Brands use newspapers to drive consumer calls to action

By By Erin Smith | 6 September 2011
 

A new report commissioned by The Newspaper Works has revealed that brands such as Woolworths, Kmart and ALDI are among the most effective in getting people to purchase their products.

The report titled “For a Retail Call to Action, Call on Newspapers”, conducted by research company Ipsos Media CT, revealed the three companies had produced some of the best performing newspaper ads in terms of their consumer engagement.

According to CEO of The Newspaper Works, Tony Hale: “There is no doubt that if you talk to retailers they will acknowledge that advertising in newspapers is one of the most effective ways to drive people in store.”

The report uses a new proprietary research measurement tool called Action Map, which was developed against a backdrop of changing consumer behaviour that has seen the path to purchase becoming broader and more varied than ever before.

The new measure identifies key forms of action consumers are likely to take as a result of seeing a newspaper ad, and where newspapers fit into the consumer “path to purchase”.

“With the Action Map, we can follow a wider variety of responses to retail advertising including people responding to ads online through web searches; sharing information online; word of mouth; trial; and even keeping clippings to remember for later,” Hale said.

The report tested more than 350 retail ads in newspapers, with more than 35,000 advertising observations from over 11,000 respondents.

The Woolworths “Shelf Prices Reduced” ad scored highly with the majority of respondents, as did Kmart’s “We may look the same, but we're different” reappraisal ad which delivered one of the highest scores in terms of intention to visit a store the report said.

The Air Asia “Visit Britain on a budget” ad generated a strong call to action in terms of conducting a web search, telling friends and family and remembering for later.

“Newspapers have always been regarded as a highly effective retail vehicle. Readers have always welcomed newspaper ads and find them an important reference tool to use on their path to purchase," Hale said.


  • The report also highlights the different ways newspapers deliver for retailers including:
  • Retail ads that performed best on brand building metrics were Myer and Kmart
  • Public agenda ads can build retail brands, with the ALDI “Saving the planet won’t cost you the earth” ad having a positive impact on its brand equity, as well as a strong call to action
  • Successful retailers review and evolve their creative to optimise performance in newspapers
  • Small space ads for Air Asia, State Solar and Woolworths demonstrate that ‘broken space’ can also perform strongly in connecting with consumers
  • The report also lists the top performing ads for each of the Action Map measures including Affinity (Coles), Reappraisal (Kmart), Information (Coles), Call to Action (Coles), Public Agenda (ALDI) and Extension (Woolworths).

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