Increasing Clutter Threatens Power Of Spot Advertising
The effectiveness of television advertising could be under threat from the rapidly increasing number of commercials in break junctions, according to a new study from Initiative Media’s research arm.
Research from Initiative Futures suggests that too many commercials in any given junction can have a negative impact on advertising effectiveness, increasing ill feeling towards brands, encouraging ad-avoidance and cutting advertising recall.
The study shows that television viewers could be suffering from advertising overload with the number of commercials in the standard break junction rising by one fifth in the past two years alone.
It is estimated that the average adult saw a total of 561 television commercials each week last year. Advertising clutter was found to have risen by 11.6% during 2003 and by 7.8% in the previous year.
The study examined a number of prominent television markets world-wide and revealed that advertising clutter was less prevalent in Northern Europe, including Britain. This is thanks to the popularity of stations with little or no advertising, such as SVT in Sweden, ORF in Austria and the BBC in the UK.
A spokesperson for Initiative Futures said: “The inevitable consequence of building clutter levels is that consumers will pay less and less attention to advertising and even avoid it altogether. To this end, Initiative has invested in cutting-edge research studies into viewing behaviour and new viewing technology to ensure that our clients’ messages cut through the clutter.”
Earlier this year UKTV reduced the length of its break junctions in an attempt to engage viewers and increase advertising effectiveness. The move followed research conducted by Billetts and BMRB, which found that longer commercial breaks were prompting viewers to switch over (see UKTV To Launch Channels And Reduce Commercial Breaks).
ITV, the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, is also believed to be planning to shorten the length of its commercial breaks after research discovered that advertising recall improves significantly when the number of commercials is reduced (see ITV Shortens Commercial Breaks To Improve Ad Recall).
Initiative Media: 0207 663 7000 www.initiativemedia.comRecent Television Stories from NewsLine Almost 25 Million Watch England’s Bitter Euro 2004 Defeat Ofcom Investigating Big Brother As Over 100 Complain Advertisers Welcome Report On Contract Rights Renewal
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