The public's perception of advertising in today's …

   The public's perception of advertising in today's
                       society
     Report on the findings from a research study


         Prepared for the Advertising Standards Authority




Prepared by

Sally Ford-Hutchinson and Annie Rothwell

The Thinking Shop

9 Kenneth Crescent

London

NW2 4PS

020 8450 8135                                      February 2002


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                                     Contents


                                                                   Page Nos.


Research objectives, approach, sample                                 3-6


Management summary                                                    7-9


The findings

The public's view of what advertising is and its role in society      10-13

The public's use of advertising                                       14-16

Use of the different media                                            17-22

The effects of life stage                                             23-24

Aspects that increase the effectiveness of advertising                25-26

Aspects that decrease the effectiveness of advertising                27-30

The image of the regulators                                           31

The evolution of advertising                                          32-33




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       The public's perception of advertising in today's
                           society



Introduction

The Advertising Standards Authority invited The Thinking Shop to conduct a study
into the public's perception of advertising. The purpose was to inform the thinking of
the partners in self-regulation as the system approaches its 40th birthday. It is a
demonstration of how the ASA builds understanding of public opinion and develops
its implementation of the Code of Advertising and Sales Promotion in a thoughtful
responsible way.

The ASA has always used research to keep in touch with the views of the public and
to ensure that its service is efficient and fair. This particular study built on previous
research. The intention was not to look at specific issues such as the definition of
serious offence or the use of specific language in advertising. Instead the research
investigated the way the public views the whole advertising landscape, the role of
advertising in today's fast changing world of communications and the extent to which
advertisers are perceived to be in touch with public views.

Objectives

More specifically the research had the following objectives:

   ·    Gain an understanding of how the public views the role of advertising and how
        they `consume' and `use' advertising (particularly non broadcast).
   ·    Investigate the difference between advertising as a form of entertainment and
        advertising as either persuader or informer.
   ·    Explore the credibility of advertising, the extent to which cynicism exists and
        the factors that increase or decrease credibility; within this context investigate
        the degree of trust in advertisers and advertising.
   ·    Determine the extent to which advertisers are believed to be in touch with the
        public.
   ·    Evaluate the way the public believes advertising has evolved over time and
        establish if elements of nostalgia are attached to advertising.


Research Approach

There was a need to investigate the attitudes of the public in some depth.
Superficial questioning would not have lead to new insights or a broad
understanding. A qualitative approach was adopted with Group Discussions
being the most cost efficient and effective method of probing areas of public
opinion.


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In designing the research it was necessary to ensure that the sample was of sufficient
scale to provide robust findings but not so extensive as to be unwieldy. The solution
was to conduct the research among groups that represented the key life stages.

Teenagers ­ 16/17/18 year olds still at school

Singles ­ aged 20 to 24

Parents ­ with at least one child aged 5 to 14

Empty Nesters ­ aged 50 to 60

The Greys ­ aged 65 to 75

These groups represent important segments of the population and are sufficiently
differentiated to provide alternative viewpoints.

Within these broad life stages it was also important to consider demographic factors
such as region (North/South), urban versus suburban versus small town, socio
economic segmentation.

In total 16 groups were recruited. They covered the complexity of sampling and
enabled insights into the different targets without being unwieldy.

Details of the composition of the groups are on the next page.




                                                                                         4
Composition of groups


                                             Male         Female

16/17/18 year old teenagers                  South        North
(All to be at day school, all to have
access to the Internet at home, all to
be BC1C2, all living in the suburbs)


20-24 year old singles                       North        South
(All BC1C2, mix of living at home            Small town   Small town
and away from home, all working, at
least half to have access to the Internet)
                                             South        North
                                             Urban        Urban


Parents (at least one child aged             North        North
5 to 14)                                     C2D          ABC1
(All living in the suburbs)
                                             South        South
                                             ABC1         C2D


Empty Nesters aged 50-60                     North        North
(all BC1C2)                                  Small Town   Urban

                                             South        South
                                             Urban        Small Town


The Greys aged 65-75                         North        South
(All in the suburbs)




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All the groups were split male/female as mixed sex groups can create difficult
dynamics.

The bulk of respondents were in the mass market of BC1C2. This mix of socio
economic class within life stages works well. The only exceptions were the parent
groups. They were split ABC1 versus C2D because socio economic class can be a
major factor in determining the upbringing of children.

There was a spread between urban, small town and suburban, but the parents and
teenagers were concentrated in the suburbs to reflect the predominance of families in
these areas. The rest of the groups were split between the three types of areas.
In the South the groups were conducted in central London, suburbs of London and the
Marlow/High Wycombe area. In the North they were conducted in Chorlton
Manchester, Timperley near Manchester, Leeds and York.

All respondents had televisions. Not because the ASA covers broadcast media but
because broadcast media does determine general attitudes. The teenagers and at least
half the singles had to have access to the Internet at home because these targets tend
to use media differently. However, Internet access was wider than this and many of
the respondents in the other groups also had access.

Within the groups the following broad topics were covered:

Spontaneous awareness of types of advertising
Attitudes towards advertising and its roles
Types of advertising and their images
Use of different types of advertising
Likes and dislikes of advertising
Image of the creators of advertising and advertisers
The evolution of advertising
The likely changes to advertising in the future
The control of advertising

Within the groups use was made of stimulus materials These were in the form of
current magazines for respondents to flip through and boards with posters, magazine
and press advertisements. While the ads were useful to learn about the respondents'
attitudes, the purpose of the research was not to evaluate specific executions. The
principles behind the findings are discussed in the report rather than detailed reactions
to executions. Mentions have been made of particular ads only where they help to
illustrate a point.

The groups were conducted between 13th November and 6th December 2001 and were
moderated by Sally Ford-Hutchinson and Annie Rothwell (8 groups each).




                                                                                         6
 Management summary of the research into public perceptions of
                        advertising

This was an extensive piece of research with wide ranging findings that are detailed in
the next section of the report. The purpose of this summary is to draw attention to the
key highlights. It is not a complete précis of the research.

Advertising is everything with a name on it
The first interesting finding was the extent to which the term advertising encompassed
for consumers every piece of brand, product or service communication. It obviously
included the key media of television, posters (surprisingly high in a strong second
place), press, cinema and radio. It also included other aspects of `selling' such as
Direct Mail, door drops, the Internet, branding in store, branded clothing, sponsorship,
commercial text messages and even telephone sales. Advertising is simply everything
that has a name on it.

Life without advertising would be dull
Consumers feel that advertising is everywhere and that this ubiquity has evolved over
time. As such advertising is as much part of the environment as the traffic and the
trees. For some, mainly the older respondents, there is perhaps too much advertising,
too much pressure to buy but the majority embrace it as part of life. When asked to
think about life without advertising the response was that life would be very, very
dull. There would be a lack of essential and desirable information. There would be
less entertainment. There would be less street colour. There would be less to talk
about.

Advertising has three key roles
The positive attitude towards advertising comes from its multiplicity of roles. It is, of
course, a source of information particularly useful for new products or services and
for prices and promotions. It is a significant source of entertainment. It is also a part
of everyday culture. Advertising is talked about in day-to-day conversations. Words
and phrases become part of colloquial language. Not knowing about aspects of
advertising would for many, particularly the younger respondents, mean missing out.

Information, entertainment and part of everyday culture are the three levels on which
advertising works and the most effective advertising operates on all three. Pure
informational advertising may engage the target for whom it is relevant but it will do
little more than that. Advertising that entertains can engage a much broader target of
consumers and build equity for the future. Advertising that becomes part of everyday
culture has its life extended beyond the time of the campaign because it is used and
reinforced by the consumers themselves. Advertising that achieves all three roles has
maximum power.

Advertising is an indicator of business health
Advertising is inevitably perceived as a selling tool but it is also for consumers a
barometer of the economy. For those not involved in business, the advertising is the
key indicator of a company or brand's health.

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Advertising size matters
It became apparent that the perceived scale of any advertising is important to the way
consumers receive it. If advertising is thought to have a lot of money behind it or to
have significant presence then this adds credence to the message and adds stature to
the brand. So large spaces, mainstream media, sustains presence, the use of colour, a
clever or `big idea' all add weight to the advertising and positive perceptions of the
brand.

Advertising quality matters
The effect of advertising can be enhanced by how consumers perceive the quality of
the advertising idea (how clever it is), the quality of the production, the quality of the
media and the quality of its mood, tone and style. All reflect on how consumers
perceive the quality and credibility of the brand.

The brand matters
If the brand is perceived well or the brand is trusted because it is known and
established then there is a virtuous circle and the advertising message will be even
more credible. If a brand has a recognised area of expertise then consumers question
less the claims of new products within that area.

Advertising has got better
The public is more critical of advertising than it has ever been. This is because of a
belief that advertising is better than it ever was. It is felt to be cleverer, more reflective
of real life, more entertaining and more tuned to different targets.

`Clever' advertising is good advertising
Throughout the research, regardless of consumer life-stage or sex, clever was the
word used to describe advertising that engaged and entertained. Clever could be
clever in humour, originality of the idea, play on words or special effects

Not all is positive
On the negative side consumers perceive one major trend. It is a trend that threatens to
seriously undermine advertising in general. This is the development of what we have
termed `Untruthful truthful advertising'. This is the category of advertising that does
not literally lie. It is assumed to be `legally ` true but it is economical with the truth. It
does not communicate the true or whole picture. It is advertising of serious products,
mainly financial, that highlights substantial benefits but is vague in its communication
of the implications or downsides. It is epitomised by the perceived growing presence
of advertising for accident claims companies, consolidation of debts and loan offers.

The threat to advertising in general is that as the cancer of `Untruthful truthful'
advertising spreads consumers become more cynical, critical and doubtful about other
advertising claims. `They are all the same'.

Acceptable and unacceptable advertising hyperbole
This does not mean that advertisers cannot use hyperbole. There has always been
hyperbole in advertising and much of it is acceptable because it is companies being
                                                                                             8
seen to be `putting their best foot forward', advertising their wares. More important
this acceptable hyperbole is associated with small ticket items such as food and
household products and if the reality does not quite live up to expectations it does not
really matter.

The new unacceptable hyperbole is in areas where decisions taken can seriously affect
an individual's life and happiness, like finance. Advertisers are thought to be hiding
behind the small print and weasels. This small print is, in the consumer's mind,
definitely there to protect the advertiser not the consumer. Recognised weasels are
words such as `from', `terms and conditions apply', ` limited stocks available',
`subject to status'.

The role of the regulators
Overall the regulators were thought by the public to be `doing a good job'. However,
the area of `untruthful truthful' advertising was singled out in all groups as the one
area where `they' should be more active, more invasive, more controlling in order to
protect consumers.

The only other area of any notable concern was posters (more often referred to as
billboards). Unlike the watershed on television and the implicit targeting of press,
radio and cinema, poster advertising is exposed to all ages and cultural group. As a
result there is more onus on this medium not to offend or upset.

Entertainment is key
Essentially consumers have higher and higher expectations of advertising. With the
proliferation of media and the developments in technology there will be increasing
opportunities for them to edit out advertising and notice only those pieces of
communication that interest or entertain them.

They believe advertising will have to continue to get better to get their attention.
Continuing to get better is about more of advertising being clever or cleverer.
Cleverer in its originality and in its ability to engage and entertain.

The rewards from advertising will come from advertising that in its turn rewards the
consumer.




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                                 The Findings

1.The public's view of what advertising is and its role in
society

In order to understand how the public views advertising and the role it plays in their
lives it is important to explore exactly what is included by consumers in the term
advertising.

1.1 Advertising is everything that has a name on it

Not surprisingly the obvious media immediately emerge as part of advertising.
Television, Billboards (the term most commonly used), Magazines and Newspapers
are all mentioned very quickly. Radio and Cinema are also included but require a little
more probing. Not all respondents listen to commercial radio or go to the cinema and
so are less likely to have these media top of mind. Transport advertising, usually
referred to as tube or bus advertising, is as readily mentioned as radio or cinema
particularly in the South where the dominance of the London transport network is
apparent.

What is perhaps more surprising is how quickly respondents included the other
`below the line' media in their concept of advertising. So there was very frequent
mention of Direct Mail, door drops, sponsorship, the Internet, commercial text
messages and advertising in supermarkets.

Advertising was also seen to include telephone sales, heavily product branded
magazine features, brand names on fashion items, brand mentions in distribution
outlets and branded carrier bags.

In other words advertising is `anything that has a name on it'.

"It's just in everything, newspapers and magazines and it's on television, you know
you go in the high street and it's in the shop windows...it's on everything you do
without realising it" Female Empty Nester South Small Town

1.2 Advertising is all -embracing

The all embracing concept of advertising was a widely held one although the older
respondents (anyone over the age of 25) felt this was very much a new phenomenon,
whereas the younger respondents felt they had grown up with advertising being all
pervasive.

The all-embracing nature of advertising means that all respondents believe it is
absolutely part of everyday life. As such it is as much part of the environment as the
traffic and the trees. It is simply everywhere.



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"It's all round advertising, you are completely blitzed by advertising, it doesn't
matter what you do, you tend to find a big advert" Male 20-24 North Small Town

The interesting question is how do respondents feel about this ubiquity? While some
of the older respondents may feel they cannot get away from it, nearly all respondents
are accepting of it. More than that, they see its positives.

"I think it's a necessary thing, it's quite good for information and if it's too much in
your face then you tend to switch off" - Female Empty Nester South Small Town

1.3 Advertising is everyday culture

Advertising is part of everyday culture in the same way that television programmes
are part of culture. Advertising is recognised as being a source of entertainment as
well as giving information. It is a media in its own right. As such it provides people
with another subject to talk or gossip about. Building on that, it can create the
language of the street and bring new phrases or colloquialisms into use.

"Most of the time you take no notice but then every now and then there will be either
a funny advert that you remember and you tell someone about it and you relay the
brand" Male 20-24 North Small Town

1.4 Advertising is an indicator of business health

There is also a more serious side to advertising. It is part of a modern Western society
and it is representative of a free country. Afghanistan was often cited as a typical
country without advertising or, perhaps less extreme, China or Russia were thought to
have had little advertising.

Advertising is seen as a key commercial tool and the amount of advertising is
reflective of a dynamic economy. In fact for those respondents not directly involved
in business (most of them) the advertising of a company or a brand is the key
indicator of a company or brand's financial or commercial `health'. A brand that has a
great deal of good quality advertising must " be doing well."

"You're in business you've got to advertise" ­ Male Parents South BC1

1.5 Life without Advertising would be dull

Given the broad-based roles of advertising it was interesting to ask respondents to
imagine what life without advertising would be like. The comments above suggest
that the view of advertising is a wholly rosy one. This is of course not entirely true.
There were criticisms of advertising for being too invasive, giving too much pressure
and just simply for being bad advertising.

However, it was apparent that respondents felt life without advertising would be very
dull. It might be simpler and slower (perhaps desirable to a few of the older
respondents). There would be less pressure to buy things (a notable comment from
parents about toy advertising at Christmas) but it would be very much less interesting
and exciting.
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"Life would be simpler but it would be boring.... everybody would have what they've
got and then that's it. You'd end up buying the same thing week in week out" ­ Male
Parent South BC1

"It's part of communication they (a country without advertising) are probably
missing out, advertising is a way of communicating and they are missing out on it" ­
Female 17/18 North Suburbs

1.6 Advertising is information

All respondents felt that they would be lacking information. Advertising is a key
form of communication. Companies would not be able to communicate about
products or services, particularly new ideas. Respondents hungry for any new
information felt they would miss out and have to troop around shops looking for
items.

"If there were no ads around you would just go round picking things up" - Female
20 -25 North Urban

"We all need products and it (advertising) is a way of researching them I suppose ­I
think advertising is good because you find out about new things coming out.. Like the
George Foreman cooker.........I agree it's only because I saw it that I want one." -
Male Parent North C2D

"I love watching adverts if there is a new product on the market....I like trying
new products." - Female Empty Nester North

1.7 Advertising is entertainment

There would be an emptiness without advertising. This would come not just from the
lack of information but also from the removal of entertainment and a who le stimulus
to conversation, both within a household and at work or on social occasions.

Advertising does provide people with a universal subject and in the same way that the
popular soaps have a role to play, advertising acts as `social glue'. It is something to
talk about and laugh about. Less often but importantly it can also be the `intro' to
difficult subjects. For example if a family is watching a television commercial about
drugs then it can provide the entry point to a conversation about that topic.

1.8 Advertising subsidises leisure

There are also practical benefits from advertising that are recognised by a number of
the respondents. Advertising is seen to sponsor and, therefore, support many sports,
not just at the Premier League level but also at the local level with small football clubs
or less high profile sports.

"Local football teams are sponsored by local businesses....., we'd struggle without
that" ­ Male Parent South BC1


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Similarly advertising is recognised by some as subsidising the cost of media. They
know they get free ITV because of advertising and some respondents recognise that
other media such as newspapers or magazines would be very expensive without the
inclusion of advertising.

"Without advertising ITV wouldn't be there" ­ Male 20-24 North Small Town

"You'd have less TV channels, less radio, Newspapers would probably cost £5 an
edition" ­ Male Parent South BC1




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2. The public's use of advertising

As has been intimated in the previous section of this report there are three key ways
that advertising is used by consumers or three different aspects of the relationship
between the consumers and advertising:

   ·   Advertising as everyday culture
   ·   Advertising as entertainment
   ·   Advertising as information

Inevitably these three aspects can inter relate and in doing so the advertising can
become even more powerful. While these three elements have been referred to earlier
there is a need to explain in more detail what they mean to consumers.

2.1 Everyday culture

Advertising that creates an impact, either good or bad in the consumer's mind, can
become as much a topic of conversation as any other media. So in the office there
may be discussion about the latest film, the latest episode of East Enders or the latest
Budweiser ad or special effect used in a VW ad.

"We do talk about certain adverts like Monkey on ITV digital it's very funny" ­
Female 20-25 North Urban

The phrases used in advertising are adopted into the local peer group currency.
Particularly for the young (18-25) not knowing the phrase can be as out of touch as
not knowing the latest music, club or fashion label.

"I know the young like it but that Bud thing it was on that many times that my bloody
parrot's doing it...I hate it, drove me mad.... but my grandson loved it, he used to
switch it up." - Empty Nester Female North

The advertising content can also be part of family currency. Jokes might be made
about a family member behaving in the same way as someone depicted in an ad and,
as was highlighted above, in communal viewing situations (admittedly less frequent
nowadays) ads can stimulate discussion.

"When you are watching you would try to guess what the advert was about, pair of
jeans advert, makeup and then you would all be wrong" ­ Female 20-24 North Urban

The media further fuels this integration of advertising into the everyday culture in that
advertising developments are often the subject of features in papers or magazines. The
Nescafe Gold Blend advertising was often quoted as an example of this where the big
media story was about the latest commercial in the series appearing that night.

"Nescafe is a perfect example or remember the Cointreau one with the slightly more
mature lady, I mean it was absolutely electric" ­ Empty Nester South Small Town


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Characters (live or animation) created in advertising become as much a part of life as
other well known fictional characters. So the Homepride Flourgraders were readily
recognised by all ages. The Andrex dog was mentioned frequently as was the Lurpak
man.

Another aspect of everyday culture is how the advertising stimulates response. It does
give guidance on the desirable badges, again particularly but not exclusively for the
young. So the right drink, the right fashion, the right car, the right holiday destination,
are all influenced, at least in part, by advertising.

It is recognised by consumers that advertising does create aspirations something that
has both positives and negatives attached to it. Advertising is seen to increase social
pressure and to make people want ever more items. While this might mean that some
people try to buy what they cannot really afford, it is also believed by a few more
sophisticated consumers that this encourages economic growth in society.

"Without advertising there is no driving force to make people want to improve their
lifestyle" - Male Parent South BC1

In reality no consumers admitted to feeling forced to buy anything they did not want
or could not afford. This pressure was always attributed to someone else, someone
supposedly more vulnerable, someone less able to say no or resist the pressure.

"You don't have to buy anything really...you don't have to take any notice... you
don't feel pressured" ­ Female 17/18 North Suburbs


2.2 Entertainment

The entertainment derived from advertising is immediately apparent in the ease with
which respondents talk about ads they like or enjoy. This is primarily driven by
television but can also be true of billboards or cinema. The admired advertising (and
advertiser) is almost always seen as being humorous, clever and original.

Clever was an interesting word that came up time and time again in the research. The
respondents both admired and enjoyed clever advertising. Some respondents talked
about advertising that they did not at first understand but which drew them in and
made them remember it because they had to work at it. Hence rewarded
comprehension, while not being a term they used, was recognised as effective by
some respondents. Conversely too obvious or bland ads were criticised.

"Advertising is cleverer now, very much so...because you have got to watch the
advert, pay attention, to get what they mean." - Empty Nester Female North

Humour was mentioned almost as often as clever. It was important in entertaining and
engaging consumers. Current favourites much enjoyed were ITV DigitalMonkey,
Bisto/the 70 year old pregnant lady and BT/that has to go.

"What is going to stick in my mind is humour - a product can boost its reputation by
getting your respect through humour." Male 20-24 South Urban
                                                                                         15
Other aspects of advertising that helped in its role as a provider of entertainment were
good music (car ads), the `aaah' factor such as the Andrex puppy and any series of ads
that created a mini soap opera such as Gold Blend.

"The Andrex ad... I used to like the one where the puppy ran down the stairs with the
toilet roll." - Empty Nester Female North

2.3 Information

This enjoyment of advertising does not mean that there was no basic role for
advertising in giving information. Consumers valued the information provided by
advertising. They recognised that ads particularly in print media did not set out to
entertain but did provide useful, interesting information. Information that is often hard
to find elsewhere. They also knew that ads that irritated them often got the message
across or acted as reminders of the brand name.

The information that most interested consumers was either new products or services
or price and promotions. There seemed to be a desperate concern that without
advertising it would be impossible to know about new products or services. There was
no doubt that all, no matter what age, wanted this information. The fear of missing out
is a real one.

The price and promotional aspect of advertising was one where media such as
newspapers and door drops came into their own and these were definitely used by
respondents to compare prices and shop wisely. Similarly ads can be a useful
direction towards distribution outlets or to further, more detailed information
(websites, telephone numbers, brochures etc.).

"I like to read about travel and the different bargains. I read a lot about the different
places and holidays." - Empty Nester Female North


Finally the information contained in advertising can be simply `food for thought. It
can provide inspiration from the `what shall I cook for dinner?' dilemma to' what is
the latest fashion?' or it can make you think more deeply about a topic (Greenpeace).




                                                                                       16
3. Use of the different media
The different media do have a different balance of the three factors of advertising ­
everyday culture, entertainment and information. The media are used in different
ways but they do inter-relate and one can link to another. Below is a description of the
consumers' use of each of the media.

3.1 Television

As the most dominant advertising medium, television was the most likely to be
remembered and talked about. It is a universal currency. However, it was less
dominant than anticipated and respondents readily talked about other media.

The reason for televisions dominance comes from its ubiquity, its entertainment value
and the generally important role that television plays in people's lives.

Advertising on television is an accepted intrusion although in certain situations it
becomes more of an irritant (notably in films and sport such as football or motor
racing). The timing and the volume of advertising can also be an irritant. Very
frequent advertising breaks annoy, as can breaks very early in the programme. On
satellite or cable the volume of advertising is seen as notably greater than on
terrestrial. The timing of the breaks is also thought to be more irritating.

"I do get tired now as there tend to be four adverts in the middle of an hour's
programme whereas there used to be three." ­ Female Empty Nester South Small
Town

Despite the se complaints, television advertising is the most entertaining and as such is
thought to bring brands to the forefront, highlight brand changes and launch new
brands.

Television is less of an information source except in the sense of bringing new things
to the attention of the public or directing consumers to other more detailed sources of
information through telephone numbers, websites or to the retail outlet itself.

"You're not going to need a fantastic amount of information because it is very rare
that a completely new product comes out so you know exactly what it does ­ soft
drinks for instance need to capture attention" - Male 20-25 Urban South


3.2 Billboards

This medium was surprisingly top of mind, often being the medium mentioned after
television. The term used by consumers was most frequently billboards although some
did refer to posters or hoardings. Mostly they were viewed very positively as bringing
welcome enlivenment and colour to the streets and a diversion from boring journeys
in the car or on the bus.

"If you're sat on the M40 and it's bumper to bumper you're looking for something to
look at" ­ Female Empty Nester South Small Town
                                                                                       17
"We like them because you're stuck in a traffic jam and it stops you from going
insane" ­ Male 20-24 North Small Town

Their prominence can be such that they can be used as landmarks either for giving
directions or, more often, for punctuating a journey or giving a feeling of `nearly
there'.

The most liked billboards and the ones with the most impact were based again on
cleverness- a simple message conveyed in a clever or humorous way. Because of this
the greatest effect of billboards were either saliency or, in their terminology, just
getting the name across or acting as a reminder. Also billboards seemed to convey a
stance taken by a company. This might be rebelliousness as in FCUK but could be
more campaigning as in charity or public service ads.

There was a recognition that the ubiquity of billboards meant they were entertainment
for all but this also means that the lack of targeting requires more control than any
other media. Unlike the watershed on television and the implicit targeting of press or
cinema, children or specific cultural groups will see billboards. As a result there is
more onus on this medium not to offend or upset.

3.3 Magazines

There was a duality about the way that consumers used magazine advertising. The
nature of flipping through a magazine meant that there was the most potential for
consumers to edit out advertising that did not interest them. Conversely with certain
magazines, usually specialist magazines, there was also the most opportunity to use
the advertising as an important source of relevant and desired information. There were
mentions of buying computer magazines specifically for the ads but any tight
targeting of ads to the reader was appreciated and the product information was
welcomed. Other examples were gardening magazines for the older respondents,
fashion for teenagers and home magazines for some housewives.

"My husband buys a sailing magazine, he'll look through it purely because it is so full
of adverts that he wants" - Female Empty Nester South Small Town

"For me you can switch off a lot of magazines, half of them is advertising, as soon as
you flick over the page it's a picture, it's there all the time" - Male 20-24 North Small
Town

There was also quite widespread criticism of advertising overload in magazines,
notably general interest monthlies. This overload was mostly about sheer volume of
advertising but could also be about volumes of ads in single categories. In this pre
Christmas time there was strong feeling that the male general interest magazines such
as GQ (used as stimuli in the groups) were simply overloaded with expensive ads for
watches and aftershave s.

While some respondents recognised that advertising did keep the cover price down,
with monthlies that were perceived as expensive there was a general feeling that
consumers were paying a high cover price for a magazine full of paid for advertising.
                                                                                       18
Cosmopolitan was singled out as advertising over kill. The weeklies were seen as
better balanced. Hello, OK and Prima were praised as better "reads" with fewer ads.

"It feels like you're being ripped off you spend £2 or £3 and its stuffed full of
adverts." - Male 20-25 Small Town North

"Cosmopolitan, that's full of adverts.if you stripped that down, you might get three
pages of reading and all the rest is adverts." - Empty Nester Female North

"It's not like Prima.....Prima is brilliant..I've had that from day one." - Empty Nester
Female North

The most positive response to magazine advertising was to ads that were in tune with
the reader and yet again, thought to be clever. There was a very fine line between the
aesthetics of much magazine advertising and the wallpaper effect. So beautifully
photographed ads may be viewed as such or may be edited out.

3.4 Newspapers

Many felt that they simply did not notice or look at advertising in newspapers.
However, when probed it was apparent that when they were looking for information
they actively did. There were mentions of individuals going through the newspaper
and cutting out information on specific types of financial services or, more often,
going through all the car or computer ads to compare specifications and prices.

"I am seriously thinking of taking equity out of the house. Every time there is an
advert I cut it out. I've got a file this thick, at the moment I am just picking out adverts
and collecting information." - Male Empty Nester South Urban

Hence newspapers were an important and welcomed source of information on
relevant products or services. However, it is worth highlighting the difference
between the use of local and national papers. Local papers were much more likely to
be used for price or promotional information in local stores or shops, while national
newspapers were often used for everything from comparative ISA performances to
holidays and flights to pricing consumer durables.


3.5 Radio

Not all respondents listened to commercial radio and there was high potential for
irritation by the advertising. Some respondents claimed to avoid commercial radio
because of the advertising. If they wanted simply to listen to music maybe while
driving then the frequency of the advertising intruded and so they avoided certain
stations.

"I have a forty minute drive in the mornings and I just want to listen to something
soothing so I choose a channel that does not have advertising" ­ Male Parent South
BC1



                                                                                         19
The main irritation from radio advertising came from the high repetition of specific
executions. Consumers felt that when they listened to commercial radio, ads were
repeated ad nauseam.

`They just tend to be more repetitious on radio than on TV" ­ Male Parent South BC1

However consumers also recognised that they did remember some of the brands
advertised on radio, for example Carphone Warehouse. As with other media, the
effectiveness of the advertising was dependent on the cleverness of the execution,
frequent executional changes and the relevance of the message to the listener of that
radio station.

"There is a lot of advertising that is on the radio, sales ads for blue cross sales and
bonus days" ­ Female 20-25 North Urban

3.6 Cinema

There were respondents who rarely or never went to the cinema. Those who did,
usually younger, had a mixed response to the advertising. Some would specifically go
into the cinema late to avoid the ads but others felt they were enjoyable in their own
right. Cinema ads could be fantasy entertainment (typically drinks advertising) or they
could be `naff' (the local Indian restaurant). However even the `naff' ones had an
amusement value to them, indeed almost a nostalgic value that made them enjoyable.

"You are forced, you haven't got a choice... you can't risk going away because you
might miss the start of the film" ­ Male 20-24 North Small Town

The existence of the film classification system meant that this was the most self-
selecting of the media and so had the least need for any censorship other than the
rating of the ad itself.

3.7 Internet

Younger respondents were recruited to have access to the Internet. In reality there was
widespread access among the sample though not necessarily widespread usage by the
individuals. Other than the youth bias of the Internet (the young simply took it for
granted) there was a male bias. However there was growing interest and usage among
all groups including the 65 plus groups.

Although the Internet was used for entertainment and communication it is also a very
important medium for research and information. In commercial terms it is widely used
to find out availability or choice of products and services, to look for specifications, to
find out about distribution and to compare prices. Some respondents also bought on
the Internet although this was less frequent than information seeking.

In terms of specific advertising on the Internet as opposed to brand websites, the
banner advertising was simply accepted and may or may not be noticed depending on
the quality and relevance to the viewer. However, there was significant irritation at
`pop-ups' that were unwarranted intrusions, distracted the viewer from the task in
hand, took time to close down and were thought by some to slow down the computer.
                                                                                          20
"What is really annoying is when you load a page up and it's a page of text which
takes about ten seconds but it says downloading and it takes 5 minutes and it's a
blooming advert" ­ Male 20-24 North Small Town


3.8 Other media

There were numerous other media mentioned by respondents so a brief description of
the consumer reaction is given.

Sponsorship was quite frequently mentioned, both sponsorship of programmes such
as Daz and Emmerdale Farm or Cadburys and Coronation Street and sponsorship of
sport. There was acceptance and even enjoyment of sponsorship of programmes if
well done. There was high approval of sponsorship of sport because it was thought to
help the sport. It was particularly liked if the sponsorship was of smaller sports or
local events.

"I quite enjoy Emmerdale, I love the talking dogs and I know that Daz is the sponsor
and I've got to admit that I actually went out and bought Daz" ­ Female Empty
Nester South Small Town

`Through the Door' advertising was recognised by everyone as on the increase. There
was a spectrum of reaction from useful and used to totally ignored. The more
welcome items being leaflets giving special price offers at local retail outlets.

"If it is something about insurance you'd just bin it but if it were a magazine for a
shop..like Matalan..you'd look" ­ Female 20-25 North Urban

Direct Mail is another form of `Through the Door' but was usually addressed to an
individual. It created more negative response and was more often unwelcome mainly
because of the financial bias of much Direct Mail. There was particular resentment of
Direct Mail addressed to young people offering them endless numbers of credit cards.
This was disliked particularly by parents of teenagers and was often thrown straight in
the bin before it even reached the individual but the young the mselves did not
particularly welcome it.

" I do object to the credit cards... as soon as the children hit eighteen or University
they have at least three credit cards coming through the door" ­ Female Empty
Nester South Small Town

Telephone sales were interestingly classified by many as advertising and were deeply
resented as an unwelcome intrusion in the home particularly if the introduction to the
sales pitch was misleading. The 60s plus respondents were the most troubled by
telephone sales, claiming to receive some every week. When a respondent mentioned
`the telephone preference service'and the ability to exclude calls, the rest of the group
immediately wanted the details for registering. For a few respondents their irritation
was increased because they felt sorry for the individual at the other end of the
telephone who was only trying to do their job.
                                                                                          21
"Calling on the telephone adds pressure...it puts you on the spot, you just hang up"
­ Female 20-25 North Urban

Magazine features were an interesting example of where there was a difference in the
age groups. While most respondents thought of features as features, the younger
respondents, notably the teenagers, saw them as simply another form of advertising. If
there is a brand and a price then it is an ad. However, it was quite acceptable and
indeed welcome as it gave guidance on products and services.

There was recognition that product branding was everywhere. Having a brand name
on a carrier bag or on a tee shirt was as much advertising as a billboard. It was
accepted as part of life and indeed many of the younger respondents were, therefore,
walking (or rather sitting) ads in the groups.

3.9 Comparison between the uses of the media

In order to compare the use of the different media it is possible to plot each medium
on a two-dimensional chart showing entertainment versus information and a shared
medium versus `for self'. Obviously some media occupy more than a single space and
how they move can be shown on the chart.

The following is a summary of consumers' use of advertising by media.




                      Advertising in different media
                                      Shared


          TV                                   TV

         Cinema
        Sponsorship                      General
      Entertainment                      magazines      Information


                                                     Newspapers
                          General
                          magazines

               Billboards                       Internet
                               Radio                    Interest
                                       Self             magazines
                                                        Other media




                                                                                   22
4. The effects of life stage

During the commentary some points have been made about the different responses of
the different demographic groups interviewed. It is useful to summarise some of the
over riding factors that are driven by demographics or more importantly different life
stages.

First the differences were less than were anticipated. Those differences that did occur
were a question of different strengths of opinion or different degrees of importance
attached to factors rather than differing fundamental viewpoints.

What is true is that the memory bank of advertising will differ by age of respondents.
Inevitably the older have longer memories of advertising and greater experience of its
evolution. Advertising was perceived to have increased in quantity, have greater
ubiquity and to have increased in quality.

"The advertising years ago ­ there just used to be a running commentary about the
product and a little scenario is the background whereas now all the adverts are very
different and they advertise everything now".- Female Parents South C2D

"They credit people with more intelligence now than they would in the olden days
they used to have some silly little jingle coming out for Tide washing powder and a
woman in her pinny. I think there is far more understanding now of how to influence
people." - Male Empty Nester South Urban

Inevitably the purchasing priorities of consumers change with life stage and their
interest in product or service categories varies. Younger respondents are very
interested in fashion items, technical items and, aspirationally, cars. Mothers are
concerned with everyday shopping for the family. Men are generally more interested
in consumer durables. The `empty nesters' and the `greys' are probably the most
interested in financial services. For the `greys' this is an area of particular concern.

None of this is surprising but it does affect how individuals respond to different media
and the extent to which they feel that the advertising that predominates in that media
is targeted at or has relevance for them.

"What's irritating most is I watch Countdown and they always have adverts for stair
lifts, it's so depressing... they assume that the viewing public at that time of day is of a
certain age" ­ Female Empty Nester South Small Town

In the purchasing arena the feeling of confidence varies by age and experience. There
is almost a bell shaped curve of confidence. At the younger end of the spectrum there
is a lack of confidence, as decisions have to be made in new areas. Confidence then
increases with experience. For older respondents it then decreases. For them there is a
feeling both of the need for more decisions in a faster moving world and a feeling of
the greater importance of some of those decisions as income is restricted and likely to
decrease rather than increase.

Finally the life stage affects the feeling of protection towards others. Essentially the
feeling of protection of others starts with parenthood and continues for their offspring
                                                                                         23
(as they grow up and have to make bigger decisions) and then for their offspring's
offspring. In terms of advertising this feeling of protection means more desire to make
sure that there is no misleading advertising or that undue pressure is not put on the
vulnerable to purchase more than they can afford.




                                                                                    24
5. Aspects that increase the effectiveness of advertising

The most effective advertising or the ads that have the most `ad power' combine all
three factors of Everyday Culture, Entertainment and Information.

Advertising that is entertaining can engage all, even those not in the target. By doing
so it can build `value' for later.

Advertising that only provides information can have real relevance and value for the
target market but is not building extra values among a wider audience.

Advertising that moves into the Everyday Culture will be sustained by this move and
the informational and entertainment effects of the advertising will be expanded.

Hence hitting any one of the three elements is important, hitting all three will
maximise the return on advertising investment.

5.1 Size matters

It also became very apparent that the perceived scale and quality of any advertising is
very important to the way it is received. In colloquial terms size matters. If a
campaign is thought to have a large budget behind it or it is thought to be a major
campaign then this adds credence to the message and adds stature to the brand. So
large space sizes, mainstream media, the use of colour, high production values or even
a clever or big creative idea all add weight to the advertising. It is important to
emphasise that these are consumer perceptions of size of campaign rather than
necessarily reality.

"If it's big and glossy and in colour you think well they've spent some money on that
they must be trustworthy, why I don't know" Female Empty Nester South Small Town

"I think if you see a lot of adverts and it's in your face on TV or on Billboards, it must
be good because they've got all this money to do advertising" ­ Female Empty Nester
South Small Town

5.2 Quality matters

It is also true that quality matters. The effect of the campaign can be enhanced by the
quality of the idea, the quality of the production, the quality of the media placement
and the quality of the mood and tone or style of the ad. All these reflect on the quality
and credibility perceptions of the brand.

5.3 The brand matters

The advertising of a known and trusted brand is readily trusted unless something
happens to suggest that trust is misplaced. Consumers are aware of the persona of
brands and expect that to be reflected in the advertising. They are also aware of brand
expertise and, therefore, question less the claims of a brand in its area of excellence.

                                                                                       25
" I trust bigger companies more because they are more likely to be there if something
goes wrong ..you have a point to go back to." - Male Parent North C2D

 "That Mr Muscle when it first came out I tried something that was good..so I tried
the next one...I think I've tried everything that they've got and they have been really
good.....
 Yeah...me too, You use them continually once you have tried them." Female Empty
Nesters North

"You trust a well known name rather than one you never heard before..you know
Tescos." - Empty Nester Female North

5.4 There is power in staying power

There is also evidence that there is power in staying power: A brand that has been
around for a long time must be good otherwise it would not have survived, hence its
advertising is more readily accepted. In this sense the brand idea living in the
advertising strengthens the power of the advertising as it is building on what has gone
before and what lies in the memories of consumers.

"The're still there so they must be good ­ Weetabix, Heinz and Tango" - Female 20-
25 North Urban




                                                                                      26
6. Aspects that decrease the effectiveness of advertising

The description above makes the world of advertising seem very rosy. Inevitably this
is not entirely true and there are aspects of advertising that are fiercely criticised by
the consumers.

6.1 `Untruthful truthful' advertising

The first negative that comes out of every group of consumers, whether they are 18-
year-old boys or 65-year-old women, is the dislike of what might be called:

                             `Untruthful Truthful advertising'

This is advertising that does not literally lie. It is assumed to be `legally' true but is
economical with the truth. It does not communicate the true or whole picture. It is
advertising of serious products that highlight substantial benefits but are `vague' in
their communication of the implications or downsides.

It may also have what the consumers call `weasels' in it. It is advertising full of small
print that is thought to be there to cover the advertiser's back rather than to help or
protect the consumer. It can also be advertising that uses words such as `priced from'
and consumers know they are unlikely to be able to buy the product at that price.
Other weasels are felt to be `terms and conditions apply' and `limited numbers
available'.

"You see the print at the bottom and its absolutely miniscule. People our age
probably couldn't read it anyway..but yeah it looks ever so rosy when you see the big
bit until you read the little bit at the bottom." - Grey Female South

"It doesn't tell you the full story... they tell you enough to catch you...they don't let
you slip off the hook by telling you what is detrimental." - Male Parent C2D North

"They put it (the small print) there because then it's all in black and white because
they have to cover their backs" - Female 17/18 North Suburbs

"Terms and conditions apply ­ so I always think there is a catch to it" - Female 17/18
North Suburbs

" Plumbs were advertising loose covers for £199..when the rep came round he said
my suite shape was not the correct shape for the sample and it would cost £1500. This
was from £199.....I think the wording in the ad was ..from." - Greys Female South

" It's very, very tiny printed...you find that it says something that seems to be very
different from what you are reading above." - Grey Female South




                                                                                             27
6.2 Acceptable and unacceptable advertising hyperbole

There is acceptable advertising hyperbole and unacceptable advertising hyperbole.
The acceptable hyperbole does not worry the consumer and is about the manufacturer
putting his best foot forward or describing or showing his product in positive terms. It
is mostly associated with FMCG products. It is expected. At the end of the day if the
product does not wash quite as white or taste quite as delicious as suggested it does
not really matter. These are claims that are not vital to life.

"They tell you Carlsberg is probably the best, they are not committing themselves to
saying it's the best, not committing themselves 100%, but in a good way. It's a good
quality drink, it's honest ain't it." - Male Parent C2D North

Then there are other claims that are more fundamental to an individual's well being.
Any hyperbole in this area worries consumers a great deal. It worries them for other
people but it can also worry them for themselves.

These worries are mainly to do with financial advertising that purports to be factual
and serious. If this type of advertising is misleading or exaggerates and makes
individuals take the wrong decision then it is likely to be seriously damaging to their
happiness.

"I think there is an issue of risk here when you talk about the implications of finance
you may have signed up to pay for something for the next 5 or 10 years it could be
horrendous ­ if I bought a washing powder that doesn't wash as white well tough,
forget about it and get on with your life" - Male Empty Nester South Urban


In this context advertising encouraging people to make a legal claim if they have an
accident and advertising encouraging people to consolidate their debt received
consistent and vociferous criticism from all types of respondent. As did advertising
encouraging young people to take out loans and pay back small monthly amounts
(over years). Such advertising is often viewed as a `con'. It serio usly undermines the
credibility of all advertising.

"Those adverts where you consolidate your loan...they show a couple that are in a
muddle and then at the end they are in a supermarket with a new car...they were in a
mess and now they have a new car...okay there payments has gone down but it is
going to take 20 years longer to pay off... it's all too free and easy....and then if miss
a payment they take your house." - Female Parents North

"They said no win no fee its perfectly true but what you had to do was take out an
insurance cover.... No win no fee came across but it was difficult for anyone to see in
the small print...I didn't realise it was in the small print about the insurance... I
didn't realise what the catch.was"- Male Empty Nester South


                                                                                       28
"Loans for your car at APR 9% ­they come through the door to my son...well I get to
them and throw them away before he sees them......
Yeah my son did that last week. He took out a loan for £1500. He said its only £50 a
month Mum, but he doesn't realise how long for. It's about three or four years and he
has spent it already......
It's like you put up your house for collateral and then you find you can't afford to
pay, you can be evicted." - Female Empty Nesters North


The reason that this type of advertising is so consistently criticised is because it is
thought to be growing in presence. It is thought to dominate some of the satellite or
cable channels. The `claims' advertising is likened to the culture of the States (a suing
culture) and it is seen to be targeting the vulnerable.

"Claims Direct had a court case themselves over something ­ let's get rid of these
dodgy ads" ­ Male 17/18 South Suburbs


"There's all these if you have tripped or fallen...they want you to sue. They want our
society to become just like America where they are suing." - Empty Nester Female
North


`Untruthful Truthful' advertising is the serious element that reduces the effect of
advertising but there are other less serious aspects of advertising that receive criticism.

Certainly poor production of advertising whether it be TV or press or any other media
raises questions over the quality of the product, as do clumsy adaptations of what the
consumer describes as American style advertising.

"This (a magazine ad) is so cheesy you would just turn the pages" ­ Female 20-25
North Urban


6.3 Irritation

Irritation with advertising also appears to reduce its effect. Irritation is caused by a
number of factors.

First unwanted intrusion causes irritation. This can be advertising during a football
match, on the radio, through the letterbox, pop-ups on the Internet or telephone sales
in home.

Exhaustive repetition is also irritating. It is primarily associated with radio, satellite
and cable TV.


                                                                                             29
Stupid executions or the depiction of stupid people can also irritate to the point of
viewers zapping or leaving the room.

Incomprehension with no reward can irritate. This may be a result of the individual
being out of target and respondents did acknowledge this.

Unreadable print can also causes extreme irritation (mentioned more by the elderly)
and can cause cynicism and distrust of the ad and the advertiser.

Finally an overload of advertising in one category can also cause irritation. In
magazines it can be seeing ad after ad for watches or aftershaves. On TV it can be ad
after ad for accident claims.

This research supports the truism that good advertising is advertising that rewards the
recipient. Rewards either with entertainment or interesting well-presented information
or originality and cleverness that can be admired, respected or even adopted.




                                                                                        30
7. The image of the regulators

In a study sponsored by the Advertising Standards Authority it seemed inappropriate
to avoid the whole area of regulation although this was not the main objective of the
research. It was interesting to see how consumers felt about advertising controls after
they had discussed the general subject of advertising in some depth.

There was some limited awareness of the ASA and the ITC and some recall of the
`Legal, decent, honest and truthful' thought, but there was little knowledge of how to
access or approach the regulators. Only one woman in the whole study had ever
complained and she had accessed the ASA via the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Overall respondents felt the regulators were doing a good job but there were still areas
where, to quote, `they should do something'.

Ultimately `they' should protect the vulnerable by making sure that advertisers,
particularly in the financial area should be openly truthful, not economical with the
truth. Also with pricing and offer claims they should look at the weasels and the small
print that advertisers are seen to use to cover themselves. Small print is very much
seen as for the protection of the advertiser rather than the protection of the consumer.
Advertising in these important areas should be clear in the truth to all consumers.

(There was some debate within the male groups, as to who the `they' should be-
whether addressing of the' untruthful truthful' was the role of the advertising or the
finance regulators)

They should also stop ad overload, by whi