Ad Fatigue: Why does it matter?
As someone who has been on the audience end of the laptop for a long time, I often felt that most brands had very little to differentiate them from the rest. Their Ads usually have similar ideas or themes. And usually, it felt like a record on repeat, playing the same song over and over again. As part of the audience, I couldn’t help but skip it. To an extent, it is a frustrating problem and makes enjoying digital content and media very difficult.?
That was then, though! Now, having had the chance to be on the Advertiser's side of the table, I got exposed to the challenges faced by them.?
Most importantly, I realized that Ad Fatigue was often the necessary evil that the brands and agencies indulged in; given the alternative of missing the opportunity to get the brand message across. It was more of a better-safe-than-sorry approach for the Advertisers.?
Now, working with the Agency, I am often tasked with finding a way to ensure the brand gets noticed. So, in a way, the new me is trying to tackle the old me.?
So, here are my two cents on the matter:
Two Sides of the Coin
At first, I thought an issue like Ad fatigue seemed harmless - almost comical. How could an Ad make someone roll their eyes or sigh in exhaustion? I thought. Yet, my recent study has led me to a better understanding.
In the era of the “attention economy”, Advertisers face the intimidating challenge of constantly striving to capture the fleeting focus of the consumers. The consumers on the other end are overwhelmed with the dissonant clutter of advertising messages being bombarded at them around the clock. Naturally, consumers have developed what is called “ad blindness”. The infinite deluge of ads has cultivated a natural inclination among consumers to instinctively filter out anything that resembles remotely like an advertisement.??
For the Advertisers, it’s a constant battle to craft a masterpiece that may eventually fade into an unresponsive void. For the Consumers, it’s an adaptive defense mechanism against the overwhelming advertising barrage.??
Now, we all know that Ads can make or break a brand. Agencies are like David, facing the Goliath from the Advertising realm - Ad Fatigue.?
The Impact of Ad Fatigue
While the usual strategy of ‘rather more than less’ sounds like a safe approach, it’s a path that leads to a dead-end. In the long run, the brand tends to suffer more than it hopes to achieve.?
This is the impact of Ad Fatigue on Brands:
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Is there a solution to Ad Fatigue?
From my study so far on the matter, I realized that the answer was straightforward!?
Repetition creates stagnancy which creates boredom. Therefore, Ad fatigue creates a heavy impact and goes on to influence critical decisions. How then, can we deal with an issue like this one??
Perhaps as Brands and Agencies, we could adopt a conscious approach to mitigate Ad Fatigue.?
Given that consumers steadily evolve for Advertisers, getting the audience's attention will forever be a constant battle. Yet, we can remember that not all battles are won by weapons. Some are won by strategy.
I believe, at the end of the day, giving the people what they like will keep them coming back for more but creating what they don’t expect may compel them to never leave.
Author :?
Clarissa Fernandes , is our maverick wordsmith who doesn’t like anything straight. Be it words or football, she likes to give them her own spin. Despite being the newest member joining our Content Team, she handles all activities of words - spoken, written, and even pondered.?If it were up to her, she would have turned football into a planet by itself, where only the ardent sports enthusiast such as her, would be allowed to inhabit.