Consumers Heed Inserts, Circulars More Than Other Advertising: Report
BALTIMORE - Almost half of all consumers think inserts and circulars are the advertising methods that best capture their attention, according to research released yesterday by Vertis Communications here, a provider of print advertising, direct marketing solutions, and related value-added services to retail and consumer services companies.
Vertis said in its "Vertis Customer Focus 2008: Retail Study," that 47 percent of Americans cited inserts and circulars as the most effective, a 9 percent increase since 2003. Also according to the report, inserts and circulars have surpassed TV advertising as the medium most able to draw consumer attention.
Forty-three percent of those surveyed said TV advertising interested them the most, but that was a 10 percent decline from five years ago. Meanwhile, 38 percent of respondents thought newspaper advertising best grabbed their attention, down from 45 percent in 2003.
"This research proves advertising inserts and circulars are a valuable marketing tool, even in a day and age when consumers are constantly being bombarded by marketing messages," said Vertis Communications director of marketing research Scott Marden in a statement. "The fact that inserts and circulars are more efficient at capturing consumers' mind share than television, radio, display advertising, and any other medium is clear indication that savvy marketers should take advantage of the shift to drive greater ROI."
Additionally, 93 percent of consumers who read the pieces use them for more than just price comparisons. Specifically, the study found that over 50 percent of those who read them do so for at least three reasons: clipping coupons, assisting in making shopping lists for future store trips, and browsing for new products or styles. Further, 45 percent of respondents said they use inserts to hunt down recipes.
"Customer Focus" is a proprietary annual study tracking consumer behavior across a wide variety of industry segments -- retail, grocery, home improvement, fashion, home electronics, sporting goods, furniture, technology, auto aftermarket -- and such media as advertising inserts, direct marketing, and the Internet. First conducted in 1998, the survey has since been expanded and modified to practices and motivations. Respondents were surveyed by telephone.
Vertis said in its "Vertis Customer Focus 2008: Retail Study," that 47 percent of Americans cited inserts and circulars as the most effective, a 9 percent increase since 2003. Also according to the report, inserts and circulars have surpassed TV advertising as the medium most able to draw consumer attention.
Forty-three percent of those surveyed said TV advertising interested them the most, but that was a 10 percent decline from five years ago. Meanwhile, 38 percent of respondents thought newspaper advertising best grabbed their attention, down from 45 percent in 2003.
"This research proves advertising inserts and circulars are a valuable marketing tool, even in a day and age when consumers are constantly being bombarded by marketing messages," said Vertis Communications director of marketing research Scott Marden in a statement. "The fact that inserts and circulars are more efficient at capturing consumers' mind share than television, radio, display advertising, and any other medium is clear indication that savvy marketers should take advantage of the shift to drive greater ROI."
Additionally, 93 percent of consumers who read the pieces use them for more than just price comparisons. Specifically, the study found that over 50 percent of those who read them do so for at least three reasons: clipping coupons, assisting in making shopping lists for future store trips, and browsing for new products or styles. Further, 45 percent of respondents said they use inserts to hunt down recipes.
"Customer Focus" is a proprietary annual study tracking consumer behavior across a wide variety of industry segments -- retail, grocery, home improvement, fashion, home electronics, sporting goods, furniture, technology, auto aftermarket -- and such media as advertising inserts, direct marketing, and the Internet. First conducted in 1998, the survey has since been expanded and modified to practices and motivations. Respondents were surveyed by telephone.