Forrester Research: Who still loves ads? (Subscription required)

Amid the increasing consumer disdain for advertising, there is one glimmer of light: 6% of US adults — a group Forrester calls Ad Affirmers — like advertising and are valuable marketer targets. Not only do these consumers trust ads, but they also give and receive product recommendations, pay for convenience, and buy products based on ad content. Smart marketers will: 1) leverage Ad Affirmers to help spread the word about their products, and 2) at last embrace a conversational approach to marketing that involves listening, supporting, and embracing consumers.

My burning question: Is it really worth the effort, time and money to identify, segment, target and capture that specific sliver of the US population that “wants ads”?

Does it matter if they’re “extremely receptive to advertising” if you can’t find them? While the outlook towards ads between Ad Affirmers and Ad Detractors are very different, the demographic, technology usage or behavioral characteristics are not substantially different, other than the simple fact that they pay attention to a lot more ads across all marketing channels.

How are you going to target them? How efficient is it to spend to reach 40-80% of the US population in order to find that 6%?

Isn’t direct marketing dead?