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Did you know that grass-eating cows are more interesting than 50% of global TV advertising? Did you?

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I didn’t until I read this fascinating piece from WARC that outlines how boring ads are a colossal waste of time and money. But it doesn’t stop there. Oh no. Boring ads are not only wasting your time and money, but also your audience’s.

Whether you’re pushing a newsletter or a product, the time someone takes to look at your ad is of value to both of you. Under the system we live in, time is quite literally money. We sell our labour (time) the same way our customers do, making it the most valuable resource we have at our disposal.

Audiences cannot opt out of this transaction for the most part. Sure ads can be skipped, but if someone watches an ad their time is immediately sold. Screen time is paid for by the advertiser, sold by the audience, and brokered by the platform that featured the ad. 

So, if you (the advertiser) pay for your ad to be seen, buying your audience’s time, I think we can all agree that at least one person in that dynamic needs to profit. 

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The Numbers Don’t Lie

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As the piece observes, research from System1 and eatbigfish finds that a cow chewing grass engages people more than half of TV advertising - a truly staggering realisation for all. Ultimately, brands are wasting money and time. 

In tangible terms, this means boring ads necessitate that brands spend 7.3% more to get the same business as an emotionally engaging ad. For us in the UK, that averages at £9.8m per brand. Meanwhile, stateside, dull advertisers collectively would be hypothetically spending $189bn to reap the benefits their engaging rivals enjoy. More on that here.

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In Conclusion

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WARC observes how our industry’s fixation on high-performance marketing (specifically relating to TV ads) has driven short-term, bottom-of-funnel sales. Which is a win, for sure. However, that mechanical creative approach has also been applied to top-of-funnel marketing where it is often much less impactful.

“The road to tedium is paved with good intentions” 

No one aims to be boring, but corporate metrics often steer marketers in that direction. When dullness becomes the standard in whatever field we’re applying this to, taking risks can be challenging.

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What Can E-com Brands Learn From This?

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• Don’t be afraid to take risks - no one wins by playing it safe

• Don’t be afraid to be emotionally engaging - emotional connections drive action

• Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion -  unbiased feedback (from someone with no ties to the creative) is crucial

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If you run an e-commerce brand and are looking for a digital marketing partner to take your business to the next level, book a call with one of our team.

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Written by Conel Freeman Harrison - Content Marketing Executive