ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug 08, 2003 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Advertising on TV shows which have violent or sexual content is bad business, according to a new University of Michigan study.

The study, presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, shows that viewers are less likely to remember the brand of products when the ads are shown in sexually explicit and violent programs.

"If the TV program bleeds, memory for the brand recedes," said Brad Bushman, a psychologist at the UM Institute for Social Research, the world's largest academic survey and research organization. "We found that people are 19 percent less likely to remember the same ad if it is embedded in a violent or sexually explicit show."

The researchers found that brand recall was 17 percent higher for participants who saw a neutral program than for those who saw a violent program, and 21 percent higher for participants who saw a neutral program than for those who saw a sexual program.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International.

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Last updated: 08/11/2003 - 04:46 PM