OK, maybe the “couch tater” moniker is not nice. People who watch the news are a distinctly different audience than those who only lap up crime dramas and reality shows.
And the main message is — at least for brands that seek a seamless transition (and verifiable results) between money spent on local television news and also on the Web — yes, there is a positive and exploitable connection.
The salient idea is to integrate television advertising across channels into search engine marketing to capitalize on the real-time influence that online offers.
The connection is demonstrable. A recent study from researcher GfK for Hearst Television (highlighted in detail by Media Daily News) demonstrates the connection between local television news and online search queries. The study confirmed that local TV news advertising is among the top media platforms driving consumers to search for more information about products and services online.
That’s in part because those couch taters are sitting in front of the television with a tablet or smartphone in hand.
The study indicated that 64 percent of adults 25 to 54 investigate possible future purchases of a product or service advertised on TV with a search engine or sites like Amazon or eBay (compared with 57 percent for all survey respondents). About 60 percent do the same after seeing a product or service advertisement while watching local TV news shows.
Search marketers have long wanted to quantify the increase in online searches and sales for a specific product or service after a mention on local television news or an entertainment shows.
The GfK study notes that 46 percent of women ages 25 to 54 have researched brands or products on a search engine after seeing an ad on local television news. About 39 percent look for reviews of the product or service, and 33 percent visit the relevant company Web site or Facebook page.
