Junk mail scores well in ad survey

Advertisers are often missing the mark when it comes to how consumers like their advertising delivered, a new study shows.

The Colmar Brunton study, commissioned by New Zealand Post, found 49 per cent of consumers rated television their favourite medium for receiving brand advertising. Newspapers came in second with 19 per cent of consumers judging it their favourite medium for brand messages, and unaddressed mail was favoured by 12 per cent.

But advertisers predominantly built their brand campaigns around television, magazines, point-of-sale advertising and outdoor advertising.

Todd Hunter, responsible for NZ Post's corporate and Government customers, said there had been customer resistance to brand advertising using mail in some industries. "This shows there is an appetite."

Consumer Media Preference looked at six types of marketing activity - from advertising of new products to sales promotions - across 14 types of media and 18 industries that advertise.

Hunter said previous research had indicated audience receptivity was a key measure when it came to choosing advertising channels, but there had been a dearth of information about those preferences.

Nick Handel, general manager of direct marketing agency Lavender, said the main surprise was the strong performance of unaddressed mail, although it had performed similarly well in UK studies.

"That's the one where there was the biggest disconnect between what advertisers were doing and consumers were saying they wanted," he said.

Across 18 different industries, customers in 15 selected either addressed or unaddressed mail as their favourite method for receiving advertising, with TV chosen only for travel, leisure and entertainment, and public health and safety messages. Television and newspapers emerged as second favourite in 12 out of the 18 industries.

Among non-customers, TV and unaddressed mail were the favourite choices with newspapers rounding out the selection.

"There's a perception that every piece of mail that comes through the letter box is turfed, but . . . people take their time and consume it when they want to," said Hunter.

Michael Carney, a strategist with advertising buyer Mediacom, said "junk mail" was more popular than many might think.