Credos Forum: Monitoring Public Opinion of Advertising

May 2011

  

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 3 Background & Objectives 5 1. A media-savvy public 6 2. ‘Advertising’ – what does it mean exactly? 8 3. The benefits of advertising 12 4. The downsides – what is influencing negative perceptions? 16 5. Ads vs. Advertising – a critical distinction 20 6. Trust and mistrust in advertising and claims 22 7. More regulation or not? That is the question 29 Appendix 31

  

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. The public believes itself to be increasingly knowledgeable about marketing and advertising and is pragmatic and tolerant of the common strategies and tactics it uses. People appreciate all forms of advertising when it informs, entertains and rewards, but when they feel as if they are being constructed as stupid or naïve they become antagonistic to the advertiser. Implication: Knowing that the public is increasingly knowledgeable and sophisticated about advertising represents an opportunity for creativity and inventiveness. In addition, advertisers need to be mindful of their strategies and tactics and avoid constructing their audience as naïve or stupid.

2. Advertising is defined in the public’s mind as any activity that actively promotes, sells, or influences attitude and/or behaviour, where the advertiser has paid money and expects a commercial return. This definition is much broader than it has been in the past, and encompasses a range of techniques and channels that the industry would not strictly define as advertising. Implication: The public’s opinions of ‘advertising’ extend beyond the current remit of the AA/ASA to include the broad marketing mix, and all channels (especially the internet), beyond the traditional boundaries of advertising. This has implications for how these organisations are seen by the public and potentially for the scope of their remit in the future.

3. Advertising has positive roles to play in society today – culturally, socially and economically. People respond well to the entertainment, information, social currency and emotional impact of good advertising, and there is recognition that even when ads are not liked, they may still be effective. A world without advertising would be a less interesting and colourful place. However, unless forced to think about the positives, the negative side of advertising tends to dominate the public’s perceptions. Implication: Advertising adds value to our lives in ways that we appreciate only when we are forced to think about it. There is an opportunity to remind the public about the positive role that different kinds of advertising play in contemporary life.

4. The key negative association of advertising is the feeling of being bombarded by intrusive, unsolicited, irrelevant or poor quality advertisements. This has increased exponentially in line with developments in communications and TV technology, and is strongly resented. Implication: The public is not fed up with advertising; it is bored with a huge volume of boring and perceived poor quality advertisements. When people feel besieged, they tend to shut down. Advertisers need to think about more accurate targeting and more relevant and distinctive ways of communicating with their key audiences.

5. It is vital to make a distinction between the generic ‘advertising’ and the specific ‘that ad’ for two reasons. Firstly because while many people have a negative view of

  

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‘advertising’ as a whole, they may think that particular ads are very good. And secondly because of the very broad definition by the public of ‘advertising’, which encompasses most of the marketing mix. Implication: Responses to surveys that question people about ‘advertising’ will be tapping a much wider, and potentially negative, range of associations, and media, than has previously been thought. This has far-reaching implications for how opinions of advertising are gathered, measured and tracked.

6. The public respond to most advertisements with healthy scepticism, and the default position on advertising is most often that of ‘suspended trust’. People fully understand the commercial intent of advertisements – to promote positives and minimise negatives. Implication: The public’s understanding of advertising intent means that it is inevitable that they claim to take advertisements with a pinch of salt. ‘Suspended trust’ by itself is not an area for concern.

7. Public mistrust of advertising is caused by the perceived intention of the advertiser to mislead or deceive. Concerns about being misled centre around ‘harder’, definitive claims, rather than ‘softer’ claims which are understood to be legitimate advertising hyperbole. Paradoxically, the issue of decreasing trust may be the result of the tightening up of advertising standards in recent years, forcing advertisers towards ‘provable’ claims that are literally true, at the expense of a softer, more hyperbolic approach. Implication: If this is the case, this has implications for how advertising standards are designed and enforced, with an increased focus on the ‘spirit’ rather than the ‘letter’ of regulation.

8. The issue of regulation does not emerge spontaneously, and when prompted, people find it hard to discuss. There is low awareness and understanding of the Advertising Standards Authority. A key barrier to the discussion of regulation is the public’s belief that they are in control of their response to ads, and therefore personally responsible for their effect. Admitting the need for regulation carries with it the implicit acceptance that the public can be ‘duped’ by advertising. Implication: Success stories of self-regulation by the ASA might help raise the salience of this organisation in the mind of the public, and encourage a more open debate about the impact of adverting, both positive and negative.

  

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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Credos invited Acacia Avenue to take part in a six-month research study into the public’s attitudes to advertising, the purpose of which is to inform the advertising industry so that it can improve its ability to self regulate responsibly and to react rapidly to emerging problems. Four areas explored so far: - What is advertising - what does the public understand and know? - What are the positives and negatives of advertising and what role does it play in contemporary life? - What is the nature of trust and mistrust in advertising, from the public’s point of view? - What are contentious issues that Credos should be aware of?

This report is based on Waves One and Two of the research programme. The increase in the sample size as a result of Wave Two means that we can more confidently generalise to the UK public as a whole, but understanding will continue to deepen over time, and with the addition of more robust quantitative measurements to support the findings. (See appendix for Wave One & Two sample and scope).

  

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1. A MEDIA SAVVY PUBLIC

 

Key points: • Younger audiences learn media studies at school or college/university and are aware and

sometimes knowledgeable about many of the common marketing and communications concepts such as branding, sponsorship, ‘soft-selling’, (brand) image and consumer power to name but a few

• Documentaries and articles about advertising and marketing are very common in the mainstream media nowadays. They expose and debate issues that might never have been discussed a decade ago e.g. minutes of advertising per hour, product placement, use of visual effects, manipulation of images, celebrity fees for endorsement and so on

• People find it easy to talk about advertising, not just traditional above-the-line media, but most elements of the marketing mix including ambient, mobile, different forms of Internet advertising and traditional below-the-line

• Social media have contributed to a shared and heightened awareness of current communications; engaging advertisements (positive and negative) or promotions are quickly shared either for sheer entertainment value or for early financial advantage

• The public sees itself as intelligent and pragmatic about advertising and its claims. They accept hyperbole as an integral part of advertising and are tolerant of different strategies to gain their attention e.g. humour, repetition, storytelling and so on. When they feel as if they are being constructed as ‘stupid’, they become antagonistic to the advertiser

 

Trends and observations Increased sophistication about the advertising industry across all audiences means that advertising methods and practices are more transparent to the general public.

“We are not stupid, we’re media savvy these days. People are more aware of what advertising is about and what companies are aiming to do. There’s documentaries, there’s TV programmes about it.” (Women 18-24, London)

“In the media there has been a lot of focus on misrepresentation in advertising… people are empowered now to make choices for themselves rather than being forced to make choices that other people want them to make.” (Financially challenged younger men, London)

“Things like this already happen in many shows already e.g.: 60 minute make over provide products from specific companies and at the end of the program they give you the name of the companies who supplied the goods, I think this is a brilliant idea. It would be great if programmes for children put healthy foods within their shows as this may encourage parents to buy that product” (Forum post, Mums, London)

  

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This does not mean that every single advertisement or campaign is deeply scrutinised to decipher the strategy or to look for artifice. Instead, there is an unwritten contract between public and advertisers that allows advertising to take place within a certain framework of conduct. The public is very tolerant and even supportive of advertising that informs, entertains and rewards but draws the line at times as to how, where and when a brand or product claim is being communicated. (This is something that could be explored more fully using quantitative research). The boundaries of acceptable behaviour by advertisers are challenged and negotiated by the public through a belief in consumer power aided by media support.

“People feel that they have a right to know [about] what products they are buying. They have a right to research and find out what’s going into their food, things like that. Advertisers have spent many years trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes, but it’s not that simple anymore.” (Financially challenged men, London)

The public knows about changes to advertising regulations as they are being debated or enacted and comes to its own conclusions:

“There was something about the twelve minute vs. seven minute advert breaks within the hour. At the moment the limit is seven but if it’s a film its going to go up to twelve…I don’t want any more ads in my films. It will be like America where you are bombarded with them every 10 minutes.” (Women 18-24, London)

“Strangely, since the start of product placement on TV, I have not noticed any - maybe we are not being as obvious as the Americans, where rather than just using a product normally they increase brand visibility by using, pouring, holding the product in a completely awkward, unnatural manner.” (Forum post, Financially challenged younger men, London)

“Someone recently commented that the "cover girl" brand was repeatedly advertised on America's Next Top Model for over 12 cycles, and although I agree this works well, I also think hat it sometimes took over the show. If the product placement is subtle, then there is no problem. However there should perhaps be a limit as to how many times a product can be mentioned or shown during the duration of the show, or the shows themselves will be turned into extended commercials!” (Forum post, Women 18-24, London)

 

Implication Knowing that the public is increasingly knowledgeable and sophisticated about advertising represents an opportunity for creativity and inventiveness. In addition, advertisers need to be mindful of their strategies and tactics and avoid constructing their audience as naïve or stupid.

  

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2. ‘ADVERTISING’: WHAT DOES IT MEAN EXACTLY?

 

Key points: • Advertising is defined as any activity that actively promotes, sells or influences attitude

and/or behaviour in the short or long term; the distinctive characteristic is that the advertiser has paid money and expects a commercial return

• In this sense, most activities in the marketing mix, beyond traditional media and the internet, are thought of as forms of advertising. E.g. advertorials, sponsorship, web sites, sampling, celebrity endorsement, product placement, targeted suggestions, ads on the back of toilet doors, all forms of below-the-line advertising, cold calling, promotional sales, social networks that promote brands, brand ambassadors and so on 

• TV advertising dominates recall of ‘advertising’ for the majority (25 years and over). People are able to remember individual TV campaigns and advertisements by brand or content, both past and present, but tend to talk about most of the other heartland media generically. Cinema goers are the exception; they recall particular cinema advertisements as well as TV 

• For the younger cohorts (20-24s), the internet is included within the ‘heart centre’ of advertising along with TV 

• There are certain categories or types of advertising which sit on the edge of what the public views as ‘advertising’. Government advertising, packaging, branding and promotion and/or PR are not strictly advertising although they may be thought of as a means of raising awareness and/or soft selling

 

Trends and observations At its heart, advertising is seen as a form of selling. People have a clear understanding of the commercial intent of advertising.

“It’s all just trying to sell you something”

“Trying to take your money”

“Trying to make you do something” (20-24 year old men, left school at 16, Coventry)

The public understands that advertising costs the company money and that they would not do it if there were not a return on the investment. People are not completely sure how the payback works but they do believe that it must.

  

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“It makes me wonder, how much people pay for advertising, so they can sell stuff. How much of it is a total utter waste of money? If there are 30 million people watching though it must hit someone.” (Older men, Newcastle)

“It’s about generating money for companies and I just read this morning that Marks & Spencer’s have spent £72 million on their new ads, you know with Twiggy the clothes ads, Lisa Butcher and I thought, god £72 million so they’re obviously hoping to reach, to get through to all of us you know what lovely clothes we’ve got and blablabla. It’s such a huge amount of money for one set of advertising I think” (Older women, London)

The public’s definition of what comes under the ‘advertising’ banner is very broad and encompasses a range of techniques that the industry would categorise in a different way, e.g.:

1. Sponsorship is a form of funding through advertising and is observed in many different contexts – sponsoring sports such as Barclays Premier League, funding school equipment such as Tesco’s computers for schools program, funding smaller local community events and initiatives and funding the arts e.g. BP and the British Museum’s current exhibition. In the current climate of funding cuts, sponsorship gives people access to events and initiatives that they might not be able to afford otherwise. Many people are grateful for sponsorship when they begin to think about it.

“In a way it’s doing some good isn’t it? The adverts in the middle of ITV annoy me but they fund the channel so I can watch the programmes I like on there…and BP funded that Book of the Dead at the British Museum, it allowed me to go there at a much lower price, I actually felt quite grateful to them.” (Older men, Newcastle)

2. Sampling is also seen as advertising, and can be fun when it allows people to taste

and try before they buy.

“I have received a free sample in a shopping centre it was for MAC make up there was a 10% gift voucher with it. I was very pleased to receive it as I needed some new make up so I went along to the shop they were happy to do me a little make over that was great as I’m not to good with make up. I spent £98 pound with them I felt that this was great advertising as I got a few things free and they got a sale” (Forum post, Mums, London)

3. Product placement, although newly legal in the UK, is widely understood and

experienced through music videos, movies and American TV imports. It is seen

  

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positively in the same way as sponsorship (a way to fund the move/program) and is only criticised or laughed at when it is seen to be over the top.

“I think if it’s at an acceptable level than it’s ok. If someone’s in the corner shop in Coronation Street and they ask for a tin of beans and they put HP on the counter and that’s it, I think that is inconsequential. If you’ve got one of the lead actors saying ‘Oh I much prefer Heinz’ then that isn’t ok.” (Older men, Newcastle)

“I saw this awful horror movie recently that had Virgin in every corner, Virgin cola, Virgin this, Virgin that and it was just awful, it cheapens the product.” (Mums, Newcastle)

4. Comparison sites, targeted suggestions based on past buying behaviour,

relevant below the line materials based on interests, and cold-calling are all defined as ‘advertising’.

TV dominates perceptions of advertising. When initially asked about ads, people immediately recall TV ads much more easily than ads in other media. The exception is the 20-24 age group, irrespective of gender or social grade – they include all forms of internet / digital advertising within what they see as the core of advertising.

“Yes [TV is] probably getting less popular”

“I think websites as well I think a lot of people go on websites you see a lot of things on there…” (20-24 year old men, left school at 16, Coventry)

However, there are some ‘fuzzy edges’ apparent in terms of how people define advertising:

1. Government advertising doesn’t quite fit the definition because no sales are involved although in every other respect government advertisements increase awareness; provide information and attempt to influence attitude and behaviour.

2. Packaging and branding are also thought to be part of the product/service and it is legitimate for a company to make them attractive or appealing. The distinction vs. ‘advertising’ relates to the difference between active and passive messaging. Advertising tells or persuades you to do something, whereas branding simply identifies the brand and calls to mind its key associations.

  

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“Advertising to me is enticing me to do and buy, a specific effort to buy, whereas that to me is the brand. If someone showed me a ‘T’ with a background of that colour I’d say ‘that’s Toblerone’ – it’s brand recognition I suppose… it’s all linked” (Mums, London)

3. Promotion and/or PR are not strictly advertising although they may be thought of as a

means of raising awareness and/or soft selling.

Implication The public’s opinions of ‘advertising’ extend beyond the current remit of the AA/ASA to include the broad marketing mix, and all channels (especially the internet), beyond the traditional boundaries of advertising. This has implications for how these organisations are seen by the public and potentially for the scope of their remit in the future.

  

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3. THE BENEFITS OF ADVERTISING

Key points: • Advertising has positive roles to play in society today, culturally, socially and economically;

it provides information, financial funding, guides and validates purchase decisions, allows trial before purchase, creates buzz and excitement. A world without advertising would be a less interesting place to live in

• ‘Clever’ is a word often used to describe good advertisements. This has different facets – the most frequent are humour, originality, subtlety, aesthetic appeal, special effects, use of cartoon characters and fantasy

• ‘Irritating’ or ‘silly’ advertisements, or even those considered to be misleading, are not always thought to lack effectiveness. Such campaigns inform, engage, stick in the mind and contribute to social currency

• However, important to understand that there is no sense of ‘gratitude’ to advertising for funding entertainment media

Trends and observations Few surprises in terms of what people like about advertising: • Entertainment

- Humour - Visual impact / appeal / high production values - Use of sexual imagery to attract attention or demographic groups - Celebrity endorsement (where the fit is good) - Storytelling (often ongoing, e.g. Nescafe Gold Blend) - Good music, memorable, nostalgic

• Information - Clear and to the point (Ronseal) - Provides useful information about new products - Raises awareness of offers, discounts and deals - Gives inspiration and ideas - A category that you’re interested in

• Emotional Impact - Advertising heritage / history (e.g. Fairy, Guinness, Heinz)

  

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- Can relate to them; identify yourself with brand and product - Feel-good factor / escapism (e.g. holiday advertising) - Makes you feel good about yourself (reflects beliefs and values) - Evokes positive sensory experiences - The right tone / mood for the context - Desirable product or service / aspirational

• Social Currency - Memorable tagline - A shared interest / topic of conversation

In summary, people respond well to the entertainment, information, social currency and emotional impact of good advertising The public believes that advertising works in the main through gaining the attention of a particular audience and engaging them through humour or other forms of cleverness. TV advertising is a talk point – a form of social glue for people to share. It forms part of collective memory for each generation and there are distinctive advertisements that are remembered.

“Do you remember the Gold Blend ads that they made into a book? It’s like the BT ads they are running today…a story. (Singing takes place in the group) “Shake n’ Vac…’you wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Pepsodent.’ [Everyone laughs] ” (Older men, Newcastle)

Being ‘clever’ is a catch all phrase for quality – the nature of the idea, the quality of the production, the media chosen for its exposure, the amount of conversation it elicits, the style and tone of voice, the brand itself and so on. Good advertising from the public point of view has to give something back to the viewer over and above what it is selling.

“They have to have a point other than trying to sell you something. Make you laugh, have a story or draw you in. Being memorable and different too.” (Women, 18-24, London)

Clever advertisements can include annoying or irritating ones too such as gocompare.com or buyanycar.com.

  

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“It depends on what you mean by which adverts work. For example that Go Compare advert, I just want to baseball bat that guy, but you can’t forget [the advert]” (Financially challenged younger men, London)

“I think it is so annoying though you actually remember the name…which is probably the whole idea.” (Mums, Newcastle)

Lack of credibility or trust in a claim (or depiction) doesn’t necessarily affect the emotional impact and informative role of the advertisement. While the Eva Longoria mascara ad is roundly rejected as ‘a lie’, it still recognised to serve an important purpose in informing potential customers that ‘Volume Million Lashes’ mascara has been launched, and that Eva Longoria (an aspirational woman) is associated with the brand. Most women admit that however much they dislike the advertisement (in terms of lack of credibility in the claim/depiction), it may not influence the likelihood of buying that brand of mascara. This is ruefully expressed as ‘the triumph of hope over experience’! Awareness of advertising may be conscious or not – surprisingly many people understand that advertising may work below the radar of attention (e.g. tube, press and posters); this is referred to as soft, subtle or ‘subliminal’ advertising.

“Subliminal. Sometimes you don’t even notice that you’re seeing it but it kind of goes in somehow that’s what I feel” (Older women, London)

It is clear that advertising has value for people – it would be missed if it ‘died’ as evidenced by the ‘epitaphs’ people were asked to write as an exercise in the second wave of research. This is for many reasons - the colour it adds to environments, informative role, entertainment value and not least its role in providing a natural break when watching TV! Also there is some recognition of its value to the economy as a whole. Women in the second wave of the research tend to write more positive, or at least even-handed epitaphs:

“You will be greatly missed. Where will we get our information from now? And all of our funny moments? It was good while it lasted!”

“I’m clueless what to buy”

“Gone but not forgotten. Everything must be sourced by WOM, can anyone remember how to do it?”

“No more tea breaks”

“Will miss my tea breaks now you’re gone. Who’s going to inform me of the new products? Will miss you, hope to see you again one day”

  

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“World recession”

“I’d rather live with them than without them”

“The world is a less colourful place”

However, there is no sense of ‘gratitude’ towards advertising. People accept it as an integral part of contemporary life, but while there is awareness that it contributes to funding of various entertainment media, there is little sense of how crucial it is for their survival, and therefore it does not get any thanks for its contribution to TV channels, magazines or newspapers.

“You have Take-a-Break magazine and it’s like 66p, it if didn’t have advertising it would probably be a fiver” (Older women, London)

“Crikey, you don’t realise how much money they get from advertising! [on being told percentage of Channel 4 funding that comes from advertising]” (Mums, London)

There is a danger that as the volume of advertising increases especially through newer channels and intelligent database marketing, opinions and perceptions of advertising will become more and more negative. People need to be reminded about the positive role it plays.

“Despite the fact that I whinge about it sometimes, I do quite like the sort of, shiny images, and it’s just nice. It breaks things up. I think it would be quite strange going to a railway station with no adverts. I mean, it sounds daft but what do you stare at when you’re standing on a Metro platform.” (Mums, Newcastle)

 

Implication Advertising adds value to our lives in ways that we appreciate only when we are forced to think about it. There is an opportunity to remind the public about the positive role that different kinds of advertising play in contemporary life.

  

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4. THE DOWNSIDES – WHAT IS INFLUENCING NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS?

Key points: • Advertising that is resented, distrusted and disliked is unsolicited and not targeted at any

group in particular e.g. spam, mobile texts, internet pop-ups and emails, inserts in newspapers and magazines, fliers and cards and aggressive face-to-face sampling or promotions in stores, malls and streets. This leads to a feeling of being ‘bombarded’

• The experience of feeling bombarded by advertising is caused by some very real changes to the advertising landscape. People are aware that there are more advertisements, through more channels, from more advertisers, originating from more countries, to more finely segmented targets. So the quantity of advertising has increased exponentially

• Hand in hand with the increase in quantity is a perception of a decrease in quality. It is understood to be cheap to advertise through the Internet or on sites like eBay. Databases are known to be shared so the public is used to being inundated with emails and advertisements after having made a purchase online 

• Another important contributing factor is what the public refer to as ‘sameyness’. So many advertisements within a category are virtually identical – cars, holidays, toys, Christmas gifts, financial – the list of categories is endless. There is a weary feeling of follow my leader. As soon as one company or brand breaks the mould the pack are sure to copy

• People adopt different avoidance strategies to deal with the volume and lack of differentiation: channel hopping, Sky Plus recording, delisting from email newsletters, ‘not seeing’ (i.e. selective perception) and so on

Trends and observations Unsolicited advertising that is not targeted at any audience in particular (by life-stage, interests, purchase history, location etc) is becoming a problem that is difficult for people to deal with. There are rumblings that such advertising should be regulated or that people should be able to filter it out more successfully.

“Like them people texting, I don’t even know how they got my number… I got this thing through from DFS saying I had £400 to spend in store. I’ve never bought anything from DFS, never had anything to do with them and yet they know my name and where I live” (20-24 year old men, left school at 16, Coventry)

Conversely, overly targeted ads are beginning to intrude on people’s sense of privacy

  

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“There are those ads that come up on the side [on Google searches] that feed from which sites you’ve been on and you can’t get away from it…it’s the same on Facebook,

“it profiles you and puts the specific ads in the right hand column.” (Women 18-24, London)

“One thing I find really annoying is that I went to a seminar with James Caan, now every time I got on the internet wherever I go, his face pops up. It’s really becoming irritating, I deleted all the cookies on my computer and it was ok for about a week and they’re all coming back” (Mums, London)

Advertising that is intrusive is resented, especially when it interrupts an activity:

“You could be in the middle of finding out what’s going on with the tube ad suddenly it will flash up telling you to buy something on National Rail, which is of no use to me when I’m trying to find out which one’s delayed. It’s interrupting what I am doing.” (Women: 18-24, London)

“With magazines I have a choice, I’ll just turn the page, with TV I can turn it off, but cold calling really annoys me, it spoils what I’m doing, they think they’ve got a right to invade my privacy.” (Mums, Newcastle)

“If you’re watching a film then they bring on the adverts half way through and you sit there twiddling your thumbs until it finishes, it does your head in, I hate it” (20-24 year old men, left school at 16, Coventry)

The intrusiveness and irritation of advertising came up as a key negative in the advertising ‘epitaphs’. There were many expressions of relief at the idea of a world without any advertising. This is most noticeable amongst men:

“Finally, a whole film”

“I’ll miss your power to annoy and even bully”

“Now I will not eat so much and drink so much”

“Goodbye. No more time-wasting and can watch my TV in peace”

“Over-used ‘til no one wanted you”

“No more gimmicks or nonsense!”

“I will miss you at the cinema and telling me about holidays. You have irritated me too”

  

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Interestingly, the word ‘bombardment’ was commonly used across the demographic segments included across both waves of research.

“Orange bombard you…you think ‘Oh my god, is that another text from Orange.” (Older men, Newcastle)

“Advertising is everywhere, they even come up on your phone now, you just can’t seem to get away from them…being bombarded is the thing that puts you off, know when to tone it down a little bit.” (Women 18-24, London)

“Sometimes I don’t mind if, say an email, I get one in a blue moon. It’s when I suddenly realise I’m getting one every single week and it’s just like, ‘No, I signed up for the occasional one because I’m quite interested, I didn’t sign up for you to bombard me with things.” (Mums, Newcastle)

“I don’t know whether it’s a plug but on Facebook if you tell a friend you’re thinking about having your bathroom refitted all of a sudden you’ll get bombarded with bathroom adverts and it’s almost like big brother is watching you” (Older women, London)

A vast number of advertisements are neither entertaining nor clever. This is particularly true of Internet advertising but also other media such as unsolicited mobile alerts, ‘junk mail’, inserts in newspapers or magazines, fliers etc and categories e.g. financial.

“The one thing that really really annoys me is you buy a magazine and then the first thing I do is shake it out. All the inserts come flying out, I don’t even look at the; they go straight in the bin.” (Mums, Newcastle)

What the public complain about frequently, is the lack of originality of advertising within a category or channel.

“With advertising someone comes up with a really good idea, and then everyone else just imitates it, they [the ads] end up looking the same.” (Women 18-24, London)

Advertising has become so ubiquitous and the advertisements so similar to each other within a category, that much of it is no longer noticed consciously. Or if it is, it is often attributed to the wrong brand.

  

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“These hair ads just look all the same. Apparently this one is a Nice ‘n’ Easy one, but I just though ‘right, generic hair ad’ they just all look the same to me.” (Mums, Newcastle)

People believe their avoidance strategies are effective.

“I do wind forward, I try not to watch ads, they [the advertisers] must hate Sky.” (Older men, Newcastle)

“When I read the newspaper I just completely blank the ads, unless they are spectacular.” (Financially challenged younger men, London)

“I used to go out the room and make a cup of tea, now we just fast forward through them.” (Mums, Newcastle)

 

Implication The public is not fed up with advertising; it is bored with a huge volume of boring and perceived poor quality advertisements. When people feel besieged, they tend to shut down. Advertisers need to think about more accurate targeting and more relevant and distinctive ways of communicating with their key audiences.

  

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5. ADS VS. ADVERTISING – A CRITICAL DISTINCTION

Key points:

• It is vital to make a distinction between the generic ‘advertising’ and the specific ‘that ad’ because while people may view ‘advertising’ in a negative light, they may concurrently hold the view that certain ads are very good. The distinction is also important because of the wide-ranging definition that the public has of ‘advertising’ (including most of the marketing mix). This has far-reaching implications for how opinions of advertising are gathered, measured and tracked

• People’s opinions are focused on particular ads or elements of ads – specifically the sector, company, brand, product or claim that is being advertised, and the medium that is being used. E.g. people don’t trust ‘advertising’, but they might trust ‘that ad’

• There is no concept of the advertising industry in the public’s mind. Only the company/brand that is paying, and the ad that is the end result. Only a minority of people mention the ASA

Trends and observations There is a difference between ‘advertising’ and ‘advertisements’. People may voice less than favourable opinions of advertising generically but hold very positive opinions of particular advertisements.

“The old Honda advert, ‘The Cog’ it’s quite spectacular and I’ve never seen anything ever replicated like that. They were obviously trying to sell a car, but they [were doing] more than that, they were trying to sell another way of thinking.” (Financially challenged younger men, London)

The issue of trust in particular is all about the specifics of the advertisements in question, not about general ‘advertising’. People’s opinions on ads, and the issue of trust in particular, are about the specific sector, company, brand, product or claim that is being advertised, and the medium that is being used. There is a critical distinction to be made between ‘trusting advertising’ which people don’t, and ‘trusting that ad’, which people might.

“It’s a company that I have had stuff from before, so I know it’s going to be reliable and do what it says it’s going to do” (Dads, Coventry)

“There is that much negative publicity for British Gas, all the bonuses and stuff and they’ve just lost their credibility and they have got a long way to go to get that back” (Dads, Coventry)

  

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The public have no concept of the ‘advertising industry’. They trust or don’t trust the particular sector, company, brand, product, claim that is being advertised, not the industry that created (or regulated) the advertisement Implication Responses to surveys that question people about ‘advertising’ will be tapping a much wider, and potentially negative, range of associations, and media, than has previously been thought. This has far-reaching implications for how opinions of advertising are gathered, measured and tracked, both in terms of how questions are asked, and the level of specificity that is required.

  

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6. TRUST AND MISTRUST IN ADVERTISING & CLAIMS

 

Key points: • Trust, in relation to advertising, is relative, not absolute. It depends on the viewer, who

they are, what they know about a brand or product and the context in which the advertising is being consumed e.g. who else is talking about or using the brand, where it is seen, when and so on. 

• People have a healthy scepticism towards ads and take them with a pinch of salt. They understand the commercial intent. As such the default position tends to be ‘suspended trust’ 

• Trust or mistrust is about the specifics of that advertisement, not about general ‘advertising’ • Therefore a large range of factors can affect trust in a particular ad. This includes general

context and specific triggers • Credibility is not the same as trust. Credibility is very rational; trust is more emotional.

Each affects the other, but they are separate concepts • The public believe that there is a truth to be told about products and services e.g. Ronseal

advertisements ‘says what it does on the tin’. Credibility depends on whether people believe the advertiser is telling them the truth

• Mistrust centres around ‘harder’, definitive claims which people immediately expect to be trying to mislead them, vs. ‘softer’, hyperbolic claims which are obviously not meant to be taken as the literal truth

• Public mistrust – and anger – is felt when the perceived intention of an advertisement is to mislead or deceive. Worryingly, there is a sense that advertisements are becoming more manipulative and deceitful 

 

Trends and observations The issue of trust is becoming much clearer. People trust advertisements that:

Are for a trusted / reputable product or brand (e.g. John Lewis, Ariel) Are endorsed by a celebrity that fits the brand and who has integrity (e.g. Johnny Vegas and PG Tips) Are for brands with a long heritage (nostalgia) (e.g. Heinz) Have an altruistic purpose (e.g. healthy eating for kids) Make a credible / honest claim, or one that can be proven (e.g. Birds Eye vitamins) Don’t make a claim at all (e.g. aesthetically pleasurable) Give you recourse if it’s not as they say (e.g. John Lewis refund the difference)

  

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“I think with them [John Lewis] you know that you’re buying something and there’s a problem you can take it back and that’s why you trust them” (Older women, London)

“I think you know if it’s got a bit of history to it, so you know Heinz is good, you can trust a tin of Heinz” (20-24 year old men, left school at 16, Coventry)

“I think it’s about familiarity, if you are familiar with brands, like Coca Cola, they are a brand I’ve warmed to because it have been around for so long, it’s very powerful advertising, and I think it is imprinted” (Older women, London)

“Botham was a kind of role model for me…and what he says on the Shredded Wheat ad is actually true…it is one of the healthiest cereals you can have” (Dads, Coventry)

“That can be measured in some way [Birdseye claim] so they must be able to prove that, otherwise they wouldn’t advertise it” (Dads, Coventry)

However, important to realise that the default position on advertising is ‘suspended trust’. This is simply because of the nature of advertising i.e. that its ultimate aim is to encourage you to buy the brand/product by highlighting the good points and minimising the bad ones. It’s not an altruistic public service. The default position is therefore closer to mistrust than to trust

“You take it with a pinch of salt. You know it’s a good product because you use it…it’s going to get it white, but not brilliantly white” (Mums, London)

NB. The government is a trusted advertiser (possibly the only one) because it is seen as having nothing to gain

Because trust and mistrust are about the specifics of an advertisement, there are a wide variety of factors that can have an effect. Context is key and in addition there are a myriad of triggers that act as a red or green light for believability, or give an ad more or less ‘leeway’. It is the combination of context and triggers that creates the feeling of trust or mistrust rather than any one of them on their own.

Context Explanation Brand familiarity / integrity Trusted brands vs. unknown Channel TV and traditional media vs. ‘junk’, Internet, mobile Product categories / sectors Banking, loans, weight loss, personal grooming,

food, etc

  

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Trigger Explanation Statistics and surveys Small samples, unconvincing evidence Celebrity endorsements A vs. B or C list or older celebrities; match or

mismatch with brand values Image manipulation ‘Porn food’, air brushing, etc. Disclaimers Small print caveats e.g. L’Oreal Asterisk culture Conditional claims Terms and conditions Terms and conditions, although seen as necessary,

lengthy versions contribute to concerns about being misled

Words like ‘free’, ‘sale ends tomorrow’, % saving

Attractive words but warning bells ring

Advertising weasel words e.g. ‘prices from…’

Designed to mislead, or at least portray in an unrealistically favourable light

Poor quality Production cues e.g. poor quality paper, poor graphics etc.

Untargeted Inappropriate or irrelevant offers Intrusive Invading of privacy

“They [banks] just have no credibility” (Dads, Coventry)

“It says from £369, so you know it is going to be more” (20-24 year old men, left school at 16, Coventry)

“I don’t trust the word ‘from’, that word gives you scope to go anywhere doesn’t it?” (Dads, Coventry)

“Like Nutella, there is no way that is good for you and the way they market it saying a cup of milk and three hazelnuts, and you look at it and that’s the whole jar…the rest is just sugar and chocolate. They say its good for you, its rubbish” (Mums, London)

“I mean how many dentists did they ask?” (Dads, Coventry)

“It was 92% of a small audience, a small target audience…I mean it could just be their employees, there is no way of telling that it is independent” (Older women, London)

  

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Credibility is not the same as trust. Credibility is very rational; trust is more emotional. Each affects the other, but they are separate concepts. Credibility is most relevant for claims, whereas trust relates more to the person’s relationship with the advertiser / brand. There is wide spread scepticism about the credibility of claims that are made by advertisers nowadays. Ten years ago people used to say ‘they can’t say that if it isn’t true, can they?’ But today the public believes that advertisers use tactics that are subtle and that it is not always obvious in which way the advertiser is being economical with the truth. Mistrust centres around ‘harder’, definitive claims (e.g. ‘100% prime Scottish beef’, ‘cheapest electricity’, or ‘6-pack in 12 weeks’) which people immediately expect to be trying to mislead them, vs. ‘softer’, hyperbolic claims which are obviously not meant to be taken as the literal truth. For example, however ‘unreal’ Lynx Angels may be, it is understood to be using legitimate advertising hyperbole, and people also talk about taglines such as ‘A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play’ in this context. Cheryl Cole or Davina McCall, on the other hand, endorsing home-use hair colouring products is not quite the truth because they would have their hair done professionally. Public mistrust – and anger – centres around the perceived intention to mislead or deceive. People want ads to tell them the ‘moral’ truth (cf. the spirit of the law), not just the ‘literal’ truth (cf. the letter of the law). People are extremely tuned in to ‘weasel words’ and advertising ploys and are very resistant indeed to being misled. Where advertising is seen to be actively trying to mislead, it evokes strong language: ‘lying’, ‘false advertising’ and really angers people. Airbrushing and photoshopping (the manipulation of how people, and women in particular, are portrayed in advertising), only affect trust when believed to actively mislead. Using these techniques to artificially enhance the depiction of the advertised product (as opposed to the visual in general) is seen as a distortion of the truth.

“With the false eyelashes, it’s like you’ve gone out to buy a Ferrari and you’ve ended up with a Skoda…it’s just false advertising.” (Financially challenged younger men, London)

“That would be a lot more believable if it didn’t look so completely unlike Davina’s hair. Look it says ‘hair extensions’ at the bottom…she has someone else’s hair on her head.” (Mums, Newcastle)

“It’s leading you on isn’t it, making you believe that eye [enhanced with the false eyslashes], that will happen….all them girls and young lads trying to be perfect” (20-24year old men, Coventry)

Interestingly, there is little rejection of airbrushing per se. A sense that there is a need for aspirational imagery, as long as it is not actively misleading people about the product being advertised.

  

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“I want to see her looking like that. If she had just normal skin it wouldn’t be appealing. So they’re getting it right, but obviously it’s slightly lying to you” (Mums, London)

“Look at her arm, that could have done with some air brushing couldn’t it” (Older women, London)

“If it’s not appealing to people then they won’t want to buy the products. So it has to look appealing, but you have to tell the truth at the same time” (Older women, London)

Celebrity advertising is a complex arena that relies on a good match of values between celebrity and brand e.g. Jamie Oliver and Sainsbury’s (good match) vs. Carole Vorderman and Firstplus (poor match). The celebrity’s personal integrity is key – they need to be seen to be endorsing the product for the ‘right’ reasons (i.e. they believe in it), not the ‘wrong’ reasons (i.e. for money). For the endorsement to work and be trusted, several elements need to be in place: • The belief that the celebrity would use the brand in reality is important (e.g. Aaron Lennon

wears Nike football boots when he plays for England, whereas Davina McCall would not dye her hair at home)

• The values of the celebrity are aligned with those of the product or brand e.g. Johnny Vegas is down to earth and so is PG Tips

• The celebrity has personal credibility i.e. is at the top of their game, and not so desperate for money that they will ‘sell out’

“I see that [Carole Vorderman] and I think oh my god what a sell out, I think god you’re running short of cash.” (Women 18-24, London)

Third party endorsement can also add credibility, but as with celebrity endorsement, it needs to be from a seemingly trustworthy and appropriate source.

“I think with this film advertising with a third party recommendation if it’s The Sun or The Star then I’m not going to pay attention to it. If it’s Empire Magazine written by film buffs and film critics you will listen to what they have to say, it’s trustworthy.” (Financially challenged younger men, London)

“If it [a recommendation] has come from a reputable website like MoneySavingExpert I straightaway would investigate it further, Its from a source I know I trust.” (Mums, Newcastle)

  

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The words ‘immoral’ or ‘unethical’ are used to describe advertisements that might influence people who are, in their eyes, vulnerable e.g. the elderly, those in debt, addicts (gaming or alcohol), and those who lack confidence in their sexual attractiveness or appearance.

“Wonga are vultures, they are taking advantage of people and giving them a false sense of security…they are one step away from loan sharks. Its immoral.” (Financially challenged younger men, London)

“They are selling their image immorally, Parkinson with the over 50 plan, I can see my mother in her 70s thinking ‘Good old Parky, he must be right’...its so sugary sweet I find it a repulsive ad.” (Older men, Newcastle)

There are some products that people feel should not be advertised at all, namely accident claims and online gambling.  

“These Lawyers For You things…I find them morally reprehensible. I just think that the fact of basically being an ambulance chaser. I find the whole thing despicable.” (Older men, Newcastle) 

In some instances people only stumble upon the fact that distortion or misrepresentation has taken place through the media (exposé documentaries on the working practices of large corporations) or knowledge of their peers. It is taken more seriously and is more troubling to people when it relates to health issues or for example, responsible sourcing of food.

“With smoothies, I absolutely detest how they are advertised as a healthy thing, they are so unhealthy. I look at that advert [Innocent] and it makes me so angry.” (Women, 18-24, London)

“Most supermarkets now sell dolphin friendly tuna, Actually, then they opened up the ramifications of what that actually means. It’s not necessarily, it maybe killing 1,000s of other animals, but you don’t know about it. Then it’s a whole nightmare of information, you think you’re doing a good thing.” (Mums, Newcastle)

Advertising to children per se is not intrinsically problematic for parents – the issue is with the intention to mislead. Advertising the existence of products aimed at children is acceptable to parents (if somewhat irritating in the run-up to Christmas), and may be seen to have a positive role e.g. encouraging children to eat more vegetables. Parental concern centres on ‘weasel word’ claims that are designed to mislead rather than simply inform, which are problematic because children are more credulous and ‘gullible’ than adults, and as such can be exploited.

  

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Implications The public’s understanding of advertising intent means that it is inevitable that they claim to take advertisements with a pinch of salt. ‘Suspended trust’ by itself is not an area for concern. Specific concerns about claims have implications for how advertising standards are designed and enforced, with an increased focus on the ‘spirit’ rather than the ‘letter’ of regulation.

  

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7. MORE REGULATION OR NOT…THAT IS THE QUESTION

 

Key points: • There is little evidence of an appetite for more regulation across all demographic

segments. The public seems to think that each person needs to be responsible for what they believe or not, with regard to specific claims by advertisers

• People think they are in control of ads – not the other way around. They defend this identity vigorously, which makes a discussion about regulation very difficult because it would imply that there are elements of advertising that are not within their control

• As might be expected, there is a small minority who call for greater external regulation from government or from a body with power to discipline or intervene

• There is a fairly low level of interest in making complaints although there is awareness that this is a possibility – either directly to the company or through a body representing advertising standards 

• The ASA is not name-checked very frequently  • In the context of regulation, the issue of privacy is one which is relevant for all groups and

we recommend looking into this in more detail in the next wave  Trends and observations  The issue of regulation does not come up spontaneously in discussion about advertising, and even when prompted, people find it hard to discuss. While there is some awareness and/or the assumption that advertising is regulated as other industries are, there is little sense of the remit of the regulators, and few people can spontaneously identify the ASA as the body in question. People think they are in control of how advertising affects them (and their children). E.g. parents see it as their responsibility to educate their children about marketing tactics and vigorously defend this identity.

“We always found it very easy to say no to the more obvious advertising pressures and it's plainly the responsibility of parents” (Forum post, Older men, Newcastle)

“It is harder to ignore commercials that are before the 9pm watershed, but parents can take some responsibility for policing themselves” (Forum post, Older women, London)

It’s the same with other lifestages – people believe that they can ‘see through’ advertising and what it’s trying to achieve. It is because of this that the role of regulation is hard to discuss, as it comes with the implicit assumption that the public can be ‘duped’ by advertising.

  

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“I try to explain to my son that it’s marketing… that what they say isn’t necessarily true. And he asks if it’s real now Mummy” (Mums, London)

Privacy was raised in almost every session as an area of concern in relation to advertising, particularly in the context of internet advertising and increasingly sensitive personal targeting. Also raised in this context were databases, storecard targeting, direct mail and cold-calling. However, although these are areas that concern people, the public does not feel empowered to do anything about them, or know to whom they can turn for redress, apart from the advertisers themselves. And in the case of unsolicited communications, the identity of the advertiser is not always clear. This area needs more detailed exploration in Wave Three. Racial diversity was raised spontaneously in one group in Wave Two (in London) – namely the issue of a fair representation of racial and ethnic minorities in advertising. We are exploring this issue in the online forum this week, but depending on the level of response it may warrant further investigation as a ‘hot topic’ in the press at the moment. Implication Success stories of self-regulation by the ASA and/or the AA might help raise the salience of these two organisations in the mind of the public, and encourage a more open debate about the impact of adverting, both positive and negative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Appendix Sample Observations Mothers and Fathers are open to advertising and surprisingly comfortable with advertisements aimed at children on children’s channels. However advertising does contribute to ‘pester power’ – a subject that does exercise their tolerance! Toys, clothes, foods, leisure activities, holidays and more are all subject to ‘I want…’ pleas from children of all ages.

“Now there are proper kids channels, and therefore all the adverts are kid’s adverts. So it’s ‘I want, I want, I want’. Before there might have been a cereal ad or one for Flash cleaner, and they don’t want Flash.” (Mums, Newcastle)

“There is nothing wrong with the ads themselves, it’s just the quantity of them.” (Mums, Newcastle)

Advertising is only partly to blame for pester power – its cause lies broadly in social imitation and have/have not social distinctions, of which mothers are aware, if not able to articulate precisely. There is a definite life-stage divide with regard to openness to advertising. Older people are overall less engaged with and open to advertising. Life experience makes them more adept at avoiding advertising, and they are less engaged with the new and the modern. They have developed effective heuristics (rules of thumb) to make product and brand decisions in categories that don’t much interest them, and are only really open to things that do, e.g. hobbies. E.g. older men may be advertising adverse in general, but show interest in advertisements that are relevant to their interests or stage of life. By contrast, younger people are still learning about the work/life/brands/products, and although they can be sceptical of advertisements, are still open, engaged and interested The attitudes and beliefs of financially challenged men and older women about advertising do not differ significantly from those of the sample as a whole. However, these groups do show a sensitivity to being ‘talked to as if we are stupid’ and the men name checked Wonga as an example of a company that is patronising and taking advantage of debt-ridden people. Young women spontaneously talk about airbrushing and image manipulation. How women are portrayed in advertising is a subject worth further discussion with this age group and those younger.

  

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Wave 1 The sample: Four group discussions were held in February 2011. Each group consisted of eight or nine people as detailed below: Group One: Mothers Newcastle

• Two or more school age children • Aged 30 – 44

Group Two: Young women London

• Aged 20 – 24 • Single or living as part of a couple, without children • Living away from home/working/at college

Group Three: Men of working age London

• Aged 30 – 44 • Financially challenged (unemployed, low income, recently redundant, with debts)

Group Four: Older men Newcastle

• Aged 50 – 64 • May not be fans of advertising but who believe that it has a role to play in modern life

  

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Wave 2 The sample: Four group discussions were held in April 2011. Each group consisted of eight or nine people as detailed below: Group One: Mothers London

• At least one child at primary school and one at secondary school • Aged 30 – 44 • C2/D/E

Group Two: Older women London

• Aged 55-65 • B/C1/C2/E • Financially challenged (unemployed, low income, recently redundant, with debts)

Group Three: Young men who left school at 16 (after GCSEs) Coventry

• Aged 20-24 • Single or living as part of a couple, without children • B/C1/C2

Group Four: Dads Coventry

• At least one child at primary school and one at secondary school • Aged 30 – 44 • C1/C2