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Critics conclude that entertaining or “creative” commercials sell better than those that are bland. But liking the commercial may not really be that important in the scheme of things. It all depends on the needs and preferences, motivation and financial reservations of the customer. The question isn’t whether people like the advertisement or not, it’s whether the advertisement is effective in selling.

Often, people who are irritated by certain campaigns don’t fall within the intended target market. In 2000 Budweiser ran its ”Whassup?!” campaign. Ad Track reported these commercials scored best with 18- to 24-year-olds; 52% of the survey participants said they liked them ”a lot”, while participants 65 years old and over didn’t understand them, or didn’t want to; 61% disliked the commercials. Yet, it’s highly unlikely that Budweiser was trying to reach the 65+ market.

When Toys R Us launched their campaign featuring Geoffrey the giraffe to promote the revamping of all Toys R Us stores, 38% of women rated the advertisements highly compared to 16% of men. Since the advertiser’s goal was to get moms back into the stores, that low rating from men was meaningless to Toys R Us.

Pier 1 started running its commercials featuring Kirstie Alley this year. Twenty-seven percent of the people familiar with the commercials didn’t like them, and only 6% thought that they were effective. That comes as a surprise to Pier 1 because same-store sales rose 17% in February and foot traffic is up 12% since October! The goal of most advertising is to increase sales. So, if people buy, the advertising is effectiveno matter what critics may say.

Let’s look at some other factors that contribute to the effectiveness of “irritating” or “disliked” advertising. Media weighting has a lot to do with response to advertising. It’s important the media plan is developed to accurately reach its target. Just the right amount of frequency has been proven to increase recall, recognition and even persuasion. So a focused and targeted media schedule with effective frequency is a major influence in selling a product.

Familiarity with the product plays a role in increased sales of a brand with an “irritating” advertising campaign, too. According to the Journal of Advertising Research, customers‘ knowledge of, experience with, or loyalty to a brand are components of familiarityand familiarity is the most important factor in the effectiveness of advertising. Since customers tend to give greater attention to advertisements of a familiar brand, and may attach their experience with the brand to the advertisement, customers are likely to accept the message and respond to the “irritating” advertisement with a purchase.

International Brand & Advertising Research conducted a test to determine if “feelings of liking or disliking commercials are the motors that drive brand attitudes and sales.” In the study, 251 30-second commercials were aired, representing six major product categories: food, confectionery & desserts, beverages, household products, personal care products and automotive. An analysis of the 251 commercials showed that there was no “robust, empirical evidence to suggest that either liking or disliking are reliable predictors of a commercial’s performance in relation to sales-validated, evaluative measures.” In fact, liking or disliking accounted for “no more that 11% of the variation on any of the major evaluative measures.”

A “well-liked” advertising campaign does not always mean an increase in sales. Just like an “irritating” advertising campaign does not always suppress sales. The fact of the matter is that effectiveness depends on factors other than “likeability”, and what may be “irritating” to some may not be “irritating” to the intended target. At the same time, what may be “well-liked” by one group may not be received as well by another. It’s up to the advertiser to determine the most likely target and the best way to reach that market to make a campaign effective.

Mark Levit is managing partner of Partners & Levit Advertising and a professor of marketing at New York University. Partners & Levit’s clients include Procter & Gamble, UnitedHealth Group, and GE Commercial Finance. For more information call 212-696-1200 or visit http://www.partnerslevit.com.

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Doing advertising well is more challenging than ever before. There are thousands of ways to target consumers, and the choices can be confusing and hard to navigate. Done properly, advertising has a powerful impact on your top line, and it leaves distinct marketplace impressions with your most important audiences. Done improperly, advertising can drain away valuable resources and make a questionable contribution to a company’s success.

If dramatic revenue gains are at stake, consider these five tips for doing the very best that you can with your advertising investment:

Know you competitors, especially those who have a head start in your marketplace. Most companies do a poor job of tracking their competitors’ strategies and how they change over time. Take advantage of all their knowledge by tracking their programs and budgets. If your competitor is repeating a campaign, you can bet it is working for them. Learn from their success.

Start every year by planning ahead. Challenge every assumption. Simply doing what was done last year and adding 5% leads to advertising programs of questionable value. Evaluate the success of each advertising initiative, look for ways to cut marginal activities, and concentrate dollars into programs that make clear contributions to your success.

Avoid the 1000 drops in 1000 buckets syndrome. The smaller the budgets, the more things people try to achieve with them. There is a lot of comfort in doing many things. However, the feeling of being very busy is often mistaken for being very productive. Avoid wasting ad dollars on tiny ads that lack impact and don’t give your company visibility. Don’t spread your message too thinly across too many media. Concentrate your dollars on the few things that when done well have the power to move your market.

Put the right person in charge of your ad program. The best advertising people are innovators by nature. They are also bridge-builders who work well with other departments and external partners. They look for ways to get more and more impact for the dollars you spend and have courage to try new things. Choosing someone with advertising experience in more than one industry leads to more informed decisions.

Bill Fritsch is president of Hydrogen Advertising, an award-winning, Seattle-based advertising agency emphasizing superb ideas efficiently produced. Reach him at 206-389-950o, ext. 24 or email bill@hydrogenadvertising.com. For more information, visit http://www.hydrogenadvertising.com.

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