Outdoor Effective For Reaching The Affluent

The latest round of VIPer research (see VIPer Research Targets ABs ) has brought good news for the outdoor industry, as the medium has been judged as very effective in reaching the young and affluent in society, especially when used with other media.

Phil Danter, managing partner, strategy, at the Media Planning Group, said: “Outdoor advertising is clearly an effective way to reach ABs – as long as the ads entertain, provoke and provide clear information.”

The recent panel study found that 50% of respondents agreed that posters used in conjunction with TV advertising acted as a clear reminder of the TV campaign. Taxi advertising was thought effective by 49%, and was voted particularly entertaining, while 43% agreed that posters formed “part of everyday life”.

The news was not all good, however, with 52% of respondents claiming that hard-to-read posters made them “switch off”, while only 16% of respondents said they acted on numbers or websites that they had seen on posters.

The most frequently recalled posters were those advertising other media (noticed by 46% of respondents). This was followed by cars (38%), alcohol (20%), food (20%), fashion/clothes (18%), dotcoms (13%) and cosmetics (13%).

Despite the lower level of recall on cosmetics, last year’s controversial Sophie Dahl Opium poster (see ASA Orders Withdrawal Of Opium Ad After Most Complaints Since 1995) was mentioned by 28 out of the 1000 AB respondents, making it the most popular poster of the year.

The latest wave of VIPer research also looked into this group’s attitude towards TV channels. This saw highest overall channel strength awarded to Sky Sports and BBC1. The group were also most likely to watch a new programme if it was screened on BBC1. Channel 4 was found to have score highest in terms of brand strength amongst the 25-34 year old respondents.

VIPer: 020 7393 2400 www.viperresearch.com

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