This Just In: Consumers Hate Advertising

One has to love surveys that confirm the obvious. Then, we can all go to our bosses say, "See, I told you so." The latest finding of the obvious is a study by Yankelovich Partners which finds to no surprise that consumers don't like advertising. In fact, 33 percent rather live in a place with a lower standard of living if it had no marketing and advertising. The hate goes on; 54 percent avoid buying products that advertise too much, 61 percent say the amount of advertising is out of control and 69 percent want products that will shield them from advertising such as TiVo or pop up blockers.

What's a marketer to do is the face of this hatred? Have a conference. Yes, have a conference and talk about it. If it's talked about enough, maybe the problem will go away. The American Association of Advertising Agencies is having its 2004 management conference in New York City this week to discuss the state of advertising and how best to cope with the dramatic changes facing the industry. Hopefully, there will be groundbreaking solutions and new ideas to report later this week.