Study: Offline ads more influential with consumers

When it comes to consuming content, publishers and marketers alike know that consumers are taking in more online content than offline, especially when it comes to newspapers and radio. But, when it comes to interacting or engaging with advertising, the offline measures still hold a sphere of influence. How can that be? It may seem strange but a new study from TargetCast tcm finds this to be true: consumers consume content online but are more influenced to make purchases by offline ads.

by Kristina Knight

Researchers studied American adults between ages 18 and 64. They found that men were more likely to find online content more relevant than women were, and that both newspapers and magazines are seen as less relevant for content. But, newspapers and magazines were found to have significant impact when it comes to purchasing decisions with both genders.

Peter Sedlarcik, SVP, Director of Insights and Analytics at TargetCast tcm said, "[Marketers] must take into account the evolving media preferences of specific target audiences [and yet] while many may declare print media is dead [findings] show that marketing messages in newspapers and magazines still score well in terms of consumer attentiveness and purchase influence."

The research finds:

• 68% of consumers are using 'the same amount' of television as in 2008
• Radio has dropped usage by 18%
• Magazines (30% drop) and Newspapers (33% drop) are being used less
• Online entertainment (28% increase) and information (42% increase) are being used more

Tags: advertising, magazines, newspapers, offline advertising, offline content, online advertising, online content, radio, TargetCast tcm