Confused into submission

I’m sure that the number of TV adverts that annoy, or just plain baffle me, has increased in recent years. I feel like I can no longer think of an advert that doesn’t annoy me, even though I’m sure there are plenty that I do enjoy when I see them. They just don’t stick in my head in the same way as the irritating ones.

My top offender of the moment, aside from all the classics (GoCompare traditionally being the most hated), is the Confused.com advert, featuring cartoon stick people singing ‘Somebody to Love’. When I first saw this, I thought it must be an advert for Match.com because that would make sense. But obviously it’s for an insurance website and I’m afraid I don’t get the connection at all. Unless the aim is to actually confuse people, in which case it’s a triumph.

So, even though this advert is obviously terrible, it has worked in a way – because I’m talking about it. But the key is – would it make me log on to Confused.com next time I need car insurance?  I hope not.

But in actual fact, figures have shown that annoying adverts do work – GoCompare.com for example, saw its quote volumes rocket when it first launched the opera singing ad. But the approach is only likely to work in a marketplace where consumers put little thought into the brand they choose. If you’re selling expensive cars or luxury holidays then this strategy is unlikely to work.

What the rise of the annoying advert does show is that all brands must work harder to gain cut-through during the traditional TV ad breaks, as well as take a more integrated approach to engage with consumers through a number of channels. Unfortunately, being remembered in a good way is a lot harder to achieve than just being annoying.