• by Ken Liebeskind , October 17, 2001

The terrorist attacks have transformed advertising to a certain extent, with advertisers rallying to change their messages to appeal to patriotic consumers. Now, it appears the new advertising is working. A Knowledge Networks/Statistical Research survey, released yesterday, shows that consumers appreciate ads with patriotic messages.

The random survey of 494 households says 50% of U.S. consumers don't just like patriotic ads but "believe they should become a way of life." The same numbers of people say they would like to see more ads that pay tribute to U.S. heroes. Forty percent say they are very likely to pay attention to TV campaigns focusing on heroism and 45%t on campaigns that say America should "stand united."

When asked what type of programs these messages should appear on, 80% said network news, 70% said cable news, 22% primetime dramas and 12% primetime comedies.

Most consumers are watching the same amount of TV as before Sept. 11, with 21% watching more. The ones who watch more say they're watching more news. Sixty-eight percent of all viewers say they are seeing the same amount of advertising as before the attacks.

The respondents mentioned specific advertisers whose messages have resonated with them. AT&T, Nasdaq, Verizon and Dell were named.