A survey recently released by Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) conducted by BigResearch, investigates how effective magazine ads are at getting readers to log onto the Internet and do a product search.  This survey, known as SIMM 9, is conducted two times a year. 15,287 consumers were surveyed.

  •  47.2% began an online research after viewing a magazine ad (newspaper 42.3%, TV ad 42.8%, article 43.7%).
  • 41.8% of women were motivated by coupons while only 29% of men were motivated.
  • 29% women and 24.5% men were motived by in-store promotions.
  • 36.1% men were motived by a face-to-face conversation while only 29.5% women were motivated.
  • 68.9% tell others about their search (53.1% email, 50.9% telephone, 30% cell phone)
  • 92.5% regularly or occasionally research online before buying them in a store.
  • Products most often researched are electronic (50.8%), apparel (31.9%) and appliances (27%).
  • Men (20.2%) are twice as likely to search for automobiles than women (10.1%).
  • Women (18.9%) research home decor items more than men (11.6%).

Source: “RAMA Research Finds Magazines, Television and Newspapers Prompt Online Research.” March 12, 2007, BigResearch.com (press release can be seen under News link)