Local Newspaper Food Sections Drive Purchase
NNN Releases New Study of Food Media Usage Patterns and Attitudes
Published: New York, December 11, 2006
A new study released today by the Newspaper National Network LP reveals that 53% of women who read the food section of their newspaper identify it as their single most useful source for food information. The study was conducted for NNN by Gallup & Robinson using a national web panel.
Eighty-five (85%) of respondents said that ads are of more practical value when found in newspaper food sections, versus 15% in women’s magazines.
“The Gallup and Robinson research shows that the newspaper food section is integral to the American Women’s food shopping process,” said Jason E. Klein, President and CEO of NNN. “Sixty-five percent of respondents always look at the food section before going shopping, while 54% refer to it to make their list.”
Lynn Lehmkuhl, NNN’s Senior Vice President of Sales, added “76% of women keep the food section in their homes for 2 or more days and 67% refer back at least once. This dispels the conventional wisdom that the food section has no shelf life.”
Also noteworthy is that 56% of respondents visit their local paper’s website and identify the food section as their favorite content area after local news.
Key Food Study Findings:
53% OF READERS CHOOSE THE FOOD SECTION AS THE SINGLE MOST USEFUL SOURCE OF FOOD SHOPPING INFORMATION
| Newspaper Food Section: | 53% |
| Website About Food: | 17% |
| Cable Food Channel: | 14% |
| Food Magazine: | 12% |
| Food Section of Magazine: | 5% |
(Question: Which one do you find most useful?)
NEWSPAPER FOOD SECTION ADS OFFER MORE PRACTICAL VALUE
| Newspaper Food Section Ads: | 85% |
| Women’s Magazines: | 15% |
(Question: Which do you find to be of more practical value to you when you are food shopping; ads in your local newspaper food section or ads in women’s magazines?)
NEWSPAPER FOOD SECTIONS DELIVER AN IDEAL ENVIRONMENT FOR ADVERTISEMENTS
71% agree that they “Pay Special Attention to Advertising in Food Sections”
65% of readers “Always Look at the Food Section before Going Food Shopping”
66% agree that they “Often Save Recipes/Articles From the Food Section
54% agree that they “Refer to Section While Making My Shopping List”
(Questions: Please indicate how much you agree/disagree with the following statements…)
OVER 9 OUT OF 10 READERS USE RECIPES/FOOD SUGGESTIONS FOUND IN THE FOOD SECTION
97% Very Frequently/Frequently/Once in a While
7% Hardly Ever
(Question: How frequently do you use recipes and food suggestions that you find in the newspaper food section?)
76% OF READERS KEEP THE FOOD SECTION IN THEIR HOMES FOR 2+ DAYS
| One Day or Less: | 24% |
| 2-4 Days: | 32% |
| 5-6 Days: | 31% |
| A Week or More: | 13% |
(Question: How long do you usually keep the newspaper food section in your home?)
TWO-THIRDS OF READERS REFER BACK TO THE FOOD SECTION AT LEAST ONCE
| 1-2 Times | 46% |
| 3-4 Times | 16% |
| 5+ Times | 5+% |
(Question: How many times do you refer back to a particular newspaper food section?)
Concurrent with the release of the Gallup & Robinson study, NNN is introducing several national newspaper package buys built around newspaper food section edit and placement.
More detailed results from the study are available at www.nnnlp.com and program information is available to NNN clients.
Study Background: Gallup & Robinson, Inc. conducted a quantitative national survey that characterized readers’ attitudes, perceptions and behavior as they relate to the content and advertising of newspaper food sections. The study was fielded from August 16, 2006 – August 25, 2006. It was conducted online using a national web panel. The sample consisted of 791 women aged 25-54 who had recently read or looked at the weekly food section of their local newspaper in the past two weeks.
About NNN:
Established in 1994, NNN is private partnership representing virtually all of the newspapers in the United States and the Newspaper Association of America. NNN’s 23 newspaper company shareholders are: Tribune Co. (TRB), The McClatchy Co. (MNI), Advance Publications Inc., Gannett Co. Inc. (GCI), The New York Times Co. (NYT), Hearst Newspapers, Media News Group, The Washington Post Co. (WPO), Philadelphia Media Holdings, Belo (BLC), Cox, The Seattle Times Co., Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Inc., Copley, Freedom, Pulitzer, Scripps (SSP), The St. Petersburg Times, The Buffalo News, Media General, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Omaha World-Herald and the Newspaper Association of America.
NNN is the newspaper industry’s national sales and marketing arm for categories including factory automotive, packaged goods, pharmaceutical, general merchandise, technology, business and restaurants. As the “one-stop point of contact” with national advertisers, NNN is dedicated to strengthening brands, improving effectiveness, reducing costs, and improving advertiser return on the investment from national newspaper campaigns. NNN is headquartered in New York, with offices in Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. More information about NNN can be found at www.nnnlp.com.
About Gallup & Robinson:
Gallup & Robinson is an advertising and marketing research company based in Pennington, New Jersey. For more than 50 years it has helped leading advertisers understand the effectiveness of their advertising and improve its contribution to their business. For the past 15 years, the company has tracked the quality of Super Bowl commercials by surveying viewers the day after the game about the commercials they remember and their reaction to them on what many consider to be the most outstanding advertising event on television.