Retailer Daily

Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy Have ‘Best’ Holiday Ads; Emotional Ads Resonate

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 NRF’s Retail Advertising and Marketing Association by BIGresearch.

Other retailers on the top 10 list include Sears, Kmart, JCPenney, Old Navy, and Toys “R” Us.

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

“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.”

Among other findings of the survey:

• While television advertisements caught shoppers’ attention, other tried-and-true marketing tactics also influenced shoppers:
  • 44.6% of consumers said coupons were a factor in determining where to shop this year, up from 35.2% 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%).
• Nearly one in five consumers (17.5%) were motivated to shop with a retailer once they saw the company’s ad, while 39.0% 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% 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%).

About the survey: Conducted for RAMA by BIGresearch, polled 8,860 consumers December 2-9, 2008 by asking them to write in their favorite holiday television advertisement.