Newspaper Inserts Drive Users Online as Part of New Path to Purchase

LIVONIA, MI—Oct. 30 2012—Valassis, one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies, shared consumer insights from a recent survey conducted via social media that demonstrates favorable response to newspaper-delivered advertisements.

According to findings from a 2012 Valassis survey, conducted on Facebook, 30 percent of respondents said they searched online for more information about a product or service within 30 days of seeing a newspaper insert. This consumer behavior further demonstrates how the traditional path to purchase has evolved and is no longer linear. The survey also revealed that of respondents who use newspaper inserts:

• 76 percent said inserts are one of the main reasons they purchase the newspaper;
• 92 percent say that inserts save them money; and
• 65 percent said inserts save them time.

Nearly 60 percent of insert users bought a product or service in response to seeing a newspaper insert, according to the survey. These findings indicate one of the ways traditional print and digital media work together to drive consumers from awareness to action.

“These insights are interesting since they come from a survey conducted online among social networkers, yet demonstrate the strong influence of print, in this case, newspaper inserts,” said Larry Berg, Valassis vice president. “Newspaper inserts are an excellent conduit to online research and shopping. Marketers must consider how today’s consumer makes purchase decisions and build their plans to best reach their target consumer, in order to connect with them where they make those purchase decisions.”

Additionally, according to recently released research from RAM (Research and Analysis of Media), an international research company based in Stockholm, Sweden, on-page newspaper ad recall has remained steady at over 40 percent since RAM first started measuring U.S. newspapers in 2006. This demonstrates that consumers have stayed consistently engaged with newspaper advertising along their path to purchase.

“The perception is that newspaper results are diminishing,” said Staffan Hulten, RAM co-founder. “The fact is, ad recall from newspapers has remained stable over the past six years, and print still delivers good recall numbers, typically higher than television and radio.”

About Valassis
Valassis is one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies, offering unparalleled reach and scale to more than 15,000 advertisers. Its RedPlum® media portfolio delivers value on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers across a multi-media platform – in-home, in-store and in-motion. Through its digital offerings, including redplum.com and save.com, consumers can find compelling national and local deals. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with approximately 7,000 associates in 28 states and eight countries, Valassis is widely recognized for its associate and corporate citizenship programs.

Source: Valassis.