Roughly 40% of shoppers dislike seeing the same advertisement repeatedly, according to research released Wednesday. And if the campaign is carried out incorrectly, remarketing could have a negative impact on how consumers perceive the brand.

The research from The Intent Lab, a research partnership between Performics and Northwestern University, offers interesting insights on what does and doesn’t work when it comes to remarketing. It also introduces a tactic called Smart Remarketing. 

Remarketing works. Just not all the time. About 23% of respondents who encountered seeing the same ad from the brand repeatedly said they purchased the product from the brand, a finding that Dan Malachowski, VP of marketing at Performics, found most interesting.

Malachowski points to a 2018 article about P&G that cites too much of its digital ad spending is wasted.

Approximately 34% of survey respondents like remarketing to some degree while 37% dislike it. About 31% were neutral. Preferences vary by product category, with 37% and 35% of respondents saying they enjoyed remarketing in the apparel and electronics categories, respectively. But only 6% accepted the ad strategy from financial institutions, where there are more privacy and security concerns.

Some 38% of consumers who approved of being remarketed with the same ad said it allowed them to find a better price from a different seller, 25% said they consider it personalized advertising, 19% like that it allows for postponing a purchase without losing research, and 18% consider it a reminder to buy something.

The research suggests remarketing does not have a strong impact on brand image. Some 53% of respondents said remarketing doesn’t affect their opinion of the brand, yet 40% cite remarketing as annoying or distracting.

Some have taken action to avoid remarketing. Some 41% won’t click on an advertisement; 31% refuse to provide an email address; 20% stop visiting the website; 16% won’t like, pin or share an item on social media and 16% won’t click for more details.  

About 46% said remarketing prompts concerns about privacy, 40% cite its annoying and distracting, 34% say it shows them products they already decided not to buy, 22% said they like to see new things, 19 see products already purchased, 16% feels it pressures them to buy, 12% do not trust the information, and 11% say it causes them to purchase items they don’t need.

Smart remarketing means knowing how much and how long. Consumers said anything more than once per day is too much. More than half prefer remarketing once weekly, 39% only accept one day of remarking and 24% said they will accept two to three days. About 21% said they find up to one week of remarketing acceptable.