Old media still tops for consumers

Singapore - Singaporeans continue to rely heavily on traditional media such as newspapers, TV and radio to generate buying interest, despite the growing influence of new media, and this will only increase in times of economic crisis according to a recent study.

The Pathway study, done by Omnicom Media Group (OMG), also suggested Singaporeans were more skeptical and competitive when they purchase, spending more time on researching for the best offer than the rest of Asia.

“Singaporeans are competitive in their purchases,” Jim Goh, OMG’s executive director of business development APAC, said. “They want the best deal, the best offer.”

Goh said in light of the current global economic crisis, marketers will “fall back on the integrity of the media channel”.

“Consumers won’t change their habits or emphasis but change the intensity of their media choices,” he said.

“In these times you have to sharpen your focus. Newspapers have always been the integrity medium to fall back on.”

Florence Oong, OMG’s director of communication insights APAC, said in times of a economic downturn consumers will be thinking more and researching more before they purchase.

“Brand loyalty will be important,” she said.

The study also found that Singapore leads Asia in the amount of online travel bookings, in front of the likes of China and Malaysia, and Singapore was second in terms of brand loyalty, with India topping the chart and Taiwan third.

The study was conducted by ACNielsen and Synovate, and covered eight Asian markets and 21 different product categories.