Opinions about Advertising

The soaring growth of product placements is unmistakable, but an important question remains: do the ads work? When we see James Bond look at his high-end watch or cutting-edge cell phone, does that make us want to rush out and buy those products? Or does the opposite occur, with potential customers turned off by an over-saturation of ads? Research has turned up some interesting answers.

A 2008 survey asked people whether viewing product placements infl uenced their purchasing decisions. Coming in fi rst place, 14.8% of respondents were likely to be infl uenced by grocery items, which include goods like drinks and snacks. That’s consistent with the large number of soda, chocolate, and food ads in TV shows and movies. Next were electronics, which were likely to affect 13.2% of viewers. Clothing came in third, with a mark of 11.5%. In contrast, ads for restaurants were less effective, with only 7.6% of respondents saying viewing one would make a difference in their dining decisions.

Another 2008 survey considered the potentially negative impact of various types of advertising. The poll revealed that 31% of people found ads in movies, video games, and TV shows acceptable. In contrast, 36% of respondents found such ads annoying. On the other hand, only 12% of people were bothered by newspaper ads, yet a solid 84% were upset by spam e-mail. As more branded cars, sodas, and designer bags are used in product placements, companies will need to work to keep the negatives from rising.