The changing landscape of traditional media for advertising cars
A recent study by CNW Research found that vehicle purchase intenders are impacted differently by traditional media sources than was the case five years ago. Not as many, for example, rely on print magazine ads in helping them decide on a car or truck.
Specialty print magazines, such as Classic Boats and Woodworking, still have strong advertising support, but even that is slipping. One consumer magazine, Consumer Reports, saw a gain as a source of information for auto buyers, but more consumers are reading it online.
In television, consumers got more information from ads on cable shows up 47 percent from a year ago than from network ads, down 45 percent as a primary source of information. And more consumers are going straight to the source: Automaker websites were up 4.8 percent and dealer sites up 3.75 percent. Third-party sites such as Edmunds rose more, by 8.7 percent.
When consumers are ready to buy, newspaper ads are still the primary information source, says CNW.
Download Bulletin PDF