BY Kathy Crosett
With the 2018 Super Bowl now in the history books, it’s time to talk about how ads entertain consumers. After all, brands spent $419 million connecting with Super Bowl viewers this year. And, many consumers look forward to the ads during this event. Clutch recently surveyed 1,030 consumers to find out what they like about ads. Here’s what they learned.
Traditional Advertising
If consumers have to see ads, they’d prefer them to be on TV. About 58% of surveyed individuals give TV ads a thumbs-up. The combination of audio and video, along with a compelling story line, can “bring a product to life.” These details explain why 65% of consumers remember ads they see on TV more easily than those they encounter in other formats.
It turns out we also prefer to see ads for products that meet our basic needs. Approximately 80% of consumers said their favorite ad category was restaurants/food/drink. Here’s how a few other top categories ranked in the Clutch survey:
- Fashion/health/beauty 49%
- Travel/leisure 48%
- Sports/entertainment 37%
- Technology 36%
Analysts say the universality of food appreciation explains the high marks for ads that show happy consumers about to dig into a cheesy pizza.
The survey also uncovered some differences by gender. Women are far more likely to enjoy food ads (88%) and beauty ads (69%). Nearly half of men, 49%, prefer technology or sports/entertainment ads, while women give these categories markedly lower scores – 27% and 29%, respectively.
Digital Advertising
And how did digital advertising fare? Consumers give their top grade, 36%, to Facebook. After that, consumers would prefer to see banner ads (21%) or video/interactive (19%). It seems people are still creeped out by retargeting ads. Only 2% of consumers like that format.
The bottom line for your clients and prospects is to find the format that works best for them. TV ads are likely to be wildly successful for restaurants. For tech companies, advertising on Facebook or using banner ads may be the way to go.
One detail from the Clutch survey lines up with other research done in this field. The tone of an ad is important. Consumers want a good laugh. Fifty-three percent of consumers say humorous ads are their favorite.