Newspaper Inserts Still Have Their Perks

Good news for print newspapers: They’re the most preferred method for getting ad inserts and fliers. According to a May 2014 study by Frank N. Magid Associates for the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), 39% of US adult internet users favored newspapers for receiving ad inserts and fliers, compared with just 21% who preferred the web and 27% who wanted them sent via mail.

Why the big interest in newspaper inserts? US adult consumers who had used newspaper inserts cited deal-related benefits. Fully 70% said they checked the inserts to find out about sales and savings, while 62% said the fliers saved them time and money—and 56% had clipped coupons from a newspaper insert in the 30 days prior to polling. Interestingly, a majority of respondents enjoyed looking through newspaper inserts just because, with 57% browsing even when not in the market for an item and 56% doing so simply because it was a part of their routine.

NAA and Magid reported that inserts and circulars from Sunday newspapers were the No. 1 source used to find coupons in the past 30 days, cited by 61% of adults who used coupons. Weekday newspaper inserts and circulars came in third, at 46%, and the lower percentage may be due to a lack of time for coupon investigation on these days compared with the weekend. Though weekday inserts trailed ads that came in the mail, they beat out digital sources. But results also indicated that inserts and circulars were important for newspapers looking to get their ads out there: Ads from regular news sections in newspapers landed in second-to-last place, just ahead of magazines.

Courtesy of eMarketer