Advertising and its Negative Recall

Some ads speak to us in a way that irritates, and we detest their repetition nevertheless they have high recall. This brings in the phenomena of negative recall. The essential difference between liked and disliked ads is not what they say but how they say it. Negative recall are disliked but can still work.

In our society, the history and culture of advertising has its root in communicating news about products and brands. Today we see a lot of advertising messages delivered as though they are new when they are not. Unrequited expectations of being told something new tend to annoy us. Some ads, by their very nature, are ads with messages formulated in such a way that they almost are guaranteed to irritate us if they are constantly repeated. One problem for advertisers is that such advertising can wear out more quickly than other type of advertising. Some advertiser deliberately attempts an irritating formulation of ad and its jingle to increase recall value or brand saliency. But then they risk their brands image. It is important to remember that Advertising is a part of Brands overall personality. Memorability more than recall value should be the objective. If the ad had really struck a chord, we will never forget it in the positive sense. But if we see an annoying ad all the time or hear that frigging jingle, its negative recall.

Not all ads are made to entertain us. For example when a news commercial reveals a solution to a current problem, then experience and enjoyabilty can take a back seat. For such ads to be effective it is not crucial that we like the ad if it gives us some news about the brand that is relevant to removing some irritation or problem we have with the product that we are currently using.

Liking an ad doesn’t necessarily make it work but, other things being equal; advertisers should prefer us to like their ads. There are not reasons for this:

i. Just as good clothes make a person look more attractive so a brand’s advertising attire can add to its appeal. Ads that are dressed up to be cute and enjoyable are more acceptable than ads that speak to us in a way that grates and annoys.

ii. Just as we feel more inclined to argue with someone we dislike than with someone we are fond of, so our minds tend to react similarly with advertising. We are less inclined to counter-argue when we find ourselves enjoying the ad.

The ad agencies and their clients should make clear distinction if they want Consumers Engagement or Consumers Annoyance.