National Retail Federation
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               
Contact: Kathy Grannis (202) 821-7513 or grannisk@nrf.com 
www.nrf.com/holidays

Emotional Ads Resonate With Shoppers
This Holiday Season, According to RAMA Survey

 --Shoppers List Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy as Best Holiday Ads--

Washington, December 17, 2008 – Well-known celebrities, “True Story” campaigns, children’s holiday pageants, and discounted toys were some of the components of retailer’s holiday commercials this year, touching both on the emotional side of holiday shopping and highlighting shoppers’ focus on price.

 

When asked which retailer has the best holiday TV commercial, consumers ranked Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Macy’s and Kohl’s as favorites, according to a survey conducted for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association by BIGresearch. Other retailers on the top ten list include Sears, Kmart, JCPenney, Old Navy, and Toys “R” Us.

 

“Retailers went out of their way this holiday season to connect with shoppers,” said RAMA Executive Director Mike Gatti. “The advertisements that ultimately won out reached beyond television sets with messages that found their way into shoppers’ hearts and minds.”

 

According to the survey, nearly one in five consumers (17.5%) were motivated to shop with a retailer once they saw the company’s ad, while 39.0 percent said they already shopped there. Young adults were more inclined to shop with a retailer after viewing their ad (29.6%), while adults 65 and over were the hardest to sway with only 8.7 percent saying they were influenced by a retailer’s commercial. Women (19.2%) were more likely to be persuaded by holiday ads than men (15.7%).

 

While television advertisements caught shoppers’ attention, other tried-and-true marketing tactics also influenced shoppers. According to the survey, 44.6 percent of consumers said coupons were a factor in determining where to shop this year, up from 35.2 percent last year. Consumers said they were also swayed by advertising inserts (30.1%), newspaper ads (24.5%), direct mail (18.5%) and email advertisements (15.8%).

 

“Budget-conscious shoppers are taking full advantage of coupons and special promotions this holiday season, “ said Phil Rist, Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, BIGresearch. “Consumers will continue to comb through newspaper ads and print out email offers as they head into the final hours of the holiday shopping season.”

 

About the Survey

The survey, conducted for RAMA by BIGresearch, polled 8,860 consumers from December 2-9, 2008 by asking consumers to write in their favorite holiday television advertisement. 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 8,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 24 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2007 sales of $4.5 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com 

 

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