What do consumers actually want from ads?
[26h March] In its latest Zeitgeist study, GWI surveyed over 4,000 consumers in the US and UK to find out what they want, and sometimes as importantly, don’t want from advertising.
Key to any advertising campaign is zeroing in on your target audience. And, more often than not, this is drawn along generational lines. What consumers look for in an ad is heavily dependent on their age. Gen Z are found to be the most demanding.
All in all, younger consumers have a more diverse list of expectations when it comes to advertising. Most notably, they show signs of wanting to connect with an ad on an emotional level.
Their older counterparts on the other hand, are drawn to the functional, more tangible, benefits of ads.
Gen X and baby boomers are considerably more likely to want ads to give them product information or provide discounts. In comparison, Gen Z are more likely to want ads to be entertaining (42%) than informative (40%).
And Gen Z’s demands don’t stop there. This generation is driving the call for ads to promote social and environmental causes.
Over a third of Gen Z want ads to be relevant to their identity, key to that is brands being authentic and staying true to their promises.
Ads need to be more relevant
For brands, getting advertising right is an ongoing battle for perfection, but they also need to ensure they manage against getting it wrong as well.
Ultimately, producing too many ads can be very damaging for a brand. Instead, they should focus on appealing to consumer expectations rather than bombarding them with unwanted clutter that’s unlikely to pique their interest.
