Attitudes to media: information content and tailoring to users’ needs
It is the differences between media which point up the advantages of combining media in advertising campaigns.
One of the prime UK sources is the “Absorbing Media” survey published in 2002 by PPA and conducted by NFO WorldGroup [27, 28]. The survey was designed to include the internet and assess how it is now fitting into the lives of users, as well as looking at five established media.
People are consciously striving to make a balanced and sensible use of the expanding and evolving media menu, while at the same time seeking to remain in control. The established main media continue to dominate consumption, but many people are also trying the new communication channels.
People’s perceptions placed magazines ahead of other media in terms of interesting information content and being tailored to users’ individual needs.
“Absorbing Media” respondents were shown a list of statements and asked to say to which media each statement applied. Magazines emerged as the medium that was most widely thought to contain information that was of most interest. Newspapers ranked second, and television third, but some way behind magazines.
“It contains information that I am most interested in”
% agreeing it applies
Magazines
45 %
Newspapers
36 %
Newspaper supplements
17 %
Commercial TV
30 %
Commercial radio
8 %
Websites
24 %
Base: All aged 15+
Magazines also scored in terms of being tailored to meet the individual’s needs, where it was well ahead of the other five media.
“It is usually tailored to meet my individual needs”
| % agreeing it applies | |
| Magazines | 35 % |
| Newspapers | 21 % |
| Newspaper supplements | 10 % |
| Commercial TV | 20 % |
| Commercial radio | 7 % |
| Websites | 17 % |
Base: All aged 15+
These elements of personalisation and consistent depth of interest are characteristics that help make magazines a suitable complement to television with its own well-known contrasting strengths.