The Consumer Republic: Bad Ad-itude

It is a truth universally acknowledged that contemporary consumers are cynical about advertising. Every year, surveys show that the percentage of people who trust advertising is shrinking to ever-smaller single digits.
That’s what Mad Dogs and Englishmen president Robin Danielson assumed when she organized a set of focus groups last September that explored consumer attitudes toward advertising. It was a “brand check” for Mad Dogs, where, as at most creative shops, it’s an article of faith that media-saturated consumers think most advertising sucks.