A study published by two academics from Oregon State University and Eastern Washington University (via Science Daily) found that when people watch ‘graphic’ and ‘intense’ war news on TV, they are less likely to remember the ads that follow.
Keven Malkewitz and Damon Aiken showed 396 students five minutes of war news from Iraq followed by two 30 second ad spots. The cycle was then repeated again for the students’ viewing pleasure - more war footage and then more ads. The ads had all been aired during US nightly news broadcasts and featured large brand names.
If the news items featured ’strong intensity’ the students were less likely to remember the ads. The definition of intensity meant words such as ’suicide’ and ‘explosive’ being used, along with shock images of bodies and amputees.
A previous study confirms much the same - at the end of 2008 Experian found that news programmes, magazines or websites were becoming less effective in terms of getting brand or ad messages across, with consumers simply not being in the ‘buy’ frame of mind when there’s a constant drum beat of doom being thrown at them.
Though in Experian’s study, news media scored highly on ’social interaction’ (you talk about what you see), it didn’t provide all important ‘time out’ factor. As a result, 28% of consumers were influenced by ad messages they saw in the news media, compared to 40% for other media. In other words, if there’s a war or global recession on, put those remaining marketing pounds or dollars into entertainment or lifestyle media!
There is a twist to the study done by Keven Malkewitz and Damon Aiken though: When viewers were shown war news defined as ‘less intense’ (just a bit of shooting here and there?), people who were war supporters often did remember the ads, with anti war viewers still not remembering them.
Guess for some brands, those ad buys on Fox News really is money well spent after all.
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