A RECENT poll found that websites aimed at helping consumers during the recession tended to use the most annoying tactics to attract attention – with GoCompare leading the way.

The excitable opera singer star of the GoCompare commercial has helped propel it to the title of most irritating advert of 2010, topping the list for the second year running.

Facebook also launched their own campaign against the man with the moustache. The campaign attracted 257,000 members – 50 times more followers than the TV commercials’ official fan page.

Gio Compario, who fronts GoCompare’s TV campaign, got up more people’s noises than anything else. Of the top 20 commercials, seven were for websites promising to help consumers during the recession. Gio has helped the brand take market share from moneysupermarket.com’s and its meerkat – in fact it’s a little surprising that CompareTheMarket’s meerkat didn’t make it into the list.

WeBuyAnyCar.com came in at second position, with Injurylawers4u.co.uk and Cashmygold.co.uk completing a top four dominated by low-end brands, all using annoying jingles and gimmicks to get our attention.

Other notable brands that made it into the list were Iceland, Funkypigeon.com, Foxy Bingo, Nintendo and Moonpig.com. You’ll probably have one or two of them going around in your head now… cue the music… no, restrain yourselves! But that’s just the point, we remember all these TV commercials – they just stick in our minds.

Cliff Van Wyk, Senior Lecturer for Advertising and Marketing Communications, at The Media School at Bournemouth University said: “It wasn’t surprising to read the contents of the survey.

At the top (or bottom, depending on which way the survey is viewed!) of the pile was GoCompare.com, the brand that uses the character Gio Compario (with his operatic overtures) as its protagonist.

Despite the fact that it was regarded by 59 per cent of all interviewees as ‘highly irritating’, the companys marketing director is reported as saying that the campaign has been a phenomenal success.

“Repetition is a tactic that has long been employed in advertising. It is extensively employed by mail order brands and those that use the infomercial channels, and insurance and financial-service type products.

Although it is certainly a tool for advertisers, it doesn’t require any degree of creative expertise.

Creativity seems to have been sacrificed at the expense of ramming it down the throats of consumers.

“Adverts featuring celebrities such as Bill Murray, Dale Winton and Cheryl Cole also appear in the top ten of most irritating. This could well signal a growing apathy towards celebrity endorsement,” adds Cliff.

In a competitive market it’s clear that financial services need to stand out to succeed. And to do that they feel they must force repetitive, annoyingly catchy theme tunes down our throats. OK, so some of you may like them and sing along, but many of us simply switch off or pounce on the remote for that ‘mute’ button.

Interestingly enough, although he may be the most irritating man on our TV screens, Wayne Evans (aka Gio Compario) is singing all the way to the bank having just signed a lucrative six-album deal with Warner Records.

So, which advert theme tune do you have running through your head right now, eh?

Most irritating ads of 2010

1. Gocompare.com

2. Webuyanycar.com

3. Injurylawyers4U.co.uk

4. Cashmygold.co.uk

5. Halifax

6. Foxy Bingo

7. Nintendo

8. Moonpig.com

9. Moneysupermarket.com

10. Microsoft Windows

11. L’Oréal Elvive

12. Danone Activia

13. Iceland

14. Funkypigeon.com

15. Confused.com (Cara)

16. Confused.com (Haunted Jeans)

17. Pantene Pro-V

18. BT

19. Marks & Spencer

20. Giovanni Rana