Use Different Media to Accomplish Different Goals

Listened to an excellent overview from Ann Marie Kelly from Gfk MRI today who talked about consumer research and magazines.

One piece of research that stood out was focused on how consumers engage in different media for different reasons.  Television, radio, the Internet, magazines and newspapers were discussed in detail. Each one of these distribution outlets are used by consumers in the following primary ways.

1. Television – for entertainment

2. Radio – puts me in a good mood

3. Internet – a key source of learning

4. Magazines – keeping up-to-date with the latest styles and trends

5. Newspapers – to be informed with the latest news

Although buyers use each source of media for different reasons, marketers can focus on packaging content in certain ways to accomplish specific marketing and engagement objectives.  Abe Peck from the Medill School of Journalism, suggests that print magazines are important to “give people what they really didn’t know they wanted“. If that’s your goal, choose print over the Internet. If your content needs to help consumers solve a specific problem, then choose the web. Entertainment? Your choice is video.

Choose wisely.