Billboards, newspaper posters top ads noticed by students - OCS 2

The OCS 2 findings were released yesterday, Thursday, 21 July 2011, at the Holiday Inn Rivonia Road in Johannesburg.

Free samples and leaflets, street poles, bins on the side of the road and bus shelters also had their presence felt in this list. The study also shows that 50% of tertiary students move around in taxis, while 13% take a bus, 5% commute in trains and 18% walk.

Student findings

Compared to two years ago (OCS 1, launched in 2009), students are now spending more time with family and friends, listening to radio and on their cellphones. The study also says students are now spending less time reading newspapers, watching TV during the week, going to cinema and exercising, compared to the 2009 study.

Asked during the survey where they noticed shopping mall advertising, at least 85% answered outside the mall, followed closely by free samples, inside a mall, and in shop windows.

Erik Warburg, MD of Posterscope South Africa

"Consumer insights are a very important facet in making media decisions, and historically these insights have been based on assumptions," Posterscope SA MD Erik Warburg said yesterday.

"With OCS2, the sample of people surveyed is very comprehensive, thus these insights are very accurate and will add tremendous value to agencies and companies using out-of-home advertising as their preferred medium."

Other findings include:

• Three out of four men agree that billboards on the main road are influential
  
• 76% of students take note of billboards when they are static in traffic
  
• Four out of five women between 18 and 24 have been influenced into buying something from electronic billboards inside a grocery store
  
• Three in 10 will respond after seeing a billboard which has an SMS to reply to.
  
• Over 85% of women trust advertising in shopping centres
  
• One in four men think about their finances on their way to work, and one in four men think about what to eat for dinner on their way home from work.

Posterscope has a global presence of 48 offices in 21 countries, including SA, where Posterscope SA (Cape Town and Johannesburg) manages approximately 20% of the country's OOH spend.

For more:

• Bizcommunity: Billboards - a rural vs urban analysis