Four Out of 5 Take Action Thanks to Newspaper Ads

Newspapers

April 2013 -- More than eight out of 10 adults (81%) took action in response to a print newspaper ad in the past month, and more than half (53%) made an actual purchase, according to a study from the Newspaper Association of America.

Actions included becoming aware of a sale, clipping a coupon, visiting a store, discussing with friends and family and making a purchase.

The independent  research, conducted by Frank N. Magid Associates for NAA, was designed to help advertisers understand the current landscape of consumer shopping and the role newspaper media plays.

Highlights from the study “How America Shops and Spends 2013”:

PRINT NEWSPAPERS TOP SOURCE FOR PLANNING SHOPPING TRIPS
 

• Newspapers ranked first, or tied for first, in seven of 12 benefit statements related to advertising platforms, with the top three being:
  • “You check for your regular shopping”
  • “Most valuable in planning shopping”
  • “Most believable and trustworthy”

 

• With respect to gender and perceived benefits of newspaper ads -- women scored higher than men (65% versus 58%).

 
NEWSPAPERS SCORE HIGHEST IN AIDING PURCHASE DECISIONS OVERALL
 

• Out of the multiple ad sources used to plan shopping or make purchasing decisions in the last seven days, print newspapers scored highest at 62%. When combined with newspaper websites, the net number totaled 66%.

 

• Tied for second at 57% each: store product displays and online sources (e.g.,  e-mail, websites, social networks, search, and mobile).

 

• Use and influence of online channels collectively did well with consumers under 50 and best with ages 18 to 24 (80%).

 

• Postal direct mail ranks higher with women than men (59% versus 46%) and hit just above 50% as an influence starting at age 25.

 

• Television came in at under 50% for both women and men.

 
AD ANNOYANCE
 

• Seven percent of respondents said they try to avoid newspaper advertising compared to 18% for online and 22% for TV.

 
INSERTS AS AN ACTION MEDIUM
 

• For circulars, 81% of respondents have taken some action in the past 30 days as a result of viewing an ad.

 

• Seven in 10 respondents said they regularly or occasionally read inserts, while half reported using them to plan shopping in the past seven days.

 

• Circulars ended up playing a roll in an unplanned purchase for 44% of respondents.

 

• Women outranked men for preprint usage (75% versus 64%).

 
MAJORITY OF ONLINE CIRCULAR USERS USE PRINT TOO

• Half of respondents (51%) said they looked at online circulars in at least one of several ways in the past 30 days.

• More than one-third (36%) clicked on the circular from a store’s website, 34% did so from an e-mail, 15% looked at circulars from a newspaper website, and 8% accessed them via Facebook. Seventeen percent went to various other sites that collect circulars from stores.

• Nearly nine out of 10 (86%) respondents who used online circulars also took some action as a result of a print circular in the past 30 days.

 
READERSHIP OF RUN OF PRINT (ROP) NEWSPAPER ADS

• In the past month, 84% of readers of daily and Sunday print newspaper readers looked at ROP advertising.

• Sixty-four percent said they usually read or scan ads when going through the newspaper, while 20% reported looking at ads only when they plan to shop. Just 16% said they look at editorial content only.

NON-READERS USE NEWSPAPERS ADS TO
 

• Survey participants who self-identified as newspaper “non-readers,” recalled forms of newspaper engagement in the past week, including -- clipping a coupon (16%), checking sales in local stores (16%) and comparing prices for items they intended to purchase (12%).

 
About:  Frank N. Magid Associates conducted this survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults for the Newspaper Association of America, a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in North America. 
 
Source: NAA MediaXchange, Research: How America Shops and Spends, April 15, 2013.