The intensive noting study was motivated by "An imperative for advertisers and media agencies to understand how their advertising is impacted by the size of the placement and the important use of colour and design," says Trevor Ormerod, GM Sales & Marketing for Times Media.
With a database of international print ad-noting research dating back to October 2008, GfK Starch has evaluated more than 626,000 ads across 275 major product categories globally. The South African study was conducted with 2461 readers of The Times, Sunday Times and Business Day. Fifty-nine ads across eight issues were evaluated for their stopping power, brand association, engagement and ability to drive consumer action.
The highest noting scores were for ads spanning multiple pages, with an average of 86%. Full-page ad recollection was 71%, while smaller ads scored 54% on average. Colour ads were noted with a frequency of 60% while those in black & white only 42%. Larger ad-spreads also drove more consumers to take action - looking for more information, having a more favourable opinion of a brand, considering a purchase, or visiting a company's website.
The average score for all adverts measured across The Times, Sunday Times and Business Day was 58%, compared to GfK Starch's international average of 52% - highlighting the ongoing value of print in the context of a developing South African consumer market.
"We're very proud of the quality research that has been delivered to the industry as a whole, showing that people do pay attention to the ads they see in our newspapers. As part of our commitment in ensuring clients maximise awareness from their print ad campaigns, we will be conducting further noting studies as added value, at no additional cost to our clients - the only criteria will be that they invest in a campaign of two full page advertisements or four-and-a-half, half pages in an individual title over a month period. This offer will apply to all the Times Media publications," concludes Ormerod.
