Thumbs Down for Advertising–But Does it Matter?
In a recent study by YouGov (May 2016), titled US Adults’ Attitudes Towards Advertising, it found that, in general, people don’t like advertising. Some of the findings are surprising, but not shocking:
- Women are more likely than men to like adversting “a little” or “a lot”
- Democrats are more likely to like advertising
- Younger people tend to like advertising more than older people
- African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to like advertising than white Americans
An article in MarketingCharts.com reminds us that “liking” doesn’t translate into effectiveness. In fact, studies have shown that funny ads are more likeable, yet there is no correlation with purchase intent. In other words, thanks for entertaining me, but I’m not interested in your product or service no matter how funny it is.
What I would have liked the researchers to test is not if someone likes the ad or not, but do people tend to “like” relevant ads? When you are looking for a new car, you are constantly seeing the car ads. When you have a baby, suddenly all the diaper marketing magically appears. And, it is my hypothesis, that you tend to “like” ads that are relevant to your needs and wishes.
So the next time someone says, “I like that ad,” you may be talking to a demo who likes advertising in general or someone who is entertained by your marketing. But will the likeable marketing move the needle? That is the million-dollar question.
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle. After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant. He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.” Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.” One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College. Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board. Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.
