With advertisements from the major brands now having had the time to work their Christmas magic, SurveyMonkey asked consumers which elements of the marketing campaigns were most effective in driving foot traffic or clicks through to their stores.
Only one in eight respondents said their love of an advertising campaign would compel them to buy a gift from that store or brand. Four out of five consumers said the reason they purchase products from their favourite brands is due to the quality of the products, and three out of five said price also played an important factor.
“Christmas is a great time of year, and we wouldn’t be a grinch that says brands shouldn’t contribute to the festive mood. However, we must be honest and recognise that if campaigns aren’t driving sales, they’re not meeting their core objective,” said Mansoor Malik, Managing Director UK of SurveyMonkey.
“Clearly, most brands today undergo expensive audience testing before running ads, but our findings suggest there are a few simple questions that still need to be answered by any brand before they commit to a campaign.”
Other findings include:
- The Handmade Right Here campaign by supermarket Morrisons is the most popular of the Christmas season, but only 19 per cent of people plan to shop there ahead of Christmas
- The most important information in the lead up to Christmas for a consumer is product availability and item price
- The most likely sources for Christmas gift ideas are from hints dropped by loved ones or word of mouth. Only one in 20 of consumers said their present inspiration came from TV advertising
When asked to name their least favourite ads, the most commonly named were those by Tesco and Coca Cola – largely because the viewer did not find them entertaining.
“People today will literally vote with their feet, or clicks. It’s a hugely important time of year, and brands just shouldn’t take any chances in getting it wrong as it could be very costly,” said Malik.
