Digital advertising may not be first-nature for those working in newspaper and magazine ad sales … which makes digital advertising all the more important to keep up with as more and more publishers expand their reach beyond print.
This makes studies like that from Locality and The Harris Poll all the more important, with their recent research of TV viewers specifically finding that 71% of Americans expect their advertising messages to be localized, and that 68% think ads from national companies are more relevant when they have local messages.
“The study, surveying both a national sample and a local sample of respondents, is designed to measure the effectiveness of local video campaigns, providing a clear picture of how localized messaging and audience targeting enhances ad relevance, fosters a sense of community, and positively influences brand perception and consumer action,” says Locality’s statement in The Local Lift study. “By comparing local and national campaigns, The Local Lift reveals the distinctive benefits of local advertising in driving results that matter.”
(Source: Locality)
In addition to seeing more relevance in the ads, those surveyed found advertising with local messages meant the advertiser is invested in the community (68%), they were more likely to learn more about the advertiser (66%), and were more likely to purchase from that advertiser (65%). The findings did highlight a need for authenticity, as more than half of those surveyed (54%) somewhat or strongly agreed that an advertiser is pandering by using local references.
“Trust is essential for building connections in today’s media landscape, and brands face the challenge of finding authentic, impactful ways to engage viewers,” says Ann Hailer, Locality’s president of broadcast. “Our study shows that localized ads drive higher engagement and trust — tapping into consumer pride and affinity for local is a powerful way for brands to meet their audience where they are.”
The study found that viewers were six times more likely to say brands in localized ads were part of the community (63%) and four times more likely to trust a local advertisement (47%) than compared to national ads.
“The survey also found that what is important to most local community members is purchasing from businesses in their area — 85%, with 30% saying it is extremely important to buy local,” the study says. “When considering demographics, local messaging is more important to younger Americans, ages 18-34, where over eight in 10 have this expectation (81%).”
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