People Hate Ads

For someone who works in marketing, and subscribes to the value of research and market immersion, I am pretty adept at avoiding some of the most common fruits of my industry: advertisements. 

This wasn’t always the case.

It’s Easy to Ignore Ads

Is it a function of being able to screen out advertising more easily, with streaming technology and a simple swipe of the thumb? Or does the problem rest with the content itself; that advertising is no longer entertaining and leaves me feeling as I’ve been spoken at and sold to, with little consideration for my own needs and desires?

In late 2019, the New York Times declared that “The Advertising Industry Has a Problem: People Hate Ads”. This declaration feels a little dramatic, but certainly rings true to some extent. The industry does indeed have a problem. But I question the NYT’s diagnosis. The issue doesn’t seem to be so much about the feelings people have in relation to ads, but more likely that it’s the ads’ lack of effectiveness that the industry needs to address.

Advertising Effectiveness

But what is effectiveness, really? 

The term is widely used, yet without any real consistency in its definition. Whether you’re trying to connect results with your campaign’s specific objectives, or with more universal ones like sales or profit or market share, the concept seeks to prove that the work we’re doing in our industry shows a more direct return; that marketing efforts have a direct and measurable impact on business metrics.

Thinking back to my early days in the industry, I recall hearing war stories of lavish budgets and unbridled creative freedom; 90” TVCs that captivated markets and warehouses of branded swag that was dished out liberally to anyone remotely connected to the account. And just as everyone got used to sipping champers right out of their trophies, there were whispers in the hallways about measurement, and accountability, and reining things in.  For a time, it became distressing, as budgets tightened and it felt like the fun was ending. For just a little while, at least. Until everyone cottoned on to the fact that if marketing could point to metrics that proved its worth, it could claim a bigger slice of company spend. And – the real kicker – marketing stood to earn a lot more credibility around the boardroom table.

I’m a strategist through and through, so proving marketing’s value to the C-suite is where I feel most comfortable. And while many of my marketing colleagues might’ve decried the injustice of the effectiveness bandwagon, I jumped right on, and celebrated my long-held love of spreadsheets.

Advertising isn’t Working as it Should

This little tale harks back to the pre-digital days, when proof was patchy at best. I’m certainly not implying that effectiveness has improved with the advent of more metrics; no ways. WARC’s Anatomy of Effectiveness white paper references data which reinforces the many ways in which “advertising, in its current forms, is not driving the growth it should be.” To quote, for example:

·      69% of all US TV commercials receive no visual attention – credited to a study by the Advertising Research Foundation 

·      Only 53% of impressions served in the UK reached their intended target – reported by Nielsen.

·      Only 12% of ‘viewable’ ads are actually noticed by consumers - according to Lumen Research.

·      The business impact of creativity has halved, owing to a focus on short-termism - according to researcher Peter Field.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Thinking of advertising most typical of today, the adage “they just don’t make ‘em like they used to” comes to mind. This could refer just as easily to the content, the devices its viewed upon, and the audiences too. 

Make your Budget Work Harder

As attention spans and budgets shrink, and turnaround times and the pace of change in general speeds up, the craft that once defined the advertising industry seems critically endangered. Between the audience’s ability to actively dodge, and the obvious will to ignore, we must ask: does advertising work anymore? Or is it all just a big waste of space, time and money? 

The answer is somewhere in between. There are a handful of brands doing a brilliant job as the hardest working asset in their business; delivering truly effective work. Be one of those, or choose to learn from them. Either way, begin by understanding what marketing effectiveness is really all about. 

If your marketing is ineffective, or you’re simply not sure how to tell if it is or isn’t in the first place,  let’s talk. Jack Be Nimble is passionate about viewing brands as business tools 0 which deliver impact all the way through to the bottom line. We’d love the opportunity to learn more about your brand and discuss how you can improve its effectiveness. 

Image by Tania Malrechauffe on Unsplash.