AN OPEN LETTER TO BRANDS WITH ANNOYING NOISES IN ADS
To whom it may concern,
This is an open letter on behalf of consumers (and maybe some personal qualms) regarding the use of common, yet annoying/startling noises in radio & tv ads…
60% of consumers think it should be illegal to feature sirens, car crash noises, & horns in radio ads
Source: OnePulse
WHILE SIRENS ARE THE MOST TRIGGERING SOUND, THEY AREN’T THE ONLY SOUND THAT CAUSE NEGATIVE RESPONSES…
Source: OnePulse
EVERYONE AGREES THAT THESE SOUNDS ARE ANNOYING, BUT…
Millennial women are
+67%
more likely to care about dogs barking than Gen Z women.
Men are
+23%
more likely to care about ringtones women.
Gen Z are
+30%
more likely to care about notifications than dogs barking.
Source: OnePulse
WHEN HEARING THESE NOISES, MOST PEOPLE SAY THEY GET ACTIVELY DISTRACTED FROM WHAT THEY’RE DOING.
😱 31% GET STARTLED
😒 26% ARE ANNOYED
👀 17% LOOK AROUND FOR NOISES
🙈 13% IGNORE THE NOISE
🔊 12% TAKE ACTION (E.G. VOLUME DOWN)
Source: OnePulse
WHEN IT COMES TO THESE SOUNDS & DRIVING, HERE’S WHAT CONSUMERS HAVE TO SAY…
“When driving and I hear sirens I look around to see there is a vehicle. I have gotten confused in the past.”
“Radio freaks me out because I assume there’s an ambulance/fire truck behind me”
“On the radio I tend to get distracted and look around me as if something dangerous just happened on the road”
“With radio there have been times when I’m looking for a police car; one time I nearly crashed against another car because of the distraction.”
Source: OnePulse
BUT, DRIVING ISN’T THE ONLY SETTING WHERE CONSUMERS DON’T LIKE THESE SOUNDS…
“The doorbell... wakes up the pot bellies house pig and he runs to the door thinking its a guest with treats”
“It makes me have to do a double take and occasionally pause the TV or mute it to make sure the noise came from the TV and not somewhere else”
“[when I hear them on tv] it turns me off the brand”
“It upsets the dogs; causes panic; just not a good time”
Source: OnePulse
Before we wrap up…
Now that you’ve seen the data, and heard what consumers have to say, we hope that our data has given you the insight needed to take action.
Sincerely, First & First
