The other day at the checkout of a drugstore: the elderly lady in front of me puts a magazine on the checkout conveyor belt. "I'll take this magazine too," she says and digs her wallet out of her handbag. "It's free, it's our customer magazine," replies the cashier.
Many retailers now have a two-pronged approach to print advertising: a leaflet focussed on sales for the letterboxes and a high-quality image magazine to take into the shop. Supermarkets display beautifully designed cookery magazines, drugstores offer a free beauty magazine and DIY magazines with instructions on how to build your own pallet sofa entice customers. Content, content, content everywhere.
In our study "The leaflet as a brand ambassador" published today, we show that even the "simpler" letterbox leaflet can do a lot for the brand image. According to our findings, a well-designed leaflet has just as much impact on the brand's reputation as the friendliness of the staff or the product range.
But what makes a well-designed leaflet? What does the leaflet need to look like to be fully effective as a brand ambassador? And what factors or design elements do consumers really value?
Visual appeal and clarity are key
A visually appealing design was the most important factor for our respondents when reading leaflets. The leaflets should also be clearly laid out so that it is easier to find what you are looking for quickly. A wide variety of products came in third place.
Competitions and recipes less important
Application tips such as cooking recipes can be found in many leaflets today. However, they are not really that relevant for consumers. Most leaflet readers do not attach any great importance to competitions either. Emotional content is also of little relevance for the evaluation of a leaflet.
Readers primarily want to satisfy curiosity about new things
Our study shows that leaflets fulfil many different consumer needs. For our respondents, a good leaflet should first and foremost satisfy their curiosity about new things. This is followed in second and third place by the predictable, classic needs of "finding bargains", "saving money" and "not missing out on anything".
The "when" is also decisive
In addition to optimised design, the timing of use also plays an important role in the function of the leaflet as a brand ambassador. To this end, our study looks at a classic brand life cycle from launch to maturity to downturn or relaunch. The results show that the leaflet can fully utilise its strength as a brand ambassador, especially in the maturity phase of a brand.
On almost 50 pages, our study offers even more insights into the use, relevance and functions of leaflets. You can find a free white paper and order the complete study at https://www.media-central.com/aktuelles/marktforschung