Media Influence On Purchase Decisions

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According to The Media Comparisons Study, from TVB with Knowledge Networks, consumers credit TV ads as most influential in making a purchase decision. Television reaches more people, and people spend significantly more time with television each day than they do with radio, newspapers, magazines, the internet, and mobile, and TV commercials drive viewers to go online to find out more.

When it comes to the advertising medium they find most influential in making a purchase decision, American adults are far more likely to point to TV (37.2%) than any other, including newspapers, the internet, and magazines.

It’s interesting to note, however, the social network impact on consumer purchase decisions. 61% of adults 18+ are members of a social networking website, 6.8% of social network members made a purchase decision based on the information from a social network, yielding 4.0% of total adults 18+ based consumer purchase decision on social network.

The study indicates that a plurality of respondents across all age groups believe that TV influences their purchase decisions the most. 18-34-year-olds are the most likely to report this (40.8%), with TV’s influence declining with age, to 36.5% of 35-64-year-olds and 32.7% of those aged 65 and older.

In contrast, the influence of newspapers rises with age. While just 3.2% of 18-34-year-olds responding to the TVB survey say that newspapers hold the greatest sway over their purchase decisions, that proportion rises to 12.3% among 35-64-year-olds, and 18.5% among those 65 and older. The influence of ads served online is far more prevalent among 18-34-year-olds than the oldest group (7.4% vs. 2.9%).

The survey finds that not only does TV serve as a purchase influence, it is also a key source of information about products. 39.8% of the respondents said that TV is the source they are most likely to learn from about products and brands they would like to try or buy. The internet was next, followed by newspapers and magazines. Almost one-quarter of the respondents were unsure.

Considering the impact of Television, the study reports that it reaches more people per day than any other medium.

And when considering the value of the TV reach, its most significant (by HH income) is the upscale market.

Finally, women are found to be the longer TV users per day than men.

For more information about the Media Comparisons Study, please visit TVB here.

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2 comments on "Media Influence On Purchase Decisions".

1. Rob Frydlewicz from RAF Consulting
   

   commented on: June 26, 2012 at 10:04 a.m.
   One finding that surprised me is that the % reached by TV increases with household income. That's opposite everything I've ever learned about the demo characteristics of TV viewers. The unemployed, minorities and older adults all watch considerably more TV than the general population and their income is significantly lower. Perhaps the study shows something different when time spent viewing is analyzed by HHI?
2. Michael Strassman from Digitas
   

   commented on: June 26, 2012 at 3:49 p.m.
   gee, what a surprise, the trade association of the TV industry finds that TV is most influential. If memory serves, the MPA says the same thing about magazines. Oh, and asking consumers what's most influential media certainly settles the matter, because consumers know exactly what influences their purchases, just like they know how much time they spent with media last week. Tell us when a major research organization without an agenda publishes findings on this, preferably with a methodology more rigorous than a single survey question with no category context.

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