Here’s some good news for marketers: consumers trust advertising significantly more than they did six years ago. This is the conclusion of new report from Nielsen that polled over 29,000 people in 58 countries.
And the medium that has done the most to raise trust? Television. The good old Boob Tube. Nielsen’s study showed that TV ads earned the trust of 62% of consumers, up from 56% in 2007. (The percentages reflect the number of people who “completely” or “somewhat” trust ads.)
And more consumers trust, the more they believe you. And the more they believe you, the more they buy.
Why the big jump in trust? Here’s my theory: Marketers have figured out how to use the medium.
David Ogilvy once famously said “Don’t insult the consumer. She’s your wife.” More and more marketers have figured out what that means. They’ve learned that “old school” TV creative doesn’t work.
Shouting at people doesn’t work. Bluster does little more than elicit eye-rolls. Chest-puffing corporate talk is good for little more than a “meh.”
What consumers crave is content that benefits them. That explains how to solve a problem. That makes them smarter consumers. That informs them. Or communication that is self-effacing and makes them laugh. More and more TV creative is doing just that.
This is backed up by another finding of the Nielsen study, which asked consumers “What kind of TV advertising do you find to be most effective?” The number one answer by a landslide was “Humorous” commercials. “Lifestyle,” “Family-oriented,” “Celebrity” and “Animal Spots” all scored significantly lower.
What these findings show, I believe, is that people aren’t programmed to hate all advertising. Only advertising that doesn’t help them or entertain them.
All in all, what we have is in effect a cyclical agreement: consumers will find TV advertising more trustworthy. As long as the spot you are running is trustworthy.
