Distractions can sometimes have disastrous consequences. Perhaps the most prevalent distraction are those text messages continually pinging your phone. A study in Injury Prevention even shows that pedestrians crossing the road take longer and have the highest risk of accidents. In addition distractions can raise your stress level with possible adverse effects on your health.
Depending on the medium, advertising can also create distractions.
Digital billboards can present very attractive advertisements but a motorist may take his eyes off the road when faced with such a billboard at just the wrong time. This has officials worried as to whether such digital billboards should he allowed.
The glowing signs offer advertisers a tantalizing new means of cutting through the urban clutter. But some officials worry that the bright billboards, which display a new image every few seconds, are another dangerous distraction for drivers, many of whom are already multitasking behind the wheel.
Distractions that irritate
Some distractions of course are unwelcome and irritate their targets. This is often the case with advertising and people may take steps to avoid the distractions. Although TV is one of the most effective deliverers of advertisements, many now ‘tape’ their shows with a PVR (personal video recorder) so that they can fast forward through the advertisements.
Ideally you should create advertisements that do not irritate and are even welcomed by their viewers. This can be a tough challenge with advertisements on TV or in print media.
Advertising on radio
Considering the distraction aspect of advertisements, radio seems to be the medium which creates the least adverse reactions. Listening to the radio is often an accompaniment to some other activity such as driving or doing housework. At the same time, it is difficult for people listening to the radio to block out the advertising on radio that they hear. We thus have the best of both worlds here.
A good portion of radio listeners are doing so as they drive their automobiles. Given the local nature of many radio stations, this gives an opportunity to target a geographical audience which delivers an excellent return on investment (ROI) for the advertising dollars. As drivers may also be heading for particular events, it is also possible to consider promotions that link the products being advertised with other related products which will be found at the particular event. There are several other reasons why radio advertising is so effective which were covered in another article on Advertising On The Go.