Ad Clutter Reality Check

Susan, here. I am a minimalist and don’t like clutter, so when I see headlines stating, “Studies show, that on average we see 3,000 ads per day,” as the media frequently reports, it stresses me out. Really? Do these people live in Times Square, or do I need to get out more often?

I’m in advertising so I continually pay attention to the commercial messages around me, but at most, I guesstimate that I “see/hear” 260 ads per day–possibly 310 if you count whining requests from my kids, to include:

125 Internet ads
75 Ads in traditional media (print, radio, TV and outdoor)
10 Spam e-mails, texts or phone calls that got through
50 Ads on my Iphone, or on TVs, carts, floors or stalls of stores
50 Requests from my kids

The American Association of Advertising Agencies reports exposure from studies over the years in their White Paper, How Many Advertisements is a Person Exposed to in a Day?:

In 1965 Charles F. Adams estimated that the average American is exposed to a minimum of 560 advertisements in a 16-hour period. This is based upon them reading one and a half newspapers, half a magazine and one piece of direct mail, and listening to 2.3 hours of radio and watching 3.8 hours of TV. (Eight-ish hours? I don’t get to consume that much media, even when I’m on vacation!)

In 1972 the Journal of Advertising Research laid out all available media usage data they had and concluded the average male to be exposed to 285 ads a day, and the average female, 305. Another study that year found similar numbers and detailed results further, based upon a person’s demographic make up.

In 2010, a comScore Ad Matrix report cited by Media Dynamics states the average Internet user is likely exposed to about 65 Internet ads a day. Media Dynamics estimates that on average only 15- 20% of Internet display ads are noted.

So where does this alleged 3,000 number come from? According to the American Association of Advertising Agencies’ report, that number is unsubstantiated and never gets more specific than, “experts agree.” Could it be that journalists decided to double a figure from 1957, in which Edwin Ebel, then VP of advertising at General Foods, in a speech stated 1,518 ad exposures per day for a family of four, which the press quickly began reporting as the number of exposures per individual?

The reality is that the number of ads your exposed to a day varies greatly based upon your demographic profile. Additionally, the number you “see” depends upon your psychographic profile, timing and placement. Recognizing the key consumer insights of your target and planning an effective message to be in the right place at the right time is the challenge we love to tackle at Swell no matter who the target and how cluttered their world is.

Tell us what you think and let us know if we can help you break through the clutter and reach your target. Wishing you a prosperous, Swell New Year!

So glad

Rich here. And I am so glad Susan Gerard has joined me as Partner/Director of Strategic Planning and Account Services at Swell Advertising. She has single-handedly just made this agency infinitely more powerful than it was before. So, while I have been very proud of the work that’s been done here at Swell for the last eight years, with Susan, the next eight should be something else!

Just what does all this lavish praise mean? How does it translate to our current or potential client’s success? Easy, it means that because of Susan’s strategic expertise, we have an even better understanding of how to apply our messaging to consumer trends. And as I just said above; once a brand delivers on this level, it is infinitely more powerful.

So, yes, I’m very excited about these strategic advantages. And I’m looking forward to talking to you about them throughout the year. Additionally, there are big things to come for the agency in the months ahead. So, please check back as Susan and I tell you more about Swell and the new way of thinking that we employ in brand development.

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss your specific brand needs, please feel free to give me or Susan a call, we’d love to hear from you.

Rich Meyer: (314) 825-8503 Susan Gerard: (314) 413-0146

Now, we’re even more Swell.

I’m Susan Gerard and welcome to the Swell Blog. I recently joined Swell Advertising as Partner/Director of Strategic Planning and Account Services with current principal, Rich Meyer. It will be my job to leverage my strategic planning and project management capabilities to help launch Swell on the path to becoming an agency for today’s clients—smart, efficient and ever-evolving. Together Rich and I bring over 45 years of collective strategic and creative thinking together. We’re building an agency that combines what we’ve seen work best over the years. We are structured so small to medium-sized companies don’t have to know what “kind” of agency they need. We consider the complete gamut of tactics possible and have the big agency resources available to implement just about anything to reach their target. We’re also small enough that Rich and I are the direct contact with our clients and can most effectively take their brand strategy where they need it to go.

I am coming to Swell from a broad background on both the agency and client side so I fully understand what it takes to create a brand from beginning to end. My early training was with some great advertising agencies like TBWA Chiat/Day and I also sat on the other side of the desk as the Director of Marketing with several companies. I have worked on everything from banking and telecommunications to donuts and treadmills. I have even written a marketing plan for donuts while on a treadmill. They all required smart, efficient planning to deliver high returns on their modest marketing budgets–a challenge I am passionate about.

Enough about me, I’ll turn it over to Rich and then onto our thoughts and ideas to help you market your company.