In
2025, consumer frustration with advertising overload and
repetition across TV, internet, and phone calls remains a significant
issue, leading to ad fatigue and negative brand impressions.
On TV and Streaming
Ad-Supported Dominance: More than 70% of all TV viewing in early 2025 came on ad-supported platforms, as major streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video introduced or expanded ad-supported tiers.
Fatigue and Churn: The increase in ads, sometimes at higher price points for traditional services, contributes to user frustration. A significant number of consumers (39%) have canceled a paid streaming service in the last six months, a figure that is even higher for Gen Z and millennials.
Repetition is a Key Grievance: A whopping 88% of consumers report noticing ad repetition, with over half seeing the same ad multiple times in a short period, which often results in a negative impression of the brand.
Preference for Quality: Consumers are not rejecting advertising altogether but are rejecting "bad advertising" that is intrusive, irrelevant, or lacks entertainment value. They prefer ads that offer value or are integrated seamlessly into the content.
On the Internet and Phone Calls
Digital Saturation: The overall advertising landscape is oversaturated, with consumers constantly bombarded by ads across multiple platforms. Global ad spending continues to shift, with digital platforms (social media, search, connected TV) expected to capture the vast majority of incremental ad growth in 2025.
Ad Avoidance: Consumers use various methods to avoid ads, including ad blockers and simply ignoring promotional emails or banners.
Shift to Non-Disruptive Formats: There is a growing preference for non-disruptive formats like native advertising and in-feed ads that align with the user experience.
Phone Call Regulation/Technology: New technologies, such as Apple's iOS 26 Call Screening feature which auto-answers unknown callers, transcribes their purpose, and allows users to decide whether to answer, are giving consumers more control over telemarketing calls.
Data Privacy Concerns: Consumers are increasingly wary of how their data is used for targeting, demanding more transparency and ethical data practices from brands.
Consumer Response
To
combat overload and fatigue, consumers are taking control:
Opting
for ad-supported streaming tiers to save money, but with clear expectations
about the ad load and relevance.
Using
technology (ad blockers, call screening) to filter unwanted solicitations.
Developing
"screen fatigue" and seeking out non-digital, tactile experiences
like in-store activations or print media.
In response, advertisers are focusing on greater personalization, better data integration (especially in CTV), and more creative, less repetitive ad content to engage jaded consumers.
Advertising overload remains a prominent consumer issue in 2025, driven by the shift to ad-supported streaming, an oversaturated digital landscape, and persistent robocalls. Consumers are overwhelmed by the volume and frequency of ads, though hyper-personalization via AI and data targeting aims to make some ads more relevant.
Overview of Advertising Overload in 2025
Television/Streaming: The majority of TV viewing (over 70% in Q1 2025) now occurs on ad-supported platforms, making the streaming experience as crowded with ads as traditional TV. The rise of Connected TV (CTV) and ad-supported tiers on major platforms (like Netflix and Disney+) has increased the inventory for advertisers, who use precise targeting to reach specific demographics.
Internet: The digital advertising landscape is oversaturated, leading to consumers feeling bombarded online. Global ad spending is projected to exceed $1.17 trillion in 2025, with digital-first platforms receiving the bulk of the new ad dollars. The use of AI for hyper-personalization is a major trend, aiming to deliver more relevant ads, but it contributes to the overall ad volume.
Phone Calls: Robocalls and unwanted telemarketing calls remain a significant problem. Americans received nearly 5 billion robocalls in April 2025 alone.
Strategies
to Manage Ad Overload
Consumers can employ several strategies to mitigate advertising overload:
On TV and Streaming:
Ad-free
tiers: Opt for paid, ad-free subscription tiers on streaming services if
the cost is acceptable.
Smart TV settings: In your Smart TV's privacy settings, you can often opt out of interest-based or "interactive" ads, though generic ads may still appear.
On the Internet and Mobile:
Ad
blockers and VPNs: Use ad-blocking software and privacy-focused browsers
or VPNs to reduce online ads and pop-ups.
Browser
settings: Adjust your browser's site settings to block intrusive ads and
pop-ups by default.
Privacy alternatives: Consider switching to privacy-focused software alternatives (e.g., specific operating systems, email providers) to reduce data collection that fuels targeted advertising.
Manage app permissions: Be mindful of app permissions on your phone to limit data sharing that enables targeted ads.
For Phone Calls:
Do Not Call Registry: Register your phone number with the national Do Not Call Registry.
Call-blocking apps: Utilize third-party call-blocking applications and services (like YouMail) to screen and block unwanted calls.
Caution: Be cautious about providing personal information over the phone to unsolicited callers.
FCC Rules: The FCC has new rules in effect in 2025 requiring telemarketers to get one-to-one consent for robocalls/texts, which may help curb some unwanted calls.
https://www.google.com/search?q=advertising+overload+on+tv+internet+and+phone+calls+2025
Comments
We employ several strategies to combat excessive advertising. We will not buy anything advertised on TV. We select an alternate channel and switch to that whenever ads appear. Most channels have 6 ads per station break. We hang up on Telemarketers as soon as we can recognize them. There is usually a delay before they answer and we hang up as soon as we identify them as telemarketers. We don’t have cell phones and prefer to use our ‘land line” and answering machine. We will not buy anything advertised the internet. We do all of our shopping locally. We use Google Search to research all information. I use Google AI Outlook to publish this blog.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
No comments:
Post a Comment