Is there such a thing as a skip-proof ad?

As forecasts for increased DVRs and connected TVs sales are released, new TiVo research looks at which advertisers are producing the most skip-proof spots.

Verizon Wireless wins top prize for audience retention in the US – its ads had the “lowest fast-forward rate” among time-shifted viewing in prime time for the majority of 2010, according to MediaPost.

The US-based broadband company also had success with ads running on MTV, which has a younger and perhaps more-likely-to-skip audience.  It had the lowest ad skipping rate among its competitors including T-Mobile on the music channel, TiVo said.

The research also found that despite Apple’s much-loved creatives, Amazon Kindle ads faced less fast-forwarding than Apple’s iPad spot. On the ABC network, both marketers ran 100+ spots but Kindle ads were skipped 12% less.

There is plenty of research to suggest that even fast-forwarded ads have some impact, particularly in terms of brand awareness. Some sponsorship spots have been said to actually benefit from ad-skipping as viewers know to stop when they see the programme’s sponsor. TalkTalk’s recent campaign during The X Factor is a great example of this.

But even so, does TiVo’s research signify a challenge for the creative industry, or does it just mean measuring an ad’s success is becoming harder and harder?