A new online survey across several countries shows paid content is still the dominant media for brands, although earned and owned media isn’t far behind.
By Lindsay Stein
Paid media efforts from brands receive more attention from
consumers in the US, UK, Germany, and China than owned and earned media,
according to a study by market research company YouGov.
The online survey, which was conducted in May and included 2,057
participants, revealed that in the last three months, 80% of people in the US
recall hearing or seeing paid media from brands, compared to 65% who recall
owned media and 40% who remember seeing earned media.
In China, 94% of participants recall paid media from a brand in the last
three months, followed by 81% in Germany and 77% in the US.
Out of the various types of communications from brands, 67% of those
surveyed in the US said they recall seeing a commercial on television, 50%
remember a TV sponsorship or sponsored program, and 44% recall magazine and
newspaper ads.
In the owned media segment, 45% of US participants recall emails or mail
sent in the post from brands, and from an earned perspective, 40% remember
seeing a brand mentioned in a newspaper or magazine article.
“Owned and earned are becoming more important and brands should be utilizing
those, but they need to do paid advertising as well to have the full effect, so
it’s great to have a mix of the different parts of media and it will work best
for brands who do a little bit of everything,” explained Shaun Austin, director
of media consulting at YouGov in London.
Paid media is also the most trusted type of communications from brands in
the US (26%) and has the most influence on purchasing decision (34%), according
to the survey.
Owned media closely followed in trust among US participants at 21% and
earned media came in at 14%. Twenty-three percent of those surveyed in the US
said that owned media effects their purchasing decisions the most.
In the US, owned media is the most frequently shared among consumers (28%),
followed by paid media (25%).
Forty-one percent of participants in China recall seeing content produced by
brands, such as videos, blogs, and magazine, in the last three months, compared
to 23% in the US, 12% in Germany, and 11% in the UK.
In March, YouGov launched
its Omnibus polling service in the US.
