The Ad-Averse: Finicky and Opinionated; YES, I can relate!

October 3, 2005
By ALEX MINDLIN

The online marketing research firm Intelliseek released data last week suggesting that so-called ad-skippers - those who avoid ads on TV or the Internet, either by installing pop-up blockers, by recording shows and skipping the spots or by changing channels when commercials come on - behave differently in other ways as well.

The study of 660 consumers found that ad-skippers were generally more interested than their ad-watching peers in online product research and more likely to participate in online discussions of products, like those on blogs or product review sites. Those who skipped ads were 17 percent more likely to research computer hardware or software online, and they posted comments on Web sites 25 percent more often.

This creates problems for marketers, said Pete Blackshaw of Intelliseek. "The same consumers they're spending money researching are now taking control of the message," sometimes voicing opinions that are the opposite of what the marketers want to project.

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