Not all regions like to hear their own accents in ads, survey finds

Many people claim to hate the sound of their own voice, but a new government survey suggests the sensation is more unpleasant for some of us than it is for others.

The study, commissioned by the Central Office of Information (COI), reveals that, while Geordies and Mancunians enjoy listening to their own regional accents in government advertisements, Brummies and Bristolians would rather not be subjected to their own distinctive burr.

The COI, which controls the government's annual £400m advertising budget, found responses to radio and TV commercials vary widely in different parts of the UK according to the accent they are recorded in.

Residents of some regions, including Tyneside and Manchester, prefer to listen to government warnings about the dangers of drink driving or smoking cigarettes when they feature actors speaking in the local vernacular. Others, including those who live in the West Midlands and Bristol, are more likely to sit up and take notice when they are made using "received pronunciation", the COI study claims.

The survey, carried out by independent agency HPI Research across five English regions, compared government messages recorded in local accents with identical adverts that used a generic "English" voice. It was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of government advertising, and assess whether it has more impact when filmed in regional dialects.

In many parts of the country, the answer was a resounding "yes" – or "aye".

Tynesiders appear to be proud of their accents, according to the findings, but Brummies responded negatively to hearing their vowels on TV and radio, partly because they recognise they are ridiculed for them by some of their compatriots.

"The research clearly shows that the accent used in radio and TV advertising can have an impact on how the ad is received," said Brian Jenkins, the head of radio at the COI. "Regional accents can make a difference but not necessarily a positive one. There was quite a negative reaction from people in Birmingham and Bristol to their own accents," he said.

Jenkins added respondents in both cities were "very proud" of the way they spoke, but seem to have been affected by "other people's perceptions of their accent".

The COI, which carried out the survey in conjunction with the Radio Advertising Bureau, believes that the popularity of Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Cole and TV presenters Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly has been responsible for "increasing the favourability of regional accents in advertising" across the country.

However, it found that attitudes to accents vary widely across the generations.

Older people tend to be more accepting of ad campaigns featuring received pronunciation, perhaps because they grew up listening to the "cut-glass" English accents that featured on public information films of the past.

Younger people were more engaged by local accents, it found, but sometimes a more authoritative voice is more appropriate, according to the research.

Advertisements which encourage the public to comply with deadlines, including filling in tax returns, "need to impart trust and authority" the COI said, and are more effective when a Home Counties accent is used.

Local accents proved more persuasive in campaigns which include "credible real-life experiences" to try to change people's behaviour, perhaps to prevent drink driving or encourage homeowners to fix faulty smoke alarms.

The study also found that people who were already "positively engaged with authority" were more likely to absorb the message of campaigns using RP, while those who are not prefer to hear local accents.

Anyone hoping that the government might make different versions of the same advert for each region in the future may not like what they hear, however. "It's just not worth the expenditure," according to the COI's Jenkins.

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