Ad Nauseam: The Effects Of Repeated Ads, And How Better Targeting Can Help

A new survey has found that half of TV and streaming viewers say that seeing the same repeated ads is annoying.

Advertisers — please don’t take our response to that survey literally:?

You can say that again!

According to the research results from AD-ID, LLC — a tech company founded by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) — not only do repeated ads make a negative impact on the viewing experience of 59% of those surveyed, but they negatively impact purchasing decisions as well.

“Frequency capping is a real issue that is not only wasting meaningful ad dollars, but as the poll shows, is contributing to lost sales and negative brand perception,” the press release says, pointing to the 49% who decided not to purchase something from a brand after seeing an ad too often. Men, adults under 55, and parents of children under 18 were “significantly more likely than their respective counterparts” to agree to that sentiment.

As for targeting, the survey found that 76% want to see ads better suited for their interests, with 18% saying targeted ads have aided in a purchasing decision. Almost two-thirds (63%) said they’ve purchased something they were unaware of based on an ad they saw.?

Guess it all means there’s no perfect science to finding that sweet spot. (And now it’s the advertisers’ turn to respond: you can say that again!)

When MediaPost asked about that point of diminishing return, AD-ID CEO Nada Bradbury says “knowing how many times is too many” is the next step.

“What I do know is seeing the same ad two or three times in a row is too many,” Bradbury says. “You can’t keep showing the same ad and expect a positive response. They must be interspersed, and I think we are failing our clients if we can’t control that.”