- Mark Dolliver

NEW YORK With the recession impinging strongly on consumer behavior, some brands' ads acknowledge its effects. Others remain silent on the topic. Which approach do consumers prefer? An AdweekMedia/Harris Poll, conducted last month, finds relatively little enthusiasm (and lots of indifference) for ads that refer to the downturn.

Given a choice of ways to describe their reaction to advertising that refers to the recession, 23 percent said such ads "make the brand seem more realistic."

But slightly more (27 percent) said such ads "make the brand seem manipulative," while another 12 percent said they find these ads depressing and, as such, are "less likely to buy the brand." A plurality (39 percent) said they have no opinion of such ads, which suggests the ploy has little resonance with many consumers.

Female respondents were more apt to find such advertising "realistic" (27 percent) than "manipulative" (25 percent). The pattern was reversed among men, though, with 29 percent terming such ads manipulative, vs. 18 percent regarding them as realistic.