Why Americans Hate Advertising

For research in my Ad Writing class at Colorado State University – Pueblo, I have recently been searching for a lot of topics related to advertising on my computer. Consequently, an ad popped up on my screen the other day that linked to an article entitled, “Why Americans Hate Advertising.” Needless to say, I took the bite.

Essentially, the article by James Rosenfield discussed some of the research that had been done about the industry of advertising and how it’s perceived by consumers. Most of the findings from this research concluded that people don’t like advertising. Go figure.

What I find interesting about this research, however, is how much people claim to hate advertising. For example, Rosenfield cited that 54 percent of survey respondents said they “avoid buying products that overwhelm them with advertising and marketing.” Also, 60 percent said their opinion of advertising “is much more negative than a few years ago.” Approximately 61 percent of respondents claimed that advertising is “out of control,” and 45 said ads “detract from the experience of everyday life.” Most shockingly, however, 33 percent of respondents said they would be willing to lower their standard of living to live in a society without marketing and advertising.

I realize that ads can be annoying, but this is a little ridiculous. Advertising has been proven to help boost sales and revenue, otherwise brands wouldn't shovel out the money for it. I also seriously doubt I know anyone who would trade in their big screen, high definition television to escape ads. What I also find intriguing is that “likeable” ads aren’t directly related to effectiveness. Consumers may find a commercial funny, but that doesn’t mean they will actually purchase the product. Therefore, the ads everyone claims to hate work, and the ones consumers love don’t. Makes perfect sense, right?