Dull Costs More

To get the same results as non-dull ads, brands with lacklustre creative would need to spend an additional £13.29bn on media in the UK. That’s a staggering price to pay for something we should all shun - mediocrity.

I just read The Extraordinary Cost of Dull, a new report from System1, eatbigfish, and Peter Field, and the findings are eye-opening. It turns out that emotionally engaging ads don’t just make people feel something. They drive better business results…because they make people feel something!

Yet, shockingly, 52% of UK TV ads generate zero emotional response. Nothing. When tested against 20 seconds of cows grazing in a field, those ads performed even worse. Watching cows just doing cow things was more engaging than over half the ads on TV!

And many wonder why the advertising industry is struggling.

For B2B advertising the situation is even grimmer…

Historically, B2B marketing has leaned heavily on rational, information-heavy messaging rather than emotional storytelling. Many B2B brands still operate under the outdated assumption that business decisions are purely logical when, in reality, emotional connection plays just as crucial a role in influencing purchasing behaviour. Maybe more so.

B2B ads often suffer from corporate sameness. Uninspired visuals, jargon-packed scripts, and forgettable messaging that fails to stand out to real human beings.. Since B2B sales cycles are longer and involve multiple decision-makers, emotionally engaging ads have an even bigger opportunity to make a lasting impression. Yet, many B2B marketers still default to safe, dull creative that doesn’t inspire action or differentiate the brand. It also doesn't bring in as much revenue as it could either, based on this report.

The report proves that emotion drives commercial success. Brands that invest in engaging, creative advertising get more bang for their media buck. This is especially crucial for challenger brands that don’t have deep pockets and can’t afford to blend into the background.

Advertising Has Changed. And So Should Your Creative

The way we advertise has changed dramatically. With the rise of digital, social media, and programmatic media buying, audiences are bombarded with more ads than ever before. Traditional media channels are no longer the sole gatekeepers of brand visibility. Consumers are in control, and they can scroll, skip, or block anything that doesn’t grab their attention immediately.

At the same time, media buying has become increasingly data-driven and automated, allowing brands to target audiences with incredible precision. But while targeting has improved, we believe that creative quality has often suffered. Many brands mistakenly believe that reaching the right people is enough. But if your ad doesn’t resonate, all that precise targeting is wasted. You’re paying to be ignored. And hey, some people are into that, but your budget holders definitely are not.

Intelligent, emotionally engaging creative is critical. Without it, even the most perfectly placed ad won’t deliver the extent of the results it could be capable of. Great advertising has never been just about being seen. It’s about being remembered, shared, and felt.

Why Does Dull Cost So Much?

Neutral ads don’t necessarily hurt your brand. If an ad is purely informational and sparks no emotion, it can still help with brand recognition and trigger sales among people who were already considering buying. But, and it’s a big but, it’ll be less effective than an ad that creates an emotional connection.

So why settle?

Even if you’re only focused on short-term results, an ad with emotional intensity will outperform a neutral one.

And here’s where the real problem lies.

Dull ads aren’t just ineffective. They’re inefficient. You end up spending more money to achieve the same business impact. One major reason ads turn dull is overloading them with too much information, leaving audiences either bored or confused. The irony? Brands often cram their ads full of details in an attempt to be efficient, but in doing so, they create ineffective ads wasting budget instead of optimising it.

The Cost of Dull Is the Cost of Waste

The takeaway is simple: boring ads cost more to achieve the same results as interesting ones.

If you’re investing in advertising, then investing in better, more engaging creative is the single biggest thing you can do to make your budget work harder.

Book in a chat with one of our team to find out how you can avoid dull or take a look at some of our case studies.

Links:

The Extraordinary Cost of Dull

https://www.eatbigfish.com/