Whether it is television ads, print ads, or even Internet pop-up ads, most people are exposed to dozens of them in the course of a single day. Considering the amount of ad exposure daily, a majority of Americans (55%) say they find current advertising to be interesting while two in five (41%) say it is not interesting. Advertisers, however, should not get too excited as less than one in ten Americans (8%) say current ads are very interesting while 47% say they are somewhat interesting. These are some of the results of a new AdweekMedia/The Harris Poll of 2,521 adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive between June 4 and 8, 2009.
How Interesting are Ads?
Younger adults and those with higher incomes are more likely to consider them interesting. Two-thirds of adults aged 18-34 (66%) and 60% of adults aged 35-44 think the ads are interesting as do 62% of those Americans with a household income of $75,000 or more. Conversely, over half of adults 55 and older (52%) say that current advertising is not interesting as do 46% of those aged 45-54 and those who have a household income between $35,000 and $74,999.
How Influential are Ads?
When buying products and/or services, over half of Americans (54%) say advertisements they had seen or heard were not influential when then made their last large purchase, with one-quarter (25%) saying they were not at all influential. One-third (35%) of Americans say the ads they saw or heard were influential. Again, there is an age difference. Younger adults are more likely to say ads are influential when compared to the older adults. Six in ten adults aged 45-54 (60%) and 55 and older (62%) say ads are not influential with 31% of each age group saying they are not at all influential. But, just under half of adults aged 18-34 (45%) say the ads they may have seen or heard are influential in making their last large purchase.
So What?
These days advertisers are in a quandary. They need to promote their products and services yet be mindful of the fact that consumers are just not spending much money. How do they get their attention? Advertisers need to grab the consumers’ attention – make the ads stand out and that seems to be working, especially with the ever important 18-34 demographic. But, the sticking point is having the advertisements actually influence the purchase. One thing to remember is that some people don’t like to admit they were influenced – the fact that over one-third of Americans do admit to it means that advertisers are, in fact, getting the job done.
Methodology
This AdweekMedia/The Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States June 4 and 8, 2009 among 2,521 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. The Harris Poll® #66, June 24, 2009 By Regina A. Corso, Director, The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research, powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
About AdweekMedia
AdweekMedia encompasses the publications, websites, digital products and events produced by Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek. Through this dynamic media network, each brand keeps the agency, marketing and media communities competitive and connected by delivering the latest news and expert analysis most relevant to their specific needs.
AdweekMedia is part of Nielsen Business Media, which is a unit of The Nielsen Company. Nielsen Business Media is a leading market-focused provider of integrated information and sales and marketing solutions, helping businesses go to market more effectively and efficiently. For more see www.adweek.com.
