Consumers Say Top Holiday Ads Include Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kathy Grannis or Ellen Davis (202) 783-7971
Email: grannisk@nrf.com or davise@nrf.com

Note to media: Click here for full survey results

Consumers Say Top Holiday Ads Include
Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy
--Coupons and Inserts Best Ways to Attract Holiday Shoppers--

Washington, DC, December 15, 2006 – Retailers are spending millions of dollars on holiday advertisements this year and consumers admit that it’s working. According to a survey conducted for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) by BIGresearch, the top three holiday television advertisements this year come from Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy. Companies rounding out consumers’ top ten favorite

Though the results were consistent among most demographics, Best Buy overtook Wal-Mart for the number two spot in the lucrative 18-24 year-old category, among men, and among Midwesterners.

“Retailers work year-round to ensure success with holiday advertising campaigns because they know that successful holiday ads influence sales,” said Mike Gatti, Executive Director of RAMA. “With only a handful of days until Christmas, retailers will be advertising everywhere they can to attract the attention of millions of last-minute shoppers.”

In addition to providing some entertainment, consumers say holiday-themed television ads serve another purpose: motivating them to shop with certain retailers. According to the survey, 16.9 percent of consumers said that their favorite holiday advertisement persuaded them to shop with a specific retailer. An additional 34.8 percent of consumers said they already planned to shop there.

Young adults 18-24 were more likely to have a specific preference for holiday TV ads (34.2% of them could name a favorite ad, compared to 26.2% of all adults). Additionally, young adults were much more likely than other shoppers to say that holiday television ads sent them to specific stores (26.2% vs. 16.9%).

“Retailers recognize that young adults are incredibly observant and inquisitive,” said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy at BIGresearch. “By combining cutting edge online advertising with tried-and-true tactics like television ads, retailers can maximize their exposure with this valuable group.”

Though shoppers remember their favorite television commercials, they admit that other advertising can be more effective in helping them determine where they will shop for holiday gifts. More than one-third of shoppers said that coupons (38.7%) and newspaper inserts (34.9%) influenced their decision about where to shop. Consumers also said they are persuaded by word of mouth (29.0%) and direct mail (19.4%).

About the Survey
The survey, conducted for RAMA by BIGresearch, polled 7,828 consumers from December 5-13, 2006. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.

BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch’s syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 7,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.

The Retail Advertising & Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail Federation, is a trade association of over 1500 retail marketing and advertising executives, plus their supporting partners from the advertising agency, media and service-provider areas. RAMA sponsors the annual Retail Advertising Conference, the largest single gathering of retail marketing and advertising professionals in the industry today. RAMA also produces the RACie Awards Competition, the most prestigious creative contest in retail. www.rama-nrf.org

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