Today, ZenithOptimedia released what it terms ‘the first public results’ of its Touchpoints ROI Tracker – the most extensive project ever undertaken to identify the power of individual consumer contact points to support leading brands.
More than 300,000 consumers in 34 countries were asked in-depth questions about in excess of 4,000 brands. The result? For the first time ever, marketers can compare the power of all major communications channels across a variety of consumer groups, brand categories and regions.
Among the highlights of ZO’s ‘Dashboard of Global Norms’ is evidence of the growing power of the Internet as a key marketing vehicle. While that in itself is a no-brainer, what is surprising is that the influence of web marketing grows as consumers get older. But the survey found that the greatest influence on brand choice of all touchpoints – on average 22% higher than television advertising – is word of mouth among friends and families.
Across all regions, the influence of marketing contacts and the level of overall brand recall is much higher in Asia Pacific than in North America or Europe. TV advertising, for example, is 20% more influential in Asia Pacific than in North America, and Internet banners are 30% more influential in Asia Pacific than in Europe.
ZO’s survey doesn’t just identify the power of individual touchpoints to support brands; it also reveals how much harder some of these touchpoints can work in combination – a vital piece of knowledge when planning integrated communications.
