Thirty-five percent of respondents said they have chosen not to purchase a certain brand because they found the advertisements distasteful. Another 22% said they have not done so but have thought about doing it, and 43% said they have never done so, writes MarketingCharts.

In addition, 28% of respondents said they have chosen not to purchase a brand because they didn’t like the spokesperson being used, with 22% having thought of doing so and 50% having never done so. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they chose not to purchase a brand because they did not like a program or event sponsored by it, with 20% having thought of doing so and 52% having never done so.

In all three cases of respondents choosing not to purchase a brand because of advertising, spokesperson or sponsorship, a majority have made that decision in the last year as opposed to more than a year ago.

Gender, Age Make Varying Differences

The gender and age of a consumer can have a varying impact on whether they will choose not to buy a brand due to distaste for some part of its promotional strategy. Slightly more women (36%) have chosen not to purchase a brand due to its advertising than men (35%). However, more men have chosen not to purchase due to its spokesperson (32%) than women (25%). More men have also chosen not to purchase a product due to a program or event sponsored by it (29%) than women (22%).

Interestingly, respondents aged 18-34 generally had similar rates of choosing not to buy a brand due to distaste for its promotion as respondents aged 55 and up, with middle-aged respondents having lower levels of severe promotional distaste.

Thirty-seven percent of both respondents aged 18-34 and 55-plus have chosen not to purchase a brand due to its advertising, compared to 34% of respondents aged 35-44 and 32% of respondents aged 45-54. Thirty percent of respondents aged 55-plus have chosen not to purchase a brand due to its spokesperson, followed closely by 29% of respondents aged 18-34 and smaller percentages of respondents in the middle two age groups.

The one exception to this pattern was with sponsorship issues: 26% of all age groups have chosen not to buy a brand due to a program or event sponsored by it except 55-plus (30%).

College Grads, Wealthy More Easily Offended

College graduates and respondents earning more than $75,000 a year had the highest levels of choosing not to purchase a brand due to some part of its promotional strategy. Forty-three percent of college graduates have chosen not to purchase a brand due to distasteful advertising, compared to 37% of respondents with some college and 29% with a high school degree or less.

In addition, 33% of college graduates have chosen not to purchase a brand because of the spokesperson, compared to 31% of respondents with some college and 23% of respondents with a high school degree or less. And 33% of college graduates have chosen not to purchase a brand because of a sponsorship issue, compared to 27% of respondents with some college and 24% of respondents with a high school degree or less.

Americans Trust Soft Drink Advertising

Brands seeking to avoid losing customers due to distaste with their advertising may want to examine the promotional strategies of the soft drink industry. Among five major industries, Americans trust soft drink advertising the most, according to another recent Harris Poll.

Thirty-four percent of respondents 18 and up said soft drink advertising was the most trustworthy, while the next-most trusted industry, fast food, only had its advertisements rated most trustworthy by 22% of all respondents 18 and up. Pharmaceutical companies came in third place (18%), auto companies came in fourth place (14%), and financial services companies came in last (13%).

About the Survey: This Adweek Media/Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States February 2-4, 2010 among 2,194 adults (aged 18 and up). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Where appropriate, this data were also weighted to reflect the composition of the adult online population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

Credit Card Usage Remains Low

Simultaneous TV/Web Usage Jumps

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Whether expanding a new line or starting a business, market research for your small business is a necessary component for success. As any business owner learns soon enough, risks are part of business. With limited resources, entrepreneurs know risk needs to be calculated. Employing market research helps you sort out the risks involved.

The benefits of market research for small business range from finding hidden niches and preserving capital to building customer loyalty and identifying more business opportunities with existing customers.

Before you take the path to greater customer understanding by market research, it's important to know the common pitfalls encountered by small business. Avoid these 6 common mistakes in market research for small business.

Think It's Costly: Bob Kaden, market research expert and author of "Guerrilla Marketing Research" knows too well the challenge small business owners face to afford the costs of conducting market research. Small businesses believe focus groups and surveys are unaffordable. Marketing research costs can range from a few thousand dollars to $25,000 annually.

Should you hire a professional or go it alone? "If you have the time and interest to learn what it takes to do effective research, there is no reason you can't execute the studies yourself at a fraction of the cost it would take you to use a professional," states Kaden in "Guerrilla Marketing Research." On the contrary, Kaden feels a solid market research professional is invaluable. Spend the time to learn what you don't know and need to know.

Try Secondary Research Only: Research comes in 2 forms: primary and secondary. Primary research is first hand knowledge you gain directly from the marketplace and often uses techniques as focus groups and surveys. Secondary research is usually published studies available online or from your library providing broad knowledge about your markets. Learning about your business and industry from secondary research is a good start but primary research allows you to target your efforts and understand customers' attitudes in real time.

Use Web Searching: The Internet has opened up a flood of business information that was once available to big companies or those with money. No doubt conducting secondary market research on Yahoo or Google saves time and money for small business. Search engines mine only a portion of the web and often the good info you need will be part of the deep web or on a paid search like Lexis Nexis. To save money, visit your local library, business center, or college to gain access to the quality information you need at zero cost.

Hit the Wall: Any sizable research project runs into the U-shaped curve. Your enthusiasm and motivation are high at the beginning but as the project progresses you reach a wall. As you start to take in more information, the level of complexity rises. At this point it's easy to lose motivation and cut the research efforts short. Those who persist soon realize it all comes together in the end. To best manage your cycle of motivation for the project, start your secondary market research by getting an understanding of your industry. Don't wait too long to get in the field and talk to potential customers.

Rely on Family Focus Group: A common mistake of new startups is asking those close to you for feedback on your product and service. Those who know you will want to guard your feelings. Friends and family make the worst possible selection of a focus group. You need to talk to real customers about the pros and cons of your offer and use your friends and family as support not market research.

Big Company Attitude: You spent years in your industry and understand customers... who needs market research? You carry plenty of baggage and preconceived notions of customers needs and wants. Test your assumptions on the market for real insight on customer attitudes and behavior.

All too often business owners will downplay the importance of gaining customer insight by market research. It's absurd how many businesses are launched without ever talking to a single potential customer. Avoid the common errors and use market research wisely to position your business for success.