Report: Internet Ads Should Stress Mental Stimulation

Internet marketers should appeal to users’ desire for mental stimulation and escape, according to a BBDO New York report released Thursday that looked at consumers’ attitudes toward different media.

“Agencies already look at cost efficiencies, audience delivery, program ratings, et al to help decide where to place a client’s advertised message” says Karen Olshan, executive vice president and director of strategic operations at BBDO New York.

“We decided to undertake this study to augment our learning, based on the belief that consumers’ images of a given medium affect their perceptions of an advertised brand.”

The study found that the Internet has replaced television as the medium for escape. Television is seen as a place people go to seek entertainment, and it, therefore, is seen as fun.

Magazines have the most aspirational image of any medium, according to the study. Radio is perceived as young, and newspapers are seen as the most traditional.

BBDO based its conclusions on interviews with adults from eight geographically dispersed markets across the US.