Advertisers: Stop Talking About the Economy

 

It seems like everyone is tired of hearing about how bad the economy is.  An AdweekMedia/Harris Poll (via Adweek) from last month shows that consumers don’t care for advertising that talks about the current state of things.

Here’s how consumers describe their reaction to advertising that refers to the recession:

• No opinion  -  39%
• Make the brand seem manipulative  -  27%
• Make the brand seem more realistic  -  23%
• Depressing, make me ‘less likely to buy the brand  -  12%

So 77% of those surveyed dislike or have no opinion on this type of advertising and less than a quarter view it positively.

Ad-ology’s Advertising’s Impact in a Soft Economy report found the same thing is true of news coverage.  Forty four percent of consumers in that survey said they were watching less news than one year ago, and the top reason why? “It’s depressing.”

On the topic of advertising, when asked what is the most effective tone for advertising in the current economic climate, 33% said, “focus on value.”

So while it may be tempting to use ad copy that plays on the recession or government stimulus packages, that’s probably not the best way to reach consumers.  Keep that in mind as you’re crafting ads!