TV viewers like their ads simple, funny

Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Like the advertisements that pop up every 10 minutes on television?

Apparently almost 37 percent of Indonesian viewers see the "uninvited guests" as boring, in spite of the ever increasing sums being spend by firms on television ads.

A survey by advertising agency Lowe Indonesia involving 2,086 randomly selected respondents in 17 cities across Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi, the results of which were released on Thursday, shows that although watching television is the favorite pastime of 80 percent of respondents, the ads do nothing to keep them watching the box.

Commercial breaks are longer than ever nowadays, with more and more ads interrupting our favorite programs. Ad expenditure in Indonesia rose 32 percent to Rp 22.21 trillion (US$2.4 billion) last year, of which more than two-thirds went on television advertising. Expenditure is expected to increase by another 20 percent this year.

Despite the immense sums involved, more than half of consumers prefer to flee the seemingly interminable commercial breaks and do something else instead -- going to the restroom, getting a drink or cooking instant noodles -- according to the Lowe survey, which was conducted in November and December 2004.

Another escape route, chosen by 53 percent of viewers, is to switch channels during the breaks, cutting 30-second ads to little-over-one-second blips as the thumb hits the remote control button vigorously.

But there is still light at the end of the tunnel for marketing divisions looking to sell their products.

Esther (not her real name), a 33-year-old working mom with two children, said she would stop swapping channels at the sight of an ad for a men's deodorant she liked.

"I usually watch the ad cause it's so funny ... male cheerleaders in red tights and skirts jumping up and down," she said with a laugh.

Esther is like 80 percent of the people surveyed by Lowe, who said they liked funny spots. About 66 percent of the viewers surveyed also want ads to be clearly connected with the products they are touting.

Less than a quarter of the consumers are willing to expend the mental energy necessary to digest ads that need thinking about to get the meaning.

"Advertising on television is still effective, but convincing consumers is harder than before because they have become more selective," said Lowe's group strategic planning director Paramita Mohamad.

"What they want are ads that are brilliant and simple," she said.

Viewers also appear unimpressed with the advertising world's dream factory, with 49 percent saying that ads could be good without featuring beautiful models.

Lowe's ad for one a Sampoerna tobacco product featuring the "Geng Hijau", a group of five happy-go-lucky friends, has proven to be a huge success.

However, even brilliant ads are not necessarily guaranteed to arouse the interest of viewers. In Western countries, for example, which produce very funny and creative ads, some 80 percent of viewers still zap through the commercial breaks.

"There's no guarantee. All we can do is to increase the possibility that people will watch the ad by getting to know the consumers," said Paramita.