The Center for Media Research reported today that 4 out of 5 consumers read advertising inserts. I usually agree wholeheartedly with the research briefs from the center but I'm having a hard time buying into this statement today. Maybe those numbers are true in specific cases such as 'senior women reading inserts in the Sunday paper to find this week's cheapest over-the counter drugs', but I think the statement is far too broad to make about all consumers. That's the danger of soundbyte marketing when applied to research - the assumptions, criteria and research constraints are left to the readers imagination.
The report brief did provide some interesting tidbits about the impact of ad inserts on female consumers:
Grocery Ad Insert
- Seventy-seven percent of women ages 18-34 do the majority of the household's grocery shopping, like discount stores, and show an interest in the grocery ethnic and organic departments
Home Electronics
- Women ages 35-49, rising 10 percentage points since 2004, show a greater interest than the average adult in special financing offers for home electronics
Furniture Retailers
- 33 percent of women ages 18-34 said they plan to purchase bedroom furniture
- 26 percent plan to purchase bedding
- 24 percent plan to purchase living room furniture
Home Improvement
- Seventy-three percent of women ages 35-49, growing12 percent in two years, compare similar home improvement inserts before heading to the selected store
Prescription and Drug
- Thirty-three percent of women 50 and older (dominant drug purchasers) said advertising inserts were the number one medium that influences their general purchase decisions, followed by 20 percent who said newspaper advertisements influenced purchase decisions
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