“Premium” is one of those terms that doesn’t really have an agreed-upon or enforced standard. But unlike similar marketing-speak vagaries like “all natural” or “green,” consumers tend to know premium when they see it. They certainly note its absence if they pay for it and get a lacklustre experience.
Marketing, working in partnership with Globe Media Group, the Canadian Marketing Association and Rogers Insights, polled consumers to understand what they expect from a premium online experience and how that might affect their brand perceptions. What follows are snapshots from the resulting “Context Matters” research project that reveal quality content tends to impress Canadians.
A large majority – 79% of respondents – said that being a trusted information source was important in giving an online property prestige. Quality content figured into other top responses as well: “makes you feel informed” (64%), “unbiased information” (64%) and “balanced information” (57%) were among other majority responses. Being “well designed” was the second-most noted attribute at 76% of respondents.
When consumers were asked which sites they considered most prestigious, sites with original content mandates led the way. The country’s major dailies ranked number one most often among respondents, compared to other sites such as free dailies (7%), YouTube (7%), online reselling retailers (2%) or entertainment news sites (1%). Even when newspapers weren’t respondents’ first choice, 73% of respondents put newspapers in their top three.
The survey also explored how certain advertising sectors related to varying degrees of “prestige” among media opportunities (and discovered premium media placement can have an effect on how viewers perceive an advertiser). When asked what kind of online media would be most appropriate for each of the sectors – Discount and full-service airlines, luxury and non-luxury automakers and financial service providers — the top answer in each case was major daily newspapers… except for luxury car advertisers. “Sites for business professionals” were ranked highest. Major daily newspapers ranked second.
Related
• Premium media requires a different kind of creative
• The Prestige of Premium infographic (subscribers only)
Methodology and disclosure: Rogers Insights conducted an online poll of 4,003 Canadian consumers 18 years and older between April 20 and May 2, 2016. Marketing and Rogers Insights are owned by Rogers Media.
