NEW YORK - (Business Wire) How and where do consumers believe they can find the best bargains? This year the post-holiday period has seen even more sales and bargain hunters out there searching for larger discounts. With the plethora of media available to them, bargain hunters have many more places to search for the best bargain. Almost one-quarter of adult Americans (23%) believe that newspaper and magazine advertisements are where they can find the best bargains. Just under one in five (18%) believe online advertisements are most likely to help them find the best bargains. Over one in ten each say direct mail and catalogs (12%) and television commercials (11%) are where to look while just 2% say radio. And, one-third of Americans (34%) believe the type of ad makes no difference when they are looking for the best bargain.
These are some of the findings of a new Adweek Media/ Harris Poll, survey of 2,136 U.S. adults surveyed online between December 14 and 16, 2009 by Harris Interactive.
Online ads appeal most to people under 45 and to college graduates
When looking for the best bargains, different age groups have different ideas of where to look. Those 18-34 are more likely to say online ads (22%) and television commercials (17%) are the best places to go while those 35-44 years old go online (26%). The older one is, the more likely they are to use newspaper and magazine advertisements, as 24% of those 44-54 and one-third of those 55 and older (33%) say those are media most likely to help them find the best bargain.
Among the genders, women are more likely than men to say newspaper and magazine advertisements (24% vs. 22%) and direct mail and catalogs (14% vs. 11%) are more likely to help them find a bargain. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to say online advertisements are more likely to help them find a bargain (21% vs. 16%).
There is also an interesting educational difference in the media people believe can help them find the best bargains. One-quarter of those with a high school education or less (25%) say newspaper and magazine advertisements are more likely to help them find a bargain compared to 20% of those with at least a college degree. Three in ten of those with at least a college degree (29%) believe online advertisements are more likely to help them find a bargain compared to 12% of those with a high school education or less who say the same.
So what?
Advertisers have a wide array of choices to make when placing their ads. While newspaper ads are still slightly ahead of others among all adults when it comes to bargain hunting, online is not that far behind. Indeed, online ads lead newspaper and magazine ads, as a source of information about bargains, among younger, better educated consumers, who are much more attractive to most advertisers.
| TABLE 1 ADVERTISING AND FINDING BARGAINS “When you are looking for a bargain, which of the following types of advertising, if any, do you believe is most likely to help you find one?” |
| Base: All U.S. adults |
| | Total | Age |
| 18-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ |
| % | % | % | % | % |
| Newspaper/Magazine advertisements | 23 | 15 | 16 | 24 | 33 |
| Online advertisements | 18 | 22 | 26 | 17 | 12 |
| Direct mail and catalogs | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 10 |
| Television commercials | 11 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 7 |
| Radio | 2 | 2 | 3 | * | 1 |
| None- the type of ad makes no difference | 34 | 31 | 31 | 36 | 36 |
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding; * indicates less than 0.5%
| TABLE 2 ADVERTISING AND FINDING BARGAINS – by gender and education “When you are looking for a bargain, which of the following types of advertising, if any, do you believe is most likely to help you find one?” |
| Base: All U.S. adults |
| | Total | Gender | Education |
| Men | Women | HS or less | Some college | College grad |
| % | % | % | % | % | % |
| Newspaper/Magazine advertisements | 23 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 20 |
| Online advertisements | 18 | 21 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 29 |
| Direct mail and catalogs | 12 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Television commercials | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 8 |
| Radio | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| None- the type of ad makes no difference | 34 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 33 | 31 |
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding
Methodology
This Adweek Media/Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States December 14 and 16, 2009 among 2,136 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Where appropriate, this data were also weighted to reflect the composition of the adult online population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.
The Harris Poll® #9, January 22, 2010
By Regina A. Corso, Director, The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
About AdweekMedia
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Harris Interactive, Inc.
Alyssa Hall, 212-539-9749
ahall@harrisinteractive.com
