I published a new research piece last week called "Consumers Love To Hate Advertising." At first glance, this seems like a big "duh." However, the research uncovers some deeper insights.
Forrester has tracked consumer attitudes toward advertising since September 2002. Things look grim, fsho. However, consumers aren't just whining about ads anymore - they're taking action:
- Since 2004, the percentage of consumers using spam filters and TV ad-skipping technology has almost tripled.
- In that time, the percentage of consumers using pop-up blockers has more than doubled.
Why? Clutter, Interruption, And Irrelevance. The same reasons Jaffe would never recommend a pre-roll ad.
So imagine the alternative: an ad-free world. That would be synonymous with a content-free world. Consumers will not pay to replace lost ad revenue. 85% of consumers told us so. You think that cable is the answer? Hello, product placement and branded entertainment.
Until integrated marketing becomes a reality, advertising will continue to be a necessary evil - which is why consumers love to hate it.
Here's a mini-metafilter on sites carrying on a discussion sparked by the piece:
- Information Week: "Consumer Use Of Ad-Blocking Technology Doubles"
- Techdirt: "People Don't Hate Advertising; They Hate Bad, Intrusive And Annoying Advertising"
- Dvorak Uncensored: "Popup Blockers, DVRs and “I Get No Spam” Are The Bane Of Advertisers"
- MarketingFacts (NL): "Gebruik ad-blockers verdubbeld"
- i-Wisdom: "Consumers Love To Hate Advertising"
(Personally, I fall into those small minority percentage that likes ads. My favorite? Miller Lite's Evil Beaver. It's funny how times change - 20 years ago, beer and shoe ads were the most creative. These days everyone raves about computers and mp3 players. The geek have inherited the earth.)
Advertisers pay money to content providers to carry their ads. There's no obligation for readers or viewers of that content to see those ads if they don't want to. Ads are stupid and annoying and everyone avoids them as much as they can. You may or may not have ads on this blog, I've no idea, firefox and adblock and flashblock means I haven't seen an advert on the net for ages. Advertisers wage war on our senses, don't be so surprised when people start using technology to fight back.
Posted by: Nick Mallory | 30 January 2007 at 07:00 AM