Heavyweight TV bursts are ‘poor value’

Advertisers are wasting money on heavyweight bursts of TV advertising because those reacting to ads need only one or two exposures, according to a study by Carat Research.

The company found that for those interested in the product field, ad recognition was 38 per cent after one exposure and peaked at 50 per cent after two . Third and fourth exposures were wasted. Those not interested in the field would have lower recall and would not make a purchase anyway.

For its Penrith Project, Carat bought four breaks in the Border TV region for the same five ads and studied them against groups with differing exposures over four weeks.

Carat believes advertisers should be investing in low-weight, long-term campaigns to keep a brand name current for those entering a product field, but short-term bursts at a heavyweight are wasted.

“The results were a surprise,” says Phil Gullen, managing director of Carat Research. “Even first-time brands didn’t need more than two exposures. If people are going to react they will after one or two ads.”

Gullen says recall of ads as a measure of their effectiveness is flawed if the research takes account of those consumers not interested in the product field. Their recall will always lag those who react to the advertising.