• by Aaron Baar , December 9, 2009

People are still depending on traditional media -- television in particular -- to help them find out about consumer electronics purchases. But they're doing their research before actually making their consumer purchases, and they're relying on their friends and expert opinions to help guide them.

According to a Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) survey conducted by BIGresearch, word of mouth is the biggest influence when it comes to consumer electronics purchases: nearly 44% of consumers over 18 rely on world of mouth to help make their buying decisions.

"Hearing what other people have to say about a product gives shoppers the satisfaction of knowing that what they purchased is peer-reviewed and worth their money," Mike Gatti, RAMA's executive director, tells Marketing Daily. "Whether it is based on a conversation with a friend or a customer review on a website, people put a lot of weight in other shoppers' opinions."

At the same time, 40% of consumers said television -- both broadcast and cable -- influenced their decision. According to the survey, 25% of consumers said broadcast television influenced their purchase decisions, while 15% cited cable TV as an influence.

Beyond those two media, about a third of consumers said articles written about their desired products also influenced their purchase decisions. "While word-of-mouth plays a huge role, they're also being savvy consumers," Gatti says. "They're using the Web for what most people use the Web for, and that's research and information."

Given this reliance on peer input, whether it's reviews or recommendations from a friend, consumer electronics marketers should make such information readily available, through their own Web sites or through access to the information on in retail outlets, Gatti says. "The thing that's changed about the consumer is that they're more educated about the products they're buying," he says. "And they don't want to rely on companies for the information."

At the same time, traditional advertising outlets continue to have some effect on consumer electronics purchasing. Consumers cited advertising inserts (26%), in-store promotions (26%) and couponing as as other factors likely to influence their purchase decisions.

"People still rely on traditional media for news and information," Gatti says. "You do have to be spending the money on advertising to get the brand out there." Brief AT&T is offering college football fans a chance to be a part of the Cotton Bowl, allowing them to upload pictures of themselves celebrating the sport of college football to be included in a special photo mosaic. Fans can upload the photos either online, via e-mail or text message. Once approved for content, the entrants will get a special code to track their photo's location in the mosaic. Each entrant will also be entered in a sweepstakes to win tickets to the game, to be played on Jan. 2.