Health and beauty adverts are everywhere. In magazines and newspapers, on Facebook, and out there on billboards and digital screens. But who exactly are they talking to as we drive by in cars and taxis in the out of home environment.
“We realised that a large percentage of scholars are also taking wellness advertising into consideration. This affords us a number of opportunities for campaigns tailored to create relevant conversations amongst the youth market,” says Eric Warburg, managing director of Posterscope South Africa, a division of the global out of home (OOH) media buying agency. It recently launched its second Out-of-Home Consumer Survey, OCS 2, which highlights consumer buying behaviour in relation to OOH advertising.
Wellness, health and beauty is booming, says Warburg, who believes the OCS 2 survey has shown brand managers who their target audience really is. And much of that segment, he says, is a scholar.
· 44% of scholars tend to look out for health and beauty adverts.
· The majority of people who tend to look out for health and beauty ads are aged between 25 and 34.
· 4 out of 10 women tend to look out for health and wellness adverts.
· 43% of people who tend to look out for health and wellness adverts are between the ages of 35 and 44.
· The majority of people who tend to look out for health and beauty ads are based in Gauteng (51%).
The wellness sector is booming across all markets. “On average, 44% of all people tend to look out for these types of adverts. There is a strong female bias (51% of females vs 32% of males), though, provincially, each province has a similar profile. Likewise, almost all age brackets have a similar tendency to look out for these adverts,” Warburg says.
“Health and beauty advertisers have embraced outdoor advertising, though, as a segment, this could still grow. They currently account for 7.4% of billboard sites across South Africa, with 56 brands advertising (source: Outdoor Auditors),” he says.
The research throws up the questions as to why Gauteng has the edge in terms of people looking out for this kind of advertising. Warburg explains.
“Please note that the initial percentage for Gauteng (51%) was the percentage of people in Gauteng who noticed health and beauty advertising, and not the percentage of people who noticed health and beauty advertising are from Gauteng.
“Gauteng has most of the billboards in South Africa, and due to this they will receive most of the spend and noticeability,” he says.
Warburg says while summer months are generally busier than winter – except last year when the World Cup skewed the figures – there are “some obvious brands which advertise only in summer (e.g. ice-creams, summer holiday destinations), and, likewise, there are brands who specifically advertise over winter (soups, flu remedies”.
Warburg says this new research is being used solely by Posterscope, and that it is enabling media buyers the insights to plan efficient and relevant campaigns.
“The current trend in buying outdoor in SA is to use short (three to six month) campaigns for outdoor, on small- to medium-sized formats (citilites and highway sites), where production spend is low. The current advertisers in SA are wanting to see their money go further, and using smaller formats and using shorter time periods accomplishes this,” says Warburg.
And globally? “The global trend at the moment is to use digital sites. Although SA does have a number of digital networks, we are still behind the markets of Europe, the East and the US in terms of number of sites and price. However, we should catch up in the next few years, as the structures become more affordable and the penetration increases.”
Warburg’s advice to media buyers right now is to “select your formats and your sites carefully. There are some great available sites out there at the moment, but they need to fit your strategy and your budget. If you have the budget, securing, and holding on to the best sites in the country is possible in the current economic climate”.
Finally, what are the brands that are being noticed as we drive on by?
· Nivea Body
· Shield Deodorant
· Shower to Shower
· Ponds Facial Products
· Vaseline Petroleum Jelly
· Vicks
· Dettol
· Panado
· Ingrams Cream
