serious about the advertising they print, and I presume they hope that their advertisers believe that big ads work to garner customer ...
Video: Money Minute: Times Ads, Hyundai, Construction AssociatedPress
US: Newspapers adopt front-page advertising editorsweblog.org
Globe joins papers selling front-page ads Boston Globe
MarketWatch - BNET
all 375 news articles


mediabistro.com

A Lawyer’s Call for a Greater Black Presence in Agencies
New York Times, United States - 7 hours ago
By STUART ELLIOTT THE inability of the advertising industry to fill its desks, cubicles and offices with a diverse work force is coming under fire again, ...
Madison Avenue Accused of Racial Bias BusinessWeek
Racial Discrimination in the Advertising Industry Civilrights.org
Diversity Study Takes Ad Biz to Task Adweek
AdAge.com - Crain's New York Business
all 19 news articles


BBC News

Billboards advertising sex treatment to go
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - 11 hours ago
Billboards advertising a nasal spray claimed to treat sex problems for men will be taken down after hundreds of complaints. Hundreds of letters and emails ...
'No God' campaign draws complaint BBC News
Christians demand proof for atheist ad claims in Britain AFP
On the buses: Advertising atheism Scotsman
Times Online - Sheffield Telegraph
all 492 news articles


Reuters

mocoNews.net - Microsoft Plunges Into Mobile Advertising With ...
Washington Post, United States - Jan 7, 2009
The second thing to point out is the vote of confidence on Microsoft's behalf that they believe the the mobile search and advertising market could be of ...
Verizon chooses Microsoft for mobile search and advertising services Unwired View
Verizon Wireless Selects Microsoft for Mobile Search and Advertising PR Newswire (press release)
Microsoft Picks Verizon Over Google, Yahoo For Search, Mobile Ads eWeek
BNET - Mobile Burn
all 267 news articles


RIU Hotels & Resorts Launches Advertising Campaign in California
MSNBC - 18 hours ago
MIAMI, FL - RIU Hotels & Resorts will launch its first ever television advertising campaign in California on January 11, focusing on their two all-inclusive ...


Up in Smoke: Tobacco Advertising
MSNBC - 20 hours ago
By Kyle Reyes In 1998, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company was one of many that agreed to a settlement, essentially removing its creative marketing arm. ...


BU Today

Alan Holliday, a retired College of Communication associate ...
BU Today,  MA - 4 hours ago
“Alan was a throwback to another time — an absolute gentleman,” recalls John Verret, a COM associate professor of advertising. “We met nearly four decades ...
Ad veteran Holliday dies Bizjournals.com
RIP Alan Holliday mediabistro.com
Hill Holliday cutting Boston staff Bizjournals.com
all 9 news articles


World Baseball Classic(TM) Selects Grey New York for Advertising ...
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 6 hours ago
8 /PRNewswire/ -- World Baseball Classic, Inc. has awarded Grey New York the advertising assignment in support of its premier international baseball ...
World Classic Baseball Drafts Grey Adweek
all 15 news articles


BBC News

Super Bowl 3-D Advertising
Right TV, CA - 12 hours ago
Aliens commercials will give a 90 second preview of the new movie and is “perhaps the biggest media-advertising event in history. ...
Super Bowl XLIII in 3-D Examiner.com
DreamWorks, Pepsi Offer 3-D Glasses for Super Bowl Ads Home Media Magazine
Monsters Vs. Aliens Spot to Air During Super Bowl Artistdirect.com
Detroit Free Press - Variety
all 383 news articles


Campbell Appoints Maureen Linder Vice President Global Advertising ...
WELT ONLINE, Germany - 20 hours ago
Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) today announced the appointment of Maureen Linder as Vice President of Global Advertising and Design. ...

Advertising - Google News

home | site map | Tele88.co.uk | Soscili.com | UltimateWealthCorner.com | JustDial.tk | bennyong.com
© 2006 Velocity Spark Network. Hosted by Hostonfire.com