Magazine content is well known for its ability to influence, inspire, and educate. But what about its ability to drive customers through the funnel to purchase?
A new study by Kantar, the global leaders in effectiveness research, asked that very question using a piece of content in Are Media’s Country Style magazine from Aussie home paint brand, Porter’s Paint.
Country Style magazine is one of Are Media’s top magazine brands, and is a trusted source of information for Australians driven by the dream of a beautiful regional lifestyle.
The ad was created specifically by Are Media for Porter’s Paints, an Australian paint brand with stores in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The brand’s paint and wallpaper is sold in hundreds of hardware, speciality paint and decorating stores across Australia.
The brief was to drive brand awareness and facilitate in-store cut-through. The solution developed by Are Media’s award winning creative studio was “beautifully un-neutral” showcasing the innate beauty of rich, vibrant, colours and their ability to transform a room through the lens of our brands leaning into the authority of Country Style.
Kantar’s researchers used eye-tracking data to reveal how print images draw readers in and highly persuasive content keeps them there for longer. The feature managed to boost brand attributes thanks to a wide range of inspiration and information-driven factors, including “inspires me to try something new”, “helps me bring my home to life”, “has high-quality products” and “has a diverse and complex range of colours’.
The researchers found top-of-mind awareness increased six-fold, while message association doubled and purchase intent and consideration increased by 11 per cent. The content was particularly successful in shifting metrics at the top of the purchase funnel and was equally as strong amongst those intending to renovate in the next 12 months.
Inspiration is a key driver of why people read magazines, with the home improvements vertical pushing consumers further down the path to purchase. The study asked respondents: “Thinking about the article you’ve just read, how inspirational were the points made in the article to you?” To which over three-quarters of people either strongly agreed strongly (33 per cent) or slightly (43 per cent).
Three out of four respondents found the Porter’s Paint content to be relevant to them, which is 1.5 times Kantar’s norms. The vast majority (88 per cent) felt that the content provided them with new information, 1.5 times the norm for Kantar.
Sharon Hilton, director of media insights at Kantar, said: “At the heart of this campaign was strong performing content. It was relevant and inspiring but struck a balance with offering practical tips and advice. We also saw that the high impact imagery showcasing the paint in different rooms brought it all to life”.
“The strength in these results are a testament to the well-crafted fit for purpose content that shows understanding of how the media are being consumed as well as the influence of some of Australia’s most beloved mastheads. This combination has also proved Are Media’s ability to take consumers through the full purchase funnel.”
The Porter’s Paints feature is just one example of Are Media’s commercial content driving brand uplift across every measure, with inspiration and information persuading customers to take real action along every step of the purchase funnel.
Discover more magazine marketing metrics by downloading the full white paper here. To book a CAPTIVE presentation with the Are Media team, contact [email protected].
