Viewers Hoping To Zap Commercials.

According to two surveys, one of 750 media buying executives and one of 500 American consumers, product ad placements are on the rise and TV viewers are noticing them. Almost half of all television viewers (48%) said that product placement advertising is becoming more prevalent, and one in four TV viewers stated they actually purchased an item advertised as a product placement on TV. The surveys were conducted by InsightExpress, a professional online research firm, and media publisher MediaPost.

The results revealed media buyers are increasingly creative in an effort to reach commercial-zapping viewers, as one quarter of media buyers said they anticipate product placement to be a part of their media mix the balance of the year — a lift of 37% over the previous 6 months. Further, more than one third of media planners (36%) see their advertisers increasing the importance placed on product placements, resulting in 76% of media planners predicting ‘significant growth’ within the coming year.

“Product ad placements are clearly catching on with media planners as it is a more creative way to get their product in front of viewers,” said John Gaffney, editor of Media Daily News, MediaPost’s flagship publication. “The growing popularity of ad filtering technologies is one reason why buyers are increasingly looking for product placement opportunities. Two thirds of buyers told us that TiVo in particular will accelerate the practice of product placements on television to create brand awareness.”

And the practice appears to be working. TV viewers are receptive to product placements during their regular programming. In fact, only one in five TV viewers said that product placements are inappropriate, independent of program type. So where are viewers most likely to expect product placement advertising? According to TV viewers, product placements are most appropriate on the following types of television shows:

“Product placements are not only a viable way to create brand and product awareness but they can be extremely effective in reaching elusive audiences,” said Lee Smith, president and COO of InsightExpress. “However, advertisers need to ensure their product placements are appropriate, relevant, and believable if they are to be successful.” The survey of 750 media buyers and planners, and 500 consumers was created, distributed and tabulated during a 24-hour period.

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For more information at http://www.insightexpress.com