A new study from the ANA Alliance for Family Entertainment reports that the type of show in which an ad is placed can impact the effectiveness of that advertising.

A couple of key points from “Are Family-Friendly Shows a Better Environment for Ads?” (Ad Age 11/4/09):

“Running an ad in a show that matches its tone and provides appropriate context can boost ad effectiveness by an average of more than 30%.”

“The collective ad-spending might of the Alliance for Family Entertainment is enough to raise the eyebrows of any media outlet.  Should [this] research help guide marketers’ spending decisions, then certainly, TV networks and other media might take notice.”

I am not in media research.  But I spent more than 10 years working in ad agencies.  What surprises me is that this is “new news” or that media outlets would be just waking up to these facts.

In part, my job as an account planner was to work closely with the media planner – and there were times when the two of us sat with the buyer to refine a buy.  We were always looking for great synergy between our ad spends and the people we were trying to reach.  From the sound of it, this collaborative approach may be on the verge of a resurgence.

A cautionary note for Marketing ROI and Math Marketing advocates: All TRPs are not the same.  Those that enhance loyalty or positive brand associations – things hard to calculate – count for more than just immediate sales returns.