The study reveals a divide between men and women in how each gender engages with traditional media, and illustrates how a generational divide is affecting purchase influence among adults.
Peter Sedlarcik, SVP, Director of Insights and Analytics at TargetCast tcm, says "... marketers must take into account the evolving media preferences of specific target audiences... yet, while many may declare print media is dead... findings show that marketing messages in newspapers and magazines still score well in terms of consumer attentiveness and purchase influence."
Key findings:
60% of consumers say newspapers need to change the most to stay relevant, compared to 30% for magazines and nearly 20% for radio. Fewer than 10% feel that TV or the Internet needs to change to stay relevant. Nevertheless, those ages 35+ still consider newspaper ads to be more influential in determining their purchase decisions.
The majority of adults 18-64 report that they are still using the same amount of each medium today as they were a year ago, however nearly a third say they are using less printed media (newspapers and magazines). Conversely, a third or more also report that they are using the Internet more as both a source of information and entertainment.
Compared to a year ago would you say you are currently using the following media more, about the same or less? (Adults 18-64) | |||
Media | Using More | About the Same | Less |
TV | 19% | 68% | 13% |
Radio | 12 | 71 | 18 |
Magazines | 10 | 60 | 30 |
Newspapers | 9 | 58 | 33 |
Internet (information) | 42 | 54 | 4 |
Internet (entertainment) | 28 | 59 | 13 |
Source: TargetCast tcm, October 2009 |
The data reveals a split between men and women in terms of the way each gender engages with traditional media and embraces newer media. In general, men are more willing to adapt their usage habits to incorporate more digital and online platforms as replacements for traditional media. On the other hand, women are more likely to hold strong with the traditional media and are more hesitant to embrace newer media.
The study also indicated that there is a marked generational difference in attention to digital media between adults ages 18-34 and adults and those older than age 35:
40% of Adults 18-64 say that they prefer the experience of reading printed newspapers over online news sources. Additionally, newspapers score well both in terms of ad attentiveness and purchase influence. However, when asked if they'd rather get news from online sources than from printed newspapers, the percentage of those who agreed vs. disagreed was about the same. And, people do not feel that newspapers are more trustworthy than online sources.
72% of consumers expect that sourcing the newspaper online should be free, and not willing to pay for an online newspaper subscription to replace their printed newspapers subscription.
A solid 57% say they prefer the experience of reading a printed magazine over reading a magazine on the Internet. An even stronger 71% would not be willing to pay for an online magazine subscription to replace their printed magazine subscription. Also, only 15% of respondents overall agree that they'd rather read magazines online. Additionally, printed magazines score well in terms of ad attentiveness and purchase influence.
41% of those surveyed indicate that radio is still relevant in today's media environment. According to respondents, radio provides a great venue to discover new music that cannot be experienced elsewhere. And, respondents overall prefer to listen to music through the radio station vs. Internet stations or on their mp3 player.
In summary, the report concludes that monitoring the pulse of consumer sentiment is a critical component of working toward a better understanding of the future of all media. Understanding the changing nature of how people now consume media may allow the media industry to reclaim the intimate relationship between the reader and their brands. The report notes that:
For more information about the study, please visit TargetCast here.
I'm not quite sure what this tells us, but it is certainly food for thought.