The effectiveness of press advertising

Today we are going to look at the effectiveness of press advertising. And it's a good thing, because the ACPM with Ekimetrics has published the results of a study that answered the age-old question: is press advertising effective?

Spoiler alert! YES, it turns out that press advertising is effective and generates additional sales! 

This is a European first! The ACPM and Ekimetrics, under the supervision of the CESP, have conducted a study on 5 advertising sectors (luxury, cosmetics, automotive, retail and telecommunications). The study is based on more than 500 press advertising campaigns analysed from January 2015 to December 2020.

Let's stop the suspense, we show you a summary of the evidence.

The press contributes 21% of additional sales! 

In the short-term marketing mix, the press is the second most important channel for generating additional sales after TV and ahead of digital channels.

Press advertising: an ROI of €5.7

Let's continue with some good news. No need to rub your eyes, you are not dreaming. Indeed, for every €1 invested, press advertising brings in €5.7! 

If we look more closely at the results, we can see that the ROI is higher when it comes to print advertising. The ROI is €6.2 for print advertising compared to €4.6 for digital press advertising. This ROI takes into account the effects of the campaign 24 months after the advertisement was broadcast.

If we look at the ROI per sector of activity, in the automotive sector, the press is the second largest contributor to sales behind TV. The ROI for this sector is €3.9. Press and radio ad are two media that generate traffic to car dealerships during commercial highlights such as open houses or to promote new models.

In the cosmetics and luxury sectors, the press contributes to 27% and 47% of sales respectively. A very high score for luxury! Especially when you compare the ROI which is 6 for luxury and only 1.5 for cosmetics. However, as a measure of the figures for the cosmetics sector, if the press is used to distribute samples then sales in terms of volume will be doubled through this channel.

In the FMCG sector, the press is effective if combined with in-store activation.

Finally, press advertising is a very interesting medium for the telecommunications sector. We observe an ROI of 14.3. Today underestimated by this sector, there is clearly a card to play for the players in this sector with press advertising.

Press advertising more effective in synergy

The study highlights the possible synergies with other media and the growth opportunities if the press medium is used with other channels and vice versa.

The top 5 winning combinations are as follows 

• Press + Radio = +8
• Press + Cinema = +8
• Social + Press = +8
• Press + Social = +6
• Press + TV = +5

Finally, this study has shown us that press advertising can be an effective channel that can meet the profitability objectives of various types of advertisers. It also shows that a minimum annual investment of €50,000 is required to achieve significant sales results. Advertising campaigns will be effective up to a certain level of investment between 1 and 1.5 million euros (depending on the sector).