Although what's considered offensive or annoying may vary based on demographics, the decision not to buy the product was universal. Age, income, ethnicity and location didn't affect the responses. Only 11% of survey respondents said they were more likely to buy the product when the advertising offended or annoyed them. Of those, 4% were substantially more likely to buy and 7% were slightly more likely to buy.
Among the 86% who said they were less likely to buy the product, 56% were substantially less likely. Twenty-nine percent were slightly less likely. Three percent of survey participants didn't know, and 1% refused to answer. Seventy percent acknowledged that they were more likely to remember annoying or offensive ads. Twenty-three percent said they were less likely
to remember those ads. Six percent were neither more nor less likely to remember. One percent didn't know.
"Usually we can take a borderline idea and modify it for public consumption," said Frantin, whose company owns the largest fleet of mobile billboards in the U.S. "But there are times when we just have to say no. We've turned down cattle drives through Manhattan, painting body prints outside terror targets and giving actors real guns for a campaign."
