Analysis of Print Ads That Sell

Magazines

September 2009 -- According to an Advertising Age article, MRI Starch Communications, a company focused on the goal of measuring, evaluating, and tracking the US consumer market, set out to examine what exactly makes a print ad sell.
 

The firm states it is in a unique position to make this evaluation, since during their surveys they ask print readers: "As a result of seeing this ad, did you purchase the product/service?"  While MRI Starch states that viewing an ad is but one of several factors that drive purchase, their analysis is based on the number of consumers reporting that they did indeed read an ad and, as a result, bought the product or service.
 

MRI Starch examined nearly 300 magazine issues they had measured between October 2008-April 2009. For each product category, they looked at the top-performing ad in terms of driving purchase. Their analysis required that the top ad needed to have driven at least 15% of readers to make an actual purchase. 
 

Results:
 

CONTEXT MATTERS:  Many of the ads that drove purchase were of interest to the readers of the magazines in which they appeared. Ads for milk (purchased by 55% of ad readers) and Vaseline Clinical Therapy Body Lotion (purchased by 26%) and Lipitor (purchased by 18% of ad readers), stressed health and wellness and all appeared in Health magazine.
 

PRICE MAY MATTER:  As written in the article:  "None of these purchase-driving ads promote expensive products, such as automobiles, vacations or home appliances. Much time and consideration typically go in to those kinds of purchases, so it's less likely that a single ad would be the driver to purchase. However, that is evidently not always the case for lower-cost purchases. After all, if the purchase turns out to be a mistake, the financial harm is slight."
 

BRAND PERCEPTION MATTERS:  Before MRI Starch asked readers about individual ads, they survey participants about their opinion of the brands advertised. MRI Starch found that if the reader is favorably disposed to the brand, there is a much greater chance that they will purchase the product or service being advertised. In almost half of the categories examined, more than 90% of readers said they were favorably disposed to the brand, with some saying it was one of their favorites.

Source:  Advertising Age, Three Things You Should Know About Print Ads That Sell, September 3, 2009.