NEWS: Bad commercials are turning audiences off

Bad TV advertising is damaging the entire ad industry by making a large

section of the population switch off, according to research from Lowe

Howard-Spink.

Lowes believes it has identified - using a specially created computer

system - a third of the population who actively avoid ads. Dubbed Chase,

it uses Barb data to highlight consumers who watch less than half as

many commercials as non-avoiders.

These so-called ‘ad avoid-ers’ span all demographic groups, but Jerry

Judge, Lowes’ chief executive, says they are vital to advertisers. ‘In

every consumer category we’ve looked at, they believe in the power of

the brand. They demonstrate intelligence and discernment,’ he claimed.

Judge blamed advertisers who rely on heavy-handed ‘persuasion’

techniques for turning viewers off - ‘those who purchase ads with an

anachronistic rule book,’ he explained.

‘Treating the consumer like a moron diminishes the power of advertising.

Do we really want pay-for-view TV, without advertising, to become an

attractive proposition?’

He continued: ‘There are agencies who do great TV advertising, such as

Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, BMP DDB Needham and Bartle Bogle Hegarty, but

I am worried that unless people understand this phenomenon the power of

ads will diminish.’

Lowes’ research reveals that when ad avoiders are shown ‘good’ ads they

enjoy them. And Lowes believes it has found ways to reach them with

tightly-targeted media placements. However, Ivor Hussein, Lowes’ media

research director, who developed the research, said: ‘To reach ad

avoiders you have to understand who they are and what programmes they

watch. It’s not as simple as being first in the break.’

Judge insisted the study proved that increasing ad minutage on UK TV

will cause more and more viewers to ignore ads.

This article was first published on Campaign