Commentary
Are You Listening When It's Loud?
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, April 26, 2010
93% of those who say the ads are louder say it bothers them, with 62% saying it bothers them a lot. 31% say the fact that the commercials seem louder bothers them a little, while only 7% say it does not bother them.
There is an age difference when it comes to how loud the commercials seem:
- 92% of those 45 and older say the commercials seem louder
- 83% of those 35-44 say this
- 79% of 18-34 year think they are louder
- 70% of adults 55 and older say the volume of the commercials is much louder than the televisions shows themselves
Perception of Ad Volume Compared to The Show (Base: All U.S. adults) | |||||
|
| Age | |||
Perception | Total | 18-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ |
Louder (net) | 86 | 79 | 83 | 92 | 92 |
Much louder | 57 | 42 | 55 | 60 | 70 |
Somewhat louder | 29 | 37 | 28 | 33 | 22 |
The same level | 12 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 8 |
Softer (net) | 1 | 3 | * | * | 1 |
Somewhat softer | * | 1 | * | * | * |
Much softer | 1 | 2 | * | - | * |
Source: Harris Interactive, April 2010 (% Roundied; * indicates less than 0.5%) | |||||
There is also a difference in age over how bothersome this volume change is. Seven in ten adults 55 and older, and two-thirds of those 45-54 say the fact the commercials seem louder bothers them a lot. Just under half of those 18-34 say this bothers them a lot, while 40% say it bothers them a little.
Consumer Attitude of Bothersome Quotient (% of Respondents Who Feel Commercials Seem Louder) | |||||||
|
| Gender | Age | ||||
"Botherness" | Total | Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ |
Bother (net) | 93 | 92 | 95 | 88 | 94 | 96 | 95 |
Bothers me a lot | 62 | 58 | 66 | 49 | 60 | 66 | 71 |
Bothers me a little | 31 | 34 | 29 | 40 | 34 | 30 | 24 |
Does not bother me at all | 7 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
Source: Harris Interactive, April 2010 (% Roundied; * indicates less than 0.5%) | |||||||
Women are more likely to say the change bothers them a lot, while men, on the other hand, are more likely to say the changed volume bothers them a little, or does not bother them at all.
The report concludes that, since commercials are intended to sell products, when they become something that actually bothers consumers, advertisers need to consider looking to softer, more subtle ways to get their messages across.
Of note, says the report, in December 2009 the House of Representatives voted to pass the CALM (Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation) Act, which will regulate the volume of commercials. The bill is currently being reviewed by a Senate committee.
For more information, please visit HarrisInteractive here.
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.
I was surprised that older respondents were more likely to think that volume of commercials was louder than younger respondents considering that they are more likely to be suffering from hearing difficulties. As for me I'd say 1 out of 5 commercials seems louder.
It Baffles my Mind that Morons in advertising need Adweek Media/Harris Polls to do A STUDY... to figure out that LOUDER tv commercials annoy people.
TV commercials are typically 50 decibels louder than the programming. Are idiots in advertising TRYING to shun audiences to Hulu and Eztv.it even faster than they already are!?
Apparently common sense totally died out with our grandparents' generation.
The loud commercials (a great majority) are annoying and a complete waste of the advertisers $$$! Whatever happened to making a spot that was clever and interesting? Loud commercials are like a woman with too much perfume or a man with too much cologne. The cable networks could solve the problem easily!
Finally they are looking into this!! It's incredibly annoying. This problem seems to be particularly noticeable on CNBC which I would frequently leave on in the background while working from home. I would get on a business call forgetting that the tv is on and then a commercial would boom out so loud that I was afraid the speakers were going to be damaged. Obviously, no more CNBC for me while working from home.
Rob - Don't be surprised that older respondents are more sensitive to sound levels. I'll wager the hearing of younger people has been damaged by the barrage of music into earphones as well as the occasional rock concert.
It seems to me that two things clouding this issue are the creative technique involved in any given spot, and the programming environment in which it runs. So many retail ads for the likes of furniture stores, car dealers, and tire stores use voice scripts that involve shouting, or close to it. Others use loud music, sudden noises, you get the drift. So of course the ad will seem loud, that's apparently the point. Now place that kind of ad in a program that isn't full of loud noises, and the ad will most certainly seem louder than the program. Put it in a louder, more raucous program, and it might not.
Hmmm...might viewing patterns be a significant source of the relationship between age and annoyance with "loud" TV ads?
I hate ads that make people reach for the remote, especially the loud ones. But I'm curious how the industry is supposed to solve it. What's too loud? What's louder than the programming? Which programming will be the benchmark?
The only "attention bonus" advertisers get from "maxing out" the audio is the livid hatred of almost all consumers. Commercial are short programs. They are technically created using the same technology as other program content. The difference is in the"average to peak" sound levels. In a normal length program, there may be the occasional shout, gun shot, scream, that is considerably louder then the "average volume level" of the entire program. (Assume "silence" = 0% of Peak, and a gunshot is 100% of Peak). In commercials most of the audio (voice, music, effects, etc.) is recorded at close to 100% of Peak. So everyone listening at home rushes for the "mute" button, or "lowers" the volume, only to discover they can't hear the sound when they rejoin the program and have to go looking for the remote. Some smart gadget maker could build a circuit or box to put in the home receiver to kill the nasty habit while making a small fortune. (Hint: "attack" the "duration" of the level near peak, instead of the absolute peak.) Provide a disable for head-bangers who like their MTV loud.
What's wrong with Commercials these days?
1. There's too many of them. (Up to 28 minutes per hour)
2. They are too offensive. (Don't the Pharmaceutical Companies realize Children are watching their "ED Pill" ads during Afternoon Sporting Events?)
3. They are Too Loud!