TV, Print Still Most Influential Advertising

When your customers are making a buying decision, what factors into their choice? If they’re like most people, trust in your brand is a huge part of the deal.  So how can brands build more trust, especially during this time of fake news and ad fraud? If you go by the findings of a recent survey from Clutch, you do it by advertising in traditional media like TV and print.

“TV continues to be the single most influential advertising medium for US adults, details Clutch in recent survey results,” notes this post in Marketing Charts. “Six in 10 respondents to Clutch’s survey said that TV ads influence them to make purchases, with print (45%) ads next on the list.”

“Advertising through traditional mediums is seen as the most trustworthy: 61% of consumers trust TV, print (58%), radio/podcast (45%), and out-of-home (42%),” notes Kristen Herhold of Clutch.

“The least trustworthy advertising mediums are online (41%) and social media (38%),” Herhold continues.

This comes on top of a ton of recent research showing the power of print in the customer funnel, and the critical role trust plays in advertising.

Try as they might, digital ads face an uphill battle in the trust and acceptance area. Not all ads are created equal, and digital ads just aren’t as accepted or welcome as those in print. Think about your own experience. How much do you love the video ads or the in-line shopping spots on your social feed? Judging by the explosion of ad blocking usage, I think we know that answer.

Research aside, think about your own experience with television and print ads. Do you engage in them even a little bit more than you do the ads on your news feed? Do you pay attention a little bit longer, with a little more of your awareness? Most likely you do, and that’s why traditional media has a big edge over digital in ROI and building brand metrics.