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Source:
Journal of Advertising Research, September/October 2002, 42(5),
pgs. 49-61.
Type of Promotional Material/Activity Tested:
The effect of online and offline advertising in building awareness, site visits and generating traffic.
A cross-section of 88 Internet companies including search engines (e.g., Yahoo, Ask Jeeves), specialized interest sites (e.g., Mapquest, CNN, Motley Fool), retail e-commerce (e.g., barnesandnoble.com, drugstore.com) and B2B e-commerce sites were studied.
Sample Population:
A unique data set from September 1999 was combined from several Internet monitoring sources including a brand equity study (random sample of 6,700+ respondents) and consumer Internet user data supplied by Jupiter Media Metrix (now called comScore, with over 2 million participants).
Method:
Predictive modeling
Metrics:
Independent variables:
Dependent variables:
Top Line Results:
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Word-of-mouth and “offline” advertising (magazines, newspapers, billboards, radio, and TV) proved the most significant factors in building consumer awareness and generating website visits to Internet companies.
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Online advertising dollars spent by Internet companies, to quickly build a brand image and impressions, do not translate into site traffic and sales. Instead, advertising dollars are better spent on offline marketing efforts -- magazines, newspapers, billboards, radio, TV, and public relations campaigns -- which were shown to grow site awareness and increase site traffic.
Take Away:
The study’s findings highlight the importance of allocating “offline” advertising dollars to build awareness and generate traffic. It would be a costly mistake for Internet companies to rely solely on online advertising for this effect.
Complexity ratingof the original source: 2
(Complex statistical analysis scale: 1= none, 2= moderate, 3 = difficult)
This journal article available on a pay-per-view basis from Cambridge University Press (registration required).
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