When advertising is bad. Working in marketing is like being a teenager in puberty: You think everyone is looking at you, but in reality, no one cares about you. Marketers spend their entire lives creating advertisements, while the average consumer tries to avoid them.
This fact is not necessarily bad news. Because when we accept the fact that people hate advertising, we can start making better, more effective campaigns. Here’s a list of reasons why advertising is bad – in the hope that it will help you capture attention and connect with potential customers in a more meaningful way.
Why advertising is bad
Dishonest advertising
Generally, people don’t believe what brands say. This is perhaps the biggest challenge facing the advertising industry today. After all, trust is the foundation of any healthy and lasting relationship.
Now, mistrust has given way to more significant skepticism or, rather, a crisis of confidence. Against this backdrop, brands can no longer buy attention as they used to under the old advertising model. They must earn it. This can be done by being honest, transparent, and trustworthy, first as a company and then its message to consumers.
Tired of ads
A recent study found that the average American may be exposed to between 4,000-10,000 ads per day (from anywhere). But quantity is not the only problem. The concern is that advertising has become increasingly intrusive, inescapable, and too noisy due to advances in technology and data science.
People are constantly bombarded with digital junk, causing ad fatigue. Everywhere you go, you’re greeted with ads for no good reason – chased from place to place by “tags” and “cookies” – insisting on us buying things we buy or having No intention to buy.
Too many bad ads are flooding screens and social media content. It is no coincidence that people are turning to ad blockers and premium–ad–free platforms. “Attack” advertising can lead to short-term results but often comes at the expense of long-term branding.
Creative quality
Online advertising is also responsible for the decline in creative quality. The 1960s-1980s represented the golden age of advertising. Campaigns like “Think Small” by DDB, “Just do it” by Wieden+Kennedy or “Buy the World a Coke” by McCann Erickson demonstrate the true power of creative advertising.
What these ads have in common is a big idea, but in today’s world, big ideas are rare. Most (if not all) advertising on proprietary platforms like Google, Facebook prioritizes accessibility over relevancy, channels over creativity, and data over real feelings. Perhaps we can learn something from the heyday of advertising.
Consumer power
At the same time, we are experiencing a fundamental shift in the power relationship between brands and consumers. In the past, consumers had no choice but to pay attention to what brands had to say over some radio or television channel. Today, every Facebook or Twitter account is a media in its own right. Social media has democratized voice sharing; people are no longer passive consumers but creators in their own right.
Consumers are now in charge of when, where, and how they can interact with brands, and they are starting to use this new power to voice their concerns and boycott brands. Brands do not share their values and beliefs. For that reason, marketers should emphasize creating brand advocates who will amplify the brand’s message to friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers.
Poor customer experience
Creating an epic advertising campaign is pointless if you promote a bad product or a poor customer experience. Today, the vast majority of consumers will read reviews before making a purchase decision. A consistent customer experience can be a powerful differentiator in a digital world where services account for 69% of global GDP.
The definition of marketing has changed, and advertising is more than just a glossy promotional video. It is the total of every consumer touchpoint. Therefore, creating a satisfying customer experience should be viewed as a marketing investment rather than a business expense that needs to be minimized.
No extra value
Most advertising prioritizes the needs of the business above the needs of the consumer. To a certain extent, this is understandable because marketers have to meet strict KPI targets. The easiest way to achieve these goals is to spend your marketing budget on “calls to action” tied to the required goals, even though that may only be an immediate benefit.
Before activating any future campaigns, you should put yourself in your customer’s shoes by asking: What do I get from this? The widespread answer is “nothing”. Marketers can add value in a variety of ways.
First, inform people of a need that can be met or a problem the brand can solve. Second, provide a source of entertainment. Don’t forget, ads can be funny or humorous. Third, take action to reduce social and environmental problems facing people and the planet.
Saying not doing
The latest “why consumers hate advertising” list is “words do not match”. Advertising campaigns that promise to improve the world but do not take any real action. “Woke-washing” is the term used to describe this condition. Today, many companies are “taking the opportunity” to show they care about society and the environment. What is the reason? As the report notes, brands with a “purpose” (desire to improve social, environmental issues, etc.) achieve higher growth rates than their competitors.
The allure of economic benefits is making “purpose” a new marketing tactic through “talk a lot but do little” campaigns. This has made consumers wary of brand intent. In an age where consumers can “Google” find what your brand stands for in seconds, making false claims no longer works. It only erodes trust in marketing, which is already lacking.
We hope after reading this blog post, you will know why advertising is bad. Let’s improve and develop your idea to have a successful advertising campaign.
