Traditional media, such as TV and print, still triumph in triggering product interest among consumers comparing with new media when they come to eliciting purchase desire across most product categories.

The latest study by Omnicom Media Group, called Pathway, which was announced today, literally maps the consumer's purchase journey, which is made up of a series of relationships between brand and consumers through various dimensions such as the purchase duration, the buying stages and the role of media.

"It reveals that traditional mass media still command a significant role in the age of new media," said Florence Oong, director of Communication Insights, APAC, Omnicom Media Group.

About 79 percent of respondents claimed their interest to purchase was triggered by advertisements in traditional media such as TV, newspapers, magazines and radio, as compared to 18 percent from new media including Internet, mobile phone, e-mail, brand websites, SMS and MMS.

In China, it is 83 percent versus 25 percent for new media, Oong said.

New media's influence is more impactful among young consumers at the age of 15 to 24. And 29 percent of youths in China agree that new media trigger their product interest compared to 17 percent of those aged 45 and above, according to the study.

Within China, influence of new media on purchase interest is highest in Guangzhou at 27 percent, followed by Beijing at 26 percent and Shanghai at 22 percent.

"The consumer purchase journey is a complicated labyrinth of interactions between brands and their consumers and Pathway is designed to understand these intricate relationships and processes by product category types," she said.

"By understanding the significant touch points of this journey, marketers will be able to gain unparalleled insights into the purchasing psyche of consumers," she said.

The research study interviewed more than 1000 consumers aged 15 to 59 in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou to know their purchase of various products and services.

It also covered seven other markets across Asia including India, Singapore, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Oong said the study reveals differences in contact points by product categories. TV's influence is unrivalled.

It has particularly stronger influence on snacks consumers at 82 percent, personal grooming at 80 percent, baby products at 80 percent, everyday food items at 75 percent and medication at 71 percent.

Beyond TV, Pathway also tells the role of other media across categories. For example, Internet advertising and online search have major influence on travel and mobile phone purchase, whilst point of sale works well for personal grooming products.

Oong said the survey tells the duration of shoppers' journey across multiple product categories. China consumers can take as long as six months to make a decision on car purchase compared to as short as 1.5 hours on fast food.

On average, car buyers spend five to six months to buy a car. However, the duration is much shorter with Guangzhou car buyers who take three months compared to Shanghai car buyers who take seven months.

In contrast, on mobile phones, Shanghai consumers have the shortest path to purchase, 13 days compared to Guangzhou consumers 34 days.

(China Daily October 28, 2008)