NNN Study: Gauging Engagement
September 19, 2005
By Stephanie D. Smith
A study on media engagement being released today by the Newspaper National Network, a national sales rep for the newspaper industry, as expected, offers positive news about newspapers relative to other media. But the study, conducted by research firm Millward Brown, also yields some interesting observations-good and bad-about television, magazines, radio and the Internet.
The 2005 Media Engagement Study, which interviewed over 3,000 respondents online to gauge their attitudes toward advertising and content in media, found that newspaper readers are more engaged than consumers of other media, and consider papers a top source for trusted and comprehensive news and information. An overwhelming majority of survey respondents said they turn to the Internet first for information, followed by newspapers. Since newspapers have such a trusted voice, consumers believe newspaper advertising is more credible than ads in magazines, on the radio or the Internet (the study found only 16 percent of respondents found Internet advertising credible, to newspapers' 42 percent).
It's good news for newspaper publishers, which are struggling to maintain ad revenue levels in the face of circulation declines. "Newspaper readers are monotasking and focused, reading newspapers early in the morning, and are receptive to advertising," said Jason Klein, NNN president/CEO.
Meanwhile, most respondents noticed advertising on TV and in magazines more frequently, but consumers believed newspaper advertising was the most reliable and most influential on buying decisions, while radio advertising had the least impact. Since papers are perceived as a comprehensive news source, "there is a halo effect on newspaper advertising that's noteworthy," said Klein. Furthermore, despite its recent growth, Internet advertising was found to be least credible among all media.
Almost two-thirds of respondents consider TV their main source of entertainment over other media; newspapers came in last