TV Viewers Rarely Watch Adverts During Commercial Breaks
New research from the London Business School questions some of the fundamental assumptions behind television advertising, by claiming that viewers rarely watch adverts during commercial breaks.
The study, which was conducted by assistant professor of marketing, Mark Ritson, shows that viewers will do almost anything during a commercial break, except watch television.
Ritson identifies two phenomenon, the first of which is called The Friends Effect. This dictates that the more people there are in a room during a commercial break, the less chance there is that they will pay attention to the ads.
This runs contrary to the model underpinning the commercial TV industry, where broadcasters increase advertising revenue by maximising the number of “eyeballs” for their shows.
A second phenomena known as The Late Night Curve suggests that ads shown later in the evening are often more likely to be watched by viewers than those in the traditionally premium slots of early evening and peak-time.
Again this has significant implications for advertisers, which often pay far more to have their ads shown during peak-time programmes on the assumption they will have more impact.
Presenting the research in the Creative Business supplement of today’s Financial Times, Ritson writes: “A commercial break is not a time when we watch ads. It is not a even a time when we avoid advertising. To infer avoidance one must first infer attention, and attention was rarely continued over the momentary bridge between an programme finishing and a commercial break starting.”
The research could call into question the way in which audiences for TV advertising are measured. Currently a set-top-box records what is being watched and by pressing a button, measures how many people are in the room. However, this assumes that the people in front of the television during commercial breaks are watching the ads, and according to the London Business School, this is not necessarily the case.
The study fitted eight households with miniature cameras and microphones and recorded them for several weeks. At the same time, a simultaneous feed was sent from the household television, so that it was possible to see what was on when any activity was taking place.
London Business School: 020 7262 5050 www.london.edu
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