Marketers remain enthralled with the effectiveness of TV advertising. And while consumers agree that TV ads are the most entertaining, they also rate them as highly intrusive. Morning Consult’s new study contains everything your clients need to know about consumer attitudes regarding advertising in all formats.

Morning Consult’s study consisted of a national poll of 4,402 adults. With the typical consumer being exposed to more advertising as screen time increases, Morning Consult analysts wanted to know what people think about all these ads. They also wanted to learn whether consumers are willing to pay more to access ad-​free content.

Let’s start with the big picture. Here are the favorability ratings regarding ads in various formats:

• Print 55%
• Billboards 55%
• Television 49%
• Radio 46%
• Sidebar ads 32%
• Native ads 30%
• Pre-​roll video ads 27%
• Online pop-​up ads 17%

It’s interesting to note that many of the digital formats are seen as intrusive. In fact, internet ads overall earned the most intrusive score: 75% of respondents said so.

Marketers can redeem themselves somewhat by making their ads entertaining. TV ads are rated the most entertaining with a score of 60%. Print ads (49%), podcast ads (41%) and ads on social media (41%) also entertained consumers. Only 38% of consumers say Internet ads are most entertaining. Analysts theorize that consumers may be more accepting of TV ads, because they can shift their attention to their mobile devices and block out what’s on their screen.

It’s not as easy to shift attention from digital devices, so more people, 36%, are using ad blockers. Let’s face it. Many consumers turned their media time to online sites with the promise of free entertainment. In the early days, the online experience was largely ad free. As publishers’ costs rise and revenue from traditional business models plummet, they must sell more ads to stay afloat.

Will people shell out money to enjoy an ad-​free experience? That’s another question researchers wanted answered. Sixty-​seven percent of consumers say no. They will put up with watching ads. There is a price threshold for some consumers. On average, consumers will pay $31 a year for an ad-​free TV experience and $20 a year for ad-​free social media and other online sites.

Marketers should know that consumers who are age 34 and under will pay slightly more. These folks also indicate the highest use rate of ad blockers: 41%.

Remind your clients of the need to keep advertising entertaining and well-​targeted to boost the chances of consumers paying attention to the products and services being promoted.