Filed under: Trends
Consumers ignore ads
Automakers will probably not like this news
we found Down Under. AC Nielsen did a six month study (“Auto Path to Purchase”) where it tracked
prospective car buyers on what resources they used before buying a vehicle. Sixty eight percent of the participants
stated the Internet was their choice of information, followed by advice from family and friends. Newspaper
advertisements and television commercials rated 15th and 16th. The implications are staggering since automakers spend more than fifty percent of their marketing funds towards televised ads.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
j-dawg 7:17PM (12/22/2005)
Sure, but people find out about cars through ads. I really don't know who would do their research through an ad, but it gets word out and makes the cars look good.
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Chris 7:30PM (12/22/2005)
j-dawg took the words out of my mouth. I don't make my buying choices from a commercial, but I found out about my choices from commercials.
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Dave in MI 7:31PM (12/22/2005)
I agree with j-dawg.
Shopping resources and marketing are very different things. TV creates interest and tries to mold an image. That's what so baffling about dodge and chrysler ads. I don't relate to snoop or lee. Or the red hed guy who's hand is on fire out by the grill or the two losers working in the fast food place and driving around in the duster. Didn't they plan a lingerie bowl a couple years back? Stupid and offensive.
Just my zero-star input.
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jmcclain19 8:31PM (12/22/2005)
Isn't it a tad ironic to have this story here, then directly above it on the blog a story about how Lexus' TV ad campaign drives it to the top of the sales charts every Dec.
Perhaps they just have the wrong type of ads?
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Doogs 9:03PM (12/22/2005)
Anybody else notice that the post directly above this is about how Lexus' "December to Remember" ADVERTISING campaign is responsible for December always being their best sales month?
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Richard Lawrence 10:57PM (12/22/2005)
Great point Doogs. Plus, for whatever reason, folks don't like to admit that they are influenced by television advertising. I think it makes us feel helpless and vulnerable that we can be persuaded by an unseen force.
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Gardiner Westbound 11:04PM (12/22/2005)
I have a feeling substantial numbers of people pay more attention to car advertisements AFTER purchasing a car, to reinforce the notion they made the right make/model decision.
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Jay Condrick 8:26AM (12/23/2005)
I believe TV advertising has a much bigger impact on purchase behavior than the article indicates. TV impacts purchasing at a sub-concious level and it makes sense that people would under-report its effectiveness.
Lexus advertising is brilliant; but my guess is that year end tax issues are as big a factor as the red bows.
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Joshua 8:40AM (12/23/2005)
I'm happy to see the commenters have a better grasp of the purposes and the effectiveness of ads than the article poster does. Modern advertising campaigns are primarily intended to build brands, not inform customers of products. This is because everyone hates ads, and doesn't trust them to provide good information. Obviously no one would admit they influence their purchases. But they certainly do. And I can prove it. How far are you right now from an example of one of the 2 most popular brands on the planet? 5', 10', 50'? Tell me are you a Pepsi man or a Coke man? Why the **** do you associate yourself with a particular brand of coloured sugar water??? Because ads work.
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Bill 5:36PM (12/23/2005)
It is about time this came out! #1 Who has time to even watch TV?--not me. #2 When I do it is with my good friend Tivo or netflix! For me Internet first to test the dealer and research the car then newspapers--I just trust the print ad somehow? Wait til iPods kill radio!! Anyway...it is pretty obvious TV and radio are dead.
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Richard Warren 10:25AM (12/24/2005)
Question.
How many of you/us have ever bought a product just because of the ad? I'll go first:
1. A Poloroid SX-70, one of the original models. That's it
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