Young people 'no longer believe TV ads'

Young people do not believe television advertisements any more and are more likely to find an internet chat room credible, according to the woman who controls the largest marketing budget in the country.

A generation gap has opened up between parents, who still regard TV as the most important medium, and people under 25, said Roisin Donnelly, who as marketing director of Procter & Gamble spends more than £100m each year marketing products such as Pringles, Pantene and Crest.

"When TV was first introduced it was worshipped. It came into the home and it was the new medium. People would go to [other people's] houses to watch it," Ms Donnelly said.

"Today's generation has always had TV and is much more media savvy. Research shows that younger people are more likely to believe a stranger in an internet chat room than a TV advertisement," she said.

Another advertiser, Diageo, which owns Guinness and Smirnoff, is still investing heavily in massive TV campaigns but is not relying on it. A spokeswoman said: "We are looking more and more to other areas such as sponsorship."

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