Research has revealed that nearly three quarters of consumers are cynical about brands that use big, expensive TV ads during a recession, prompting the PR industry to remind its clients about the value advantages of PR over advertising.
Public relations practitioners have welcomed the findings of research conducted by London-based media agency the7stars into the impact of the recession on media consumption habits.
It revealed that 75% of respondents thought that high budget TV ads were wasteful in the current economic uncertainty.
The survey also emphasised the shift in emphasis towards free online media, with 46% of consumers saying they would no longer buy their current newspaper if the price went up.
Head of planning at the7Stars, Will Phipps, said that older audiences in particular were more cynical towards expensive ads and that brands needed to think about how they targeted their audiences.
The findings are another recession shot in the arm for the PR industry, coming just weeks after a survey by leading consultancy Text 100 revealed that as much as 47% of a brand's financial value could be attributed to amount of exposure that it secured in the press.
And with the all-important third-party credibility that PR brings to a product, public relations is set to remain a shrewd marketing option as advertising continues to suffer under the recession.
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