Newspapers, Web offer consumers research tool

A study commissioned by Google indicates that consumers use newspapers and the Internet in tandem to evaluate and make purchases.

According to the study, conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolemeo, among people who research products and services after seeing them advertised in newspapers, 67 percent use the Internet to find more information. Of that group, nearly 70 percent of consumers make a purchase following their additional research.

The research was the result of a study exploring the effectiveness of bringing new advertisers to the newspaper print environment through Google’s Print Ads platform.

Among other findings:

•More than half, 56 percent, of respondents either researched or purchased at least one product they saw in the newspaper in the last month.

•Of those who said they researched at least one product they saw in the newspaper, 67 percent said they conducted research online, compared with 48 percent who visited a store, 23 percent who called a store and 23 percent who asked a friend.

•About 48 percent of respondents said that seeing a product in the newspaper after seeing it online would make them trust the product more and be more likely to purchase.

The Google Print Ads program began in November 2006 with a test that included 50 newspapers and a small group of advertisers. Since then, the program has grown to include more than 750 newspapers representing 48 of the top 50 DMAs and covering 70 percent of U.S. paid circulation.