Right Message, Right Time or We’ll Just Basically Block You

Getting the right message to the right people via the right channel at the right time is the age-old mantra of good marketing. As digital advertising becomes more of a bane than a boon, this message has never been more timely.

Where will marketers find an audience most receptive to their ads? According to Monique Claasen of Kantar Millward Brown, the answer is in traditional media.

Britta Reid, writing in The Media Online, recalls a recent event at which Claasen spoke.

“The particular statement that had stuck in my mind was that, although all ads were annoying to some degree, consumers are more forgiving of ‘advertising intrusion’ in ‘traditional media’,” Reid writes.

Referring to an AdReaction Survey from 2016, Reid explains that Claasen demonstrated that “consumers were four times more receptive to TV advertising than to mobile advertising. Moreover, this receptivity ran across generations: with Gen X (35-49) being far more than intolerant of mobile display and video, as well as online video than their Gen Z (16-19) and Gen Y (20-34) counterparts.”

This data agrees with another study from Hubspot and Adblock Plus, which found that magazine ads are the least likely to annoy, encouraging deeper engagement with the content.

As Reid explains, in some instances – glossy fashion magazines being a prime case – the ads are as much a part of the experience as the editorial.

“Apparently nine out of 10 women claim to pay attention to the advertising in the magazine, and over two-thirds ‘actively enjoy; the advertising,” she notes. “The survey goes on to underscore that enjoyment is not unconnected to sales results: most respondents indicated that they had bought at least one beauty or fashion item as a result of their exposure to glossy magazines.”

Meanwhile, back online, consumers are blocking digital ads with all they’ve got, and basically tuning it out on sites, video and social channels.

The right message, the right time, the right place? More and more, it’s looking like digital just might not be all that. Meanwhile, brands continue to invest in print ads for one simple reason . . . it’s worth it to be where your readers will appreciate you.