New Survey Reports Effectiveness of Local Media to Deliver Community News and Consumer Advertising

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2016 Local Knowledge Study, released today by AMG/Parade, reveals that 77% of consumers rely on local newspapers for community news and information, including printed copies of newspapers, newspaper websites, social media sites and newspaper apps. Across all generational groups – Millennials, GenXers and Boomers – consumers are almost twice as likely to frequent a local newspaper's website or social destination than TV, radio or magazine branded websites or social sites, according to the study.

The 2016 Local Knowledge Study is a national survey quantifying the effectiveness of the local media that consumers turn to for community news, and the advertising channels that they rely on when shopping for local products and services. The study reveals the role that television newspapers, magazines, radio, websites, social media, direct mail and circulars play in consumers' quest for local knowledge.

Consumers rank newspaper advertising (print, inserts, web, social or apps) as their "preferred sources of information" when purchasing products or brands, shopping at local stores, or calling local service companies, followed by television, ads delivered to the home, direct mail, point-of-sale circulars, local magazines and radio. Media users also believe that newspaper advertising features the "best sales and deals", according to the 2016 Local Knowledge Study. More than half of media users (53%) cite preprinted newspaper inserts as the local advertising channel that most frequently drives their shopping purchases, while four out of ten report that they "often purchase products and services" as a direct result of ads appearing in printed issues of newspapers.

The survey also reports on the descriptive attributes that consumers associate with specific advertising channels. Ads in printed newspapers are considered by local market consumers to be the "most believable", while radio commercials and ads appearing on non-media branded social media sites are the "most annoying".

The 2016 Local Knowledge Study identifies 24 categories of local products and services that consumers plan to purchase within the next 30 days – from home furnishings to healthcare service, electronics to entertainment, appliances to autos. Media users were queried about the single advertising channel that they "rely on most" for information about the specific products and services that they intend to buy. Newspapers top the list of local advertising platforms for the majority of those categories measured.

"The 2016 Local Knowledge Study clearly illustrates the unique and compelling role that newspapers play in the lives of consumers, whether it's notifying them about the latest news impacting their communities or alerting them to local sales for products they purchase," said AMG/Parade EVP Tracey Altman. "Our organization is committed to our strong network of newspaper partners and will continue to provide market-driven insights to help them develop strategies for their brands, products and customers."

Click to Download 2016 Local Knowledge Study Highlights:
http://amgparade.com/effectiveness-of-local-media

About AMG/Parade - AMG/Parade develops and distributes premium content across print, mobile, digital, video and audio platforms. Its brands include Parade, Relish, Spry Living, Athlon Sports & Life and American Profile's Community Table, which reach a combined audience of over 150 million monthly in print via 1,400+ newspaper partners, and a monthly digital audience network of over 100 million uniques. The company's suite of newsstand titles is among the leading sellers in the sports, decorating and gardening, outdoors and pop culture categories. Based in Nashville, Tenn., and New York, the company also creates custom content for newspapers, major brand clients and retailers.

About the 2016 Local Knowledge Study - AMG/Parade commissioned Coda Ventures, an independent research firm, to conduct a survey of American consumers to identify the role that local media play in providing community news and delivering local advertising. Employing an online methodology, potential respondents were screened by core demographic characteristics that matched national U.S. Census estimates. The study was fielded from June 15-20, 2016. At the close of the survey, a total of 1,003 local market consumers were surveyed.

Contact: AMG/Parade, Alexis Collado
[email protected] or (908) 884 3764

SOURCE AMG/Parade