04/01/2019. We are used to advertisements in the media all day long: on TV, radio and in newspapers. We find them en masse in the streets and even in the most unlikely corners of the capital, like leeches ready to grab hold of us and “suck” all our attention xD. So, advertising in Madagascar, top or glop? The Stileex team went to interview the first interested parties!
We wanted to find out if all these bludgeoned advertisements were really of interest to the people of Tananarivo. We give you the answer in this new survey which saw the participation of 1,045 people.
Tananarivians are attentive to advertisements in the media
We were interested in the three types of media in Madagascar, namely television, radio and newspapers.
In the case of TV, the results showed that 68% (slightly more than two-thirds of those surveyed) pay attention to TV advertising, 6% pay vaguely any attention and 25% don’t give a damn xD. Among those who prefer to ignore it, everyone has their own little tricks, but the majority (60%) choose the most obvious solution: zap the channel.
They are then 5% to go elsewhere (to the toilet or the kitchen), 3% to turn down or mute the sound, 1% to turn off their TV, and 1% to turn their attention to their smartphone or tablet. Let’s note that 17% do nothing and prefer to be stoically tortured xD.
In the case of radio: 60% of respondents say they pay attention to advertisements, 7% don’t really pay attention to them and 33% simply ignore them. Among the latter: 52% prefer to change channels, a small minority (4%) take the path to the toilet or kitchen, 2% turn down or mute the sound and 2% prefer to turn off the radio. The remaining 19 percent (19%), meanwhile, do nothing.
Finally for newspapers, 62% of those surveyed admit to being attentive to the advertisements that are circulated in them.
Too many ads in the streets!
We asked our respondents if they thought there were too many advertisements in each medium, but also on the street. Here’s what they thought:
For television:
- 62% think there is too much advertising
- 6% think not, there is not too much advertising
- 32% are without notice
For the radio:
- 56% think there is too much advertising
- 7% think not, there is not too much advertising
- 37% are without notice
For the newspapers:
- 43% think there is too much advertising
- 7% think not, there is not too much advertising
- 50% are without notice
In the streets:
- 79% think there is too much advertising
- 12% think not, there is not too much advertising
- 9% are without notice
According to these figures, the most infested “middle” of the pub scene is back on the streets. A well-deserved place when you notice all the advertisements that invade the streets of Antananarivo: on billboards, building walls, bus shelters, bus bodies (!!), poles, etc..
What we can learn from this survey on advertising in Antananarivo
Madagascar is not yet adopting the Western consumerist lifestyle, it is true. But one thing is certain: the process is under way.
If we combine the figures for the trio of TV, radio and newspaper, we have an average of 63% of people who give importance to advertising. Enough to affirm that a large majority of Tananarivians are attentive to the commercial information distilled in the media.
But given that Tananarivians are attentive to advertisements, does this mean that they allow themselves to be influenced in their purchases? For half of them, the answer is “Yes”: precisely 55% of them have already bought something because of an advertisement. This is good news for advertising agencies and advertisers, which means that they will not have spent their saliva for nothing.
Another interesting fact: when asked how they feel about the advertising messages, 83% of respondents described them as useful, 76% said they were informative and 75% said they were interesting. Adjectives that are positive to say the least and that demonstrate consumer satisfaction. On the other hand, only 55% find them intrusive and 52% find them misleading.
When it comes to advertising, how can we not talk about the quality of production in Madagascar which still leaves a lot to be desired: when are we going to finally change eternal commercials into songs where we see Jerry Marcoss (I’ve got nothing against Jerry Marcoss by the way :)) wiggling in front of us to sell his butter or the phoney montages with cartoon characters, not to mention the sleepy screenplays.
Let’s face it, the original ads in the Malagasy media can be counted on the fingers of an amputated hand. We’re not going to blame anyone, everyone has to make their business profitable. But frankly guys, as long as we’re stuffing ourselves with ads, stuff us with well done ads, if not too much to ask. Me personally, even if the ads were invasive, but at least of good quality, I wouldn’t have minded.
In short, the good news is that some advertising agencies are really doing their best to innovate. The bad news is that it’s going to take a long time to make itself felt in the media landscape.
