Like many advertisements, the title “TV Ads Are Less Effective, Survey Says” caught my eye but didn’t deliver like it should.

I would assume an article that asserts ‘TV ads are less effective’ would include an analysis of eyeballs on watching tv ads, ROI of TV ads, or recall of TV ads. None of this, instead the survey is based on executive interviews that concluded “a majority of marketers believe that television advertising has become less effective.” While those opinions may be based their own internal analysis of eyeballs, ROI or recall (although it doesn’t mention if those beliefs are held by marketers that use TV ads), they could also be based on wild speculation. The article doesn’t mention any kind of distinction.

Using DVRs and TIVOs to skip commercials isn’t exactly a secret to anyone. In fact, I’m sure that is the primary reasons many people use the devices (although I don’t have data to back that claim up either). But this analysis reminds me of the quote from Homer Simpson: “You can use statistics to prove anything. 14% of all people know that.”