Marketing Money Moving Away From TV, Advertisers Call For Better Measurement

Advertisers tell survey TV ads have become less effective due to clutter

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/7/2010 10:43:00 AM

According to a joint survey of more than 100 advertisers conducted by Forrester and the Association of National Advertisers, virtually all said the TV industry needs new and better measurement that extends beyond frequency to ratings for individual commercials.

Advertisers have been pushing for better measurement of traditional and new media advertising.

Marketers allocated only 41% of their media budgets to TV in 2009 vs. 58% in 2008.

A majority (62%) said they thought TV ads have become less effective in the past couple of years, chalking it up primarily to clutter.

The 30-second spot could be making a comeback, though. Last year, 28% of respondents in a similar survey said they thought the spot would be history in 10 years. That number has dropped to 19%.

There was some disconnect between the desire for more targeted advertising and willingness to pay the freight. Almost 8 in 10 (78%) said they would like more targeted ads, but only 59% said they would be willing to pay extra.

A vast majority (80%) said that product placement would play an even bigger role, with more than a third (38%) saying they planned to up their budges for branded entertainment as an alternative to traditional spots.

And while over three-quarters said interactive TV would be good for lead generation, only 28% said they planned to spend more on interactive TV ads in 2010.