Advertising would be more efficient if we had fewer (not more) ads

The average person sees around four thousand ads a day – or at least that's what the internet says, although everything suggests that this number is made up. So far, there is no reliable study that proves this.

I imagine the intention was to make it sound like an absurdly high amount of propaganda. But I keep thinking: “who are these people who only see four thousand ads a day?”

Think about all the advertising formats we are exposed to: from logos on t-shirts and social media ads to company names in stadiums and ads that interrupt our “free” online games.

Even spam that somehow bypasses email filters is also a form of advertising. It's difficult to find a place or time that isn't used for some type of advertisement – ​​although agencies continue to try to find more.

All of this generates, of course, a lot of noise. It's bad to see brands and advertisers trying at all costs to stand out and becoming increasingly aggressive in the process.

The worst thing, however, is the impact of this on people, who have to make a conscious effort to ignore all this noise and competition for their attention. And this situation is far from harmless. Studies show that excessive advertising contributes to anxiety, which can lead to various mental and physical problems.

Still, I believe that advertising can indeed have a positive effect on our quality of life. But this requires a change in perspective, a responsible application of artificial intelligence, a lot of cooperation between brands, media companies and regulators and a new model for advertising agencies.

This change in perspective that I am referring to was summed up by the famous phrase by American advertiser Howard Luck Gossage, in the 1960s: “no one reads ads. People read what interests them; sometimes it happens to be an advertisement.”

We know this is true because we hate ads, but we spend hours flipping through catalogs, watching videos, or browsing websites dedicated to our hobbies and passions – some of which are, in effect, ads. In other words, sometimes advertising is interesting and people pay attention to it.

The promises of big data and programmatic media have only increased the amount of ads needed for an average campaign.

Is it possible to live in a world in which we only receive what really interests us – which might include some advertisements? It would be a much more pleasant and quiet place.

And this utopian world wouldn't just be good for consumers, it would work well for brands, who wouldn't need to spend on advertising for people who would never buy their products.

Agencies could continue their work, after all, advertising would still need to be interesting. And even the vehicles would benefit, as they could charge more for advertising spaces that guarantee reach to the right audience.

Today, agencies are already making an effort in this direction, trying to “segment” the public through market research, programmatic media buying and other techniques to reach the most desirable consumers. But these practices are still very limited.

They celebrate when they manage to achieve a 2% conversion rate among people who saw a certain ad, ignoring the side effects caused by excess. So far, promises of big data and programmatic media only increased the amount of ads needed for an average campaign.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to take us much further. A truly intelligent AI could learn our interests, predict our next purchases, and only show us the ads we really want and need to see.

With less irrelevant content occupying our minds, we would have more space to learn about products and services that really matter to us.

Of course, this brings big challenges. Privacy is a huge issue. People are already uncomfortable receiving ads based on their online behavior – or something Alexa or Siri “overheard”.

Furthermore, spam serves precisely to bombard people with ads and bypass filters. It would take highly advanced AI to protect our privacy, eliminate spam and only show us the advertisements that really interest us.

Is it possible to live in a world in which we only receive what really interests us?

But the effort will be worth it. Advertising plays a vital role in commerce: it informs and inspires us. It's just that life is too short to spend it with the inescapable, irrelevant and sometimes irritating stream of advertisements we see today.

I call on the advertising industry to lead this revolution. Agencies can only gain from the increase in efficiency and effectiveness that I believe is possible. In fact, agencies will have the ability to reach a sweet spot where they will be recognized as an indispensable source of creativity to solve complex business problems – whether with advertising or otherwise.

Advertising can become – dare I say it – a social good that people value and look forward to. But the advertising industry will need collaboration from brands, technology providers, media partners and those who regulate business and communications.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bob Sprague is founder and CEO of marketing agency Yes&. find out more

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