Staying Power

The Center for Media Research just released some findings from a new LinkedIn Research Network/Harris Poll conducted in June, 2009. Consumers and advertisers involved in the advertising decision making process were the participants in the study. The major finding is that there are often disparate views regarding how effective a given type of ad is. For example, about half of the advertisers polled believe ads that make people stop and think and ads that give people new information are very effective. The numbers drop to about 30% when it comes to consumers who say they feel the same.
The report goes on to say that ads that are part of a campaign show an even greater divide between advertisers and consumers (26% to 7%). Of even greater interest, 21% of advertisers say ads that reinforce a message already known are very effective compared to 10% of consumers. On the winning are ads that involve some type of humor. Some 33% of consumers and 32% say funny ads are “very effective.” The lowest consumer scores went to ads that are self-patronizing and those that they consider scary or make people feel slightly guilty.
But the biggest winners by far in this stumbling economy are those that use a “value proposition strategy.” Those would be ads promoting sales, coupons and discounts. Almost three in five (57%) of consumers say that this strategy works well. In a recent presentation I made to a chamber of commerce group in Bergen County, I emphasized the importance of value, particularly with regard to positioning a brand in today’s marketplace. It seems that I was on the right track according to this study.