Offline Ads Drive Web Searches: Study
More than two-thirds of Internet users say they have gone to a search engine to look for a company, product or service as a result of an offline ad, according to a study released earlier this week.
Thirty seven percent of the 2,322 people surveyed said they have conducted an online search as the result of a television as, and 30% said they have done so as the result of a magazine or newspaper ad, according to the study conducted by JupiterResearch on behalf of search engine marketing firm iProspect.
Not surprisingly, word-of-mouth also plays a strong role in driving search queries as 36% of those surveyed said recommendations from friends and acquaintances have driven them to search online for companies, products and services, according to iProspect.
Offline ads are apparently also effective at driving qualified prospects to search engines.
Magazine and newspaper ads led the way in terms of driving qualified traffic with 30% of respondents saying they’ve made a purchase after conducting the resulting search.
Twenty three percent of respondents said they have made a purchase after being driven to conduct a search by a television ad, while 22% said this was the case with a radio ad, and 19% said they have made purchases after being driven to conduct a search by outdoor advertising.
As for search terms, the company name — cited by 44% of respondents — is the most popular one people looking for products and services online use, according to the survey.
“For example, if a viewer sees a Circuit City television ad, or a listener hears one of their radio ads as a source for consumer electronics, the Circuit City company name is a very easy and intuitive starting place for a search,” the study said.
