A recent study suggests Canadian consumers’ attention to and recall of out-of-home (OOH) advertising remain stable while they avoid online ads and spend less time with traditional media like TV and newspapers, according to the OOH Marketing Association of Canada (OMAC).
The study was conducted in 2016 by BrandSpark International, surveying more than 40,000 Canadian adults who are involved in household shopping. Overall, 39 per cent of participants reported using ad-blocking software for their desktop computers and/or mobile devices. Within the key ‘millennial’ demographic of 18- to 34-year-olds, the rate jumped to almost half (48 per cent).
The study also found 61 per cent of millennials are now watching less than five hours per week of cable and broadcast TV and more than 50 per cent of them are spending less than one hour per week reading newspapers and magazines (including not only print, but also digital versions of the same publications).
Meanwhile, 79 per cent of the study’s ad-blocking software users, more than 75 per cent of the light TV viewers and 73 per cent of the light readers reported paying attention to OOH ads.
“So, while many Canadians are blocking ads or spending less time with TV and print, OOH remains stable for reaching them along their path to purchase,” says Robert Levy, president of BrandSpark.
