Experiential experiences (shopping) and peer influence beat paid media advertising as the top sources of information for many product categories. A hidden media impact might be the use of retail direct mail, run-of-press retail ads in newspapers, and inserted media that drive store visits.

Year: July 2005

Type of Promotional Material/Activity Tested:

Internet advertising

Sample Population:

2,110 US adults, ages 18 or older.

Method:

Web-based consumer survey

Metrics:

Participants were asked to choose from among 14 marketing and information factors (“touchpoints”) that most influenced their initial awareness, information gathering and influenced their purchasing decision in 10 product/service categories:

Top Line Results:

• Corporate websites are not mentioned in the top most frequently sources of initial awareness or overall influence on the purchasing decision. Leading the most frequently cited awareness and influencing factors are “word of mouth” (9 out of 10 categories) followed by “saw it in the store”, or its service environment equivalent (8 out of 10 categories).

  
  
• For further learning, company websites are among the most frequently mentioned for eight of 10 categories.
  
  
• 20% of participants state that print ads are the greatest influence in their purchases in the Personal/Home Care category.  In addition, 8% of electronics buyers make purchases due to print ads versus 15% who are most influenced by websites.
  
  
• For individual product categories, the most influential sources are:
  
  
  • Corporate web sites for purchase of autos, travel, telecommunication services, credit cards, electronics, home products, and mortgages.
    
    
  • TV commercials for movies/entertainment.
    
    
  • Print advertisements for personal care/home care products and a close second for electronics and home products.
    
    
  • "Saw it in the store" for home improvement products (56%), consumer electronics (39%), and personal/home care (36%).
    

Take Away:

Experiential experiences (shopping) and peer influence (word of mouth) beat paid media advertising as the top sources of information for many product categories. A hidden media impact might be the use of retail direct mail, ROP retail ads in newspapers, and insert media that drive store visits. The Internet, with its viral marketing capabilities, may be a medium to use to drive word of mouth sources of information.

Complexity rating of source: 1
(Complex statistical analysis scale: 1= none, 2= moderate, 3 = difficult)

Link to DoubleClick's Touchpoints III survey at DoubleClick, Inc.