You Might Be Surprised As To What's Considered An Ad

While global consumers’ attitudes towards advertising haven’t changed much over the past year, those in the US report being somewhat less bothered by advertising this year than last. About one-third (32%) of the 1,000 US consumers surveyed for a new report from Kantar Media said they disliked advertisements, down from 36% in 2018.

According to Marketing Charts, nearly 3 in 5 Americans (57%)  surveyed have no definitive like or dislike for advertising, but the percentage of those who find advertising enjoyable (12%) is half that of the 5-country average. While consumers in other countries seem to get more enjoyment from advertising, the UK is the only market that has a lower percentage of consumers who enjoy advertising (11%) than the US.

The data also suggests that where consumers happen to view an ad contributes to how much it is enjoyed. Kantar found that respondents enjoy seeing advertisements in the cinema more than in any of the other media. Perhaps more telling is that consumers prefer viewing ads through traditional platforms – such as television and print media – more than they do online.

This preference for ads in traditional media has not changed from last year, when a similar study by Kantar found that consumers were more receptive to advertising in traditional formats compared to those delivered online or through mobile.

Advertising means different things to different people. For instance, while the vast majority (91%) of respondents feel that at least one of the forms of brand communications proposed in the survey counted as advertising, 3 in 10 considered all brand communications to be advertising.

The communication types that may not necessarily be as interruptive are recognized as advertising by the majority of consumers. For example, close to two-thirds consider sponsorship of TV or radio programs (65%) and sports teams or events (63%) to be advertising.

Product placement and brands shown in TV programs or films are considered to be advertising by 62% of respondents.