BOTTOM LINE: Ad Age is reporting that just because consumers like a certain store's advertising doesn't mean they will shop there as other media influencers such as coupons and word-of-mouth drive traffic and sales.
In Holiday Retail Sales, the Best Ad Doesn't Always Win
New Survey Says Favorite TV Campaigns Have Limited Influence on Consumer Spending
By Natalie Zmuda
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Retailers shell out big bucks on holiday ads. And while consumers like them, that doesn't mean they're influenced by them. A new survey has found that half of consumers say they're not inspired to shop at the retailer whose holiday TV commercial or online promotion they liked best.
| TOP TEN MEDIA INFLUENCERS |
| Coupons |
45% |
| Word-of-mouth |
27% |
| Advertising inserts |
27% |
| Broadcast TV |
23% |
| Newspaper |
22% |
| Direct mail |
21% |
| In-store promotion |
18% |
| E-mail advertising |
16% |
| Cable TV |
12% |
| Magazines |
11% |
| Internet advertising |
11% |
| Radio |
10% |
| Source: Retail Advertising and Marketing Association |
"It goes along with the old adage that I know half my marketing dollars are wasted, I just don't know what half," said Mike Gatti, executive director at the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey, which was conducted by Big Research. "[Consumers] probably still get a kick out of the commercials, but there are a lot of brand loyalties out there. ... [But it] does position [retailers] in the minds of people whether they shop there or not."
When asked to choose their favorite holiday TV commercial, 26% of consumers chose one from Walmart, upsetting Target's holiday-ad dominance. Target had taken the top slot on the survey for the past three years, but this year it only garnered 16% of the vote. Perhaps that's not surprising, considering that consumers took to Facebook to complain about one commercial that seemed to cast doubt on the existence of Santa Claus and another that put a damper on Christmas morning with talk of finances.
The Martin Agency is Walmart's creative shop, while Wieden & Kennedy handled Target's holiday ads. Crispin Porter & Bogusky had the best showing of any agency, as it works with three of the retailers found on the Top 10 list: Best Buy, Gap and Old Navy.
Still, only 17% of consumers said their favorite ad motivated them to shop at a particular retailer, while 50% said it did not. One-third of consumers said their favorite ad didn't have an impact, because they already shop at that retailer.
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