How Consumers Prefer to Receive Advertising – a New Segmentation

A new consumer segmentation analysis from Mediamark Research & Intelligence (MRI), titled “Responsiveness to Ads Across Media,” categorizes US adults according to the media via which they prefer to receive advertising messages (segment definitions, below).

Some 9% of US adults belong in the “Ads on Emerging Media Vehicles” segment, which has the youngest median age (35.5) among the six segment. They are most interested in advertising delivered via non-traditional media such as mobile devices and product placement in videogames, movies and TV shows.

Ads delivered via mass media are preferred by 17% of US adults. An additional 17% of consumers belong in the “Ads on Paper” segment and are most interested in ads delivered via print.

The most populous segment, at 32% of US all adults, is labeled “Ad Averse”; that is, they are either uninterested in advertising delivered by any medium or have not been exposed to a particular ad platform.

The 9% of US adults who comprise the “Ads on Emerging Media Vehicles” segment are far more likely than the average adult to agree with the following statements (see table, above):

• A celebrity endorsement may influence me to consider or buy a product.
• I’m always one of the first of my friends to try new products or services.
• I follow the latest trends and fashions.
• Brand name is the best indication of quality.

“Consumers who prefer advertising messages delivered through their mobile devices and through product placement tend to be younger, pro-innovation, pro-celebrity and pro-fashion,” said Anne Marie Kelly, VP of marketing and strategic planning at MRI.

Responsiveness to Ads Across Media – Consumer Segments

This segmentation classifies consumers according to their interest in advertising across different media:

1. Ads on Emerging Media Vehicles: Members of this segment are most interested in ads delivered through non-traditional media, including mobile devices and product placement in movies, TV shows, and videogames.
2. Ads on the Road: Members of this segment are most interested in advertising on billboards, taxis, buses and trains, at bus stops and train stations, and atop taxicabs.
3. Ads in Mass Media: Advertising delivered through magazines and electronic media such as TV, radio, and the internet appeals the most to this segment.
4. Ads on Paper: Members of this segment are most interested in advertising delivered through print, which they find informative, relaxing and/or inspirational.
5. Ads at Events: The advertising that appeals most to this group is displayed at sports or entertainment events and through product placement in movies and TV shows.
6. Ad Averse: Consumers in this segment are most likely either to be not interested in or to have not been exposed to advertising in TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and the internet.