The project has established, says the DMA, that the traditional printed advertising insert not only complements online marketing but can stimulate it by encouraging magazine and newspaper supplement readers to visit advertisers’ web sites.
Each printed insert gave the reader an option to go online if the consumer was interested in the product advertised and the research has revealed very positive results for the participating advertisers, with an average 52 per cent response rate and one advertiser recording online hits as high as 70 per cent.
Polestar Account Director and DMA Insert Council member Jeff White comments: “We were delighted to help the DMA Insert Council and it is great to see that the printed insert is in fact a trigger to generate further consumer interest, leading potential customers online to the advertiser, particularly when in the current tough market conditions, the role of inserts can be underestimated and their effectiveness devalued.”
This research was apparently the first of its kind to be carried out in the UK with such high volumes involved. The advertisers represented retailers, charities and the cosmetic industry. Polestar claims to insert over 3 billion items per annum across its UK print sites.
To view the full research, visit: http://www.dma.org.uk/information/res-popvue.asp?msg=4593
