Seventy-three percent of consumers say they learned about new products last year from television commercials and infomercials, according to a survey conducted by Stagnito’s New Products Magazine, Schneider & Associates and Information Resources Inc.
In-store displays and signage were the second most successful form of marketing, the survey claimed.
The survey aimed to determine what makes products memorable and what kind of marketing entices consumers to purchase a new product, according to the researchers. Despite fears that the popularity of TiVo and cable TV’s digital recording services might make TV commercials obsolete, a high percentage of consumers still responded to TV ads, the survey showed.
Cutting through the clutter was the most important goal for marketers, the researchers suggested. They used the term “immersion marketing” to include traditional advertising, public relations, word-of-mouth advertising, digital marketing, sampling, coupons, retail partnerships and other ways of surrounding the consumer with a consistent message about a brand.
They survey also showed that 96 percent of respondents indicated they are “very likely” or “somewhat likely” to buy new products they have tried through free sampling. More than half say they often recommend products to family and friends, and nearly as many said they usually try a product recommended by a friend or family member.
Some concepts that helped make a new product stand out included demystifying taboos and creating solutions to problems consumers previously have not wanted to talk about, life-enhancing messages, consumer control, multiple problem solvers, ethics, superfoods, single-serve portion control products, do-it-yourself products and just-for-me or customizable products.
