Oh dear. It looks like adland has its work cut out as it enters 2018, with new research from Kantar Millward Brown revealing that UK consumers are less-than-pleased with the current state of advertising.
Three quarters of Brits say they see more ads today than three years ago, with 66% finding them more intrusive, 33% finding them irritating – “like they won’t leave me alone” – and 32% finding them ‘confusing’.
We’re not finding them particularly memorable either, with just 27% of UK respondents saying multimedia campaigns remind them about the brand; however, 33% did say they feel ads tell better stories now compared with three years ago.
Interestingly – although perhaps not surprisingly – the research found a disconnect between how marketers and consumers view advertising.
58% of marketers think online targeting is either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ reliable compared to just 27% of consumers, while 89% of marketers believe their campaigns are integrated but only 52% of consumers agree.
In fact, when asked to name an ad they had seen recently that worked particularly well online, 67% couldn’t think of anything at all.
And those that were able to recall advertising they’d seen online were much more likely to remember a negative online targeting experience than a positive one (52% vs 23%).
Jane Ostler, managing director, media & digital at Kantar Millward Brown, said as consumers feel overwhelmed by advertising from all angles, it is important that marketers remember the basics.
“The creative approach should be adapted for different contexts, but shouldn’t stray too far from the core idea as brand impact and the effectiveness of the media investment will be compromised,” Ostler said.
“Start with a strong campaign idea, use consistent brand cues and deliver tightly integrated executions. Like conducting a large orchestra, marketers need to work even harder now to ensure that everything works in harmony.”
