• The Guardian, Wednesday, June 7, 2006 12:15 PM

Marketers who are advertising their products and services on British TV beware: many of the consumers who see your commercials might not believe them. That's the bad news emanating from a new survey by the U.K.'s ITV television network. Of 4,000 viewers questioned, around one in eight said they agreed with the statement "the commercials shown on ITV are truthful and accurate." Around half neither agreed or disagreed, with one-third saying they disagreed. "This research can be looked at a number of ways," said an ITV spokesman. "It shows only a minority disagreeing with the statement, and around 60 percent of people agreeing or are neutral on the statement that commercials are truthful and accurate. Our sales research shows that the best adverts have a deep and significant impact on viewers and a tangible effect on advertisers' revenue." Viewers were also questioned about the scheduling of ITV's children's programs, social issues in ITV soaps and dramas, and the channel's role in tackling local, community, and ethnic issues. "The main issues raised are scheduling of programs to help parents control children's viewing and the accuracy of commercials we broadcast for advertisers," the report said.

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