Ad Avoiders

AD AVOIDERS
[SOURCE: MediaWeek, AUTHOR: Mike Shields]
Lifestyles of the Ad Averse, a new study conducted jointly by Microsoft and Starcom, finds that between 10 percent and 15 percent of adults 17-35 fall into the category of “ad avoiders” i.e. folks that don't like advertising, and generally find it “annoying." Apparently there are two types of ad avoiders: passive avoiders who simply can't be bothered with ads, and active avoiders, whose message to advertisers is “be good or be gone.” The active group is more likely to be young, tech-savvy men who deliberately consume media that has no ads, like DVDs and satellite radio. The passive group is comprised of women, often parents, who gravitate to leisure activities that are untouched by ads, such as books or board games. Avoiders of all stripes represent a scary prospect for marketers. “This is the kind of stuff that keeps us up at night,” said Beth Uyenco Shatto, research director at Microsoft. Both groups’ habits make them hard to reach by conventional means. Twelve percent of avoiders surveyed said they watch less than one hour of TV per week versus just 3 percent among non-avoiders. Both index low for listening to the radio and reading magazines. And technology like DVRs and the iPod is only making it easier for these avoiders to shun ads.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=10035...