Consumers are exposed to thousands of advertisements every day. From watching TV and browsing the internet to listening to the radio and even commuting to work, it’s impossible to imagine a typical consumer who’s not exposed to advertising.
It’s understandably difficult for companies to break through the clutter and reach consumers through advertising. Companies, however, should advertise; according to a new survey from Clutch, a B2B research firm, advertising influences 90 percent of consumers when making a purchase.
TV Advertisements Influence Consumers Most
According to the survey, the most influential advertising medium is TV, followed by print, online, and social media advertisements.
Radio and out-of-home advertisements, such as billboards and public transit ads, influence less than one-third of consumers.
TV and print are also the most trustworthy advertising mediums. The least trustworthy: online and social media advertisements.
Although online and social media advertisements do influence more than 40 percent of consumers to make purchases, they are seen as the least trustworthy mediums because they are the least regulated. TV and print advertisements are more regulated (and more expensive), so consumers see them as more reliable.
Millennials Trust Advertising
According to the survey, 81 percent of millennials made a purchase because of an advertisement in the past 30 days, versus just 57 percent of baby boomers.
The oldest generations are most skeptical of advertising; 55 percent of millennials trust advertising versus 44 percent of baby boomers. The difference in trust is more dramatic when broken down by medium.
Only 10 percent more millennials (64 percent) trust traditional forms of advertising – TV and print – than baby boomers (54 percent), but almost double the percentage of millennials (51 percent) trust online and social media advertisements than baby boomers (27 percent).
Baby boomers trust advertising less because they lived through a time when advertising wasn’t as regulated, a time when products like cigarettes were marketed as healthy. When other advertisements have lied to them, it makes sense they don’t trust advertisements, especially in newer mediums they aren’t as used to.
Reach Consumers Through Advertising
Companies that want to reach the most consumers should advertise. Although technology is always changing and new mediums of advertising are inevitable in the future, advertising is likely to continue to influence consumers and remain an important step in their purchasing process.
Read more: The Top 4 Most Trusted Advertising Mediums