Customers Grow Tired With Brands Blasting Out Repetitive Ad Messages

A recent survey of more than 2,200 consumers has shown two-thirds of respondents are highly annoyed by the way brands repeatedly blast advertising messages.

The poll, conducted by marketing and software solutions company Marketo, Inc, surveyed consumers in Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany. The responses varied from country to country, with Australia one of the most intolerant when it came to seeing the same messages over and over again.

Of the Australian respondents, 23 per cent said they see brand advertising too frequently. The preferred response seems obvious – 45 per cent of Australians said, ‘show ads to me less often.’

A quarter of respondents said they wanted content more relevant to them, and for advertisers to pay attention to where they prefer seeing ads. A further 14 per cent suggested advertisers relate content back to how the consumer has interacted with them. This demonstrates how people expect advertising, but they have grown tired of the one-size-fits-all approach. Advertisers have to engage more on a one-to-one basis.

Sanjay Dholakia, Marketo’s chief marketing officer said, “It’s expected that consumers would rather not see ads, but it’s encouraging that more than half didn’t choose the ‘less ads’ response.”

Australian respondents had a particular dislike for push ads in mobile apps. Thirty one per cent said it was the type of advertising that irritated them most, compared to just 18 per cent in Germany and 27 per cent in the US.

TV ads ran a close second.

Instead, consumers prefer to interact with brands on their own terms. Forty nine per cent of Australians said visiting their website was the most likely way they would engage with their favourite brands. Following and engaging via social media was the preference of 23 per cent and email newsletters popular with 21 per cent.

These results are proof of the challenge that companies face when trying to consistently engage their customers across a wide range of digital channels. For years campaigns have been crafted in isolation, often designed in silos with a specific digital channel in mind. Facebook ads, for example, are often not linked to prior interaction on a company’s website. This lack of connectedness between digital channels makes it difficult for companies to have a two-way conversation with individuals, which is why they resort to the one-size-fits-all approach.

“Research like this shows consumers are savvier than many give them credit for,” said Dholakia. “They understand the concept of personalised messaging. Many, it seems, are annoyed that they are not seeing more of it.”

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