Some 91% of women don’t think advertisers understand them. These same women make or influence 85% of all purchasing decisions. ALL PURCHASING DECISIONS. Women are purchasing more than 50% of all traditional male products – automobiles, electronics, home improvement products. Seventy five percent of women are the primary shoppers for their household.
What do consumers think about advertising? A new report from market research firm Lab42 revealed that 76% of those surveyed think advertisements contain exaggerated claims, and only 3% think ads are “very accurate.” Some 58% think ads are somewhat exaggerated. Thirty-eight percent (38%) wish for more accuracy in advertising,but only 17% would like to see more laws in the U.S. that regulate advertising.
We know that weight loss ads are Photoshopped, that women in beauty ads are re-touched, that food is styled, and that only 3% of creative directors are women. Both men and women think they are not portrayed accurately in advertising.
But at the end of the day, advertising does provide new information to shoppers. Thirty-one percent (31%) think “advertising should make me aware of new products” and “20% think it should educate me.”
Here’s a great infographic put together by Lab42 to visualize their new research.