Sundays are on the whole, a time of rest and relaxation. A time to unwind and decide how to spend the hard won earnings from the week’s work. Sunday newspapers are ideal for marketers of big ticket and family targeted brands to find a receptive audience.
“The decision to purchase often takes place on a Sunday, while the purchase can take place even two weeks after the consumer has seen the advert. During the week decisions about fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) are frequently made, but the decision of where to buy these and of how to spend or invest the ‘big’ money is often reserved for a family conversation on a Sunday, with the newspaper close at hand. The link is therefore not always obvious, but Sundays are a time when the seed is planted about which new car, sofa, fridge, washing machine or flat screen television purchase should be made,” said Tania Barzu, head of marketing and strategy at Ads24.
The longstanding trend of the automotive industry to launch a new car with a television commercial on Friday night, and follow this up with a print campaign in the Sunday newspapers is still common practice, as it is a strategy that works.
A joint purchase decision is often reached in homes on a Sunday; 43% of South African’s share the decision making process equally when purchasing household appliances and booking holidays. When deciding which motor vehicle to purchase and which financial or investment products to use, 37% will make a mutual decision (AMPS2014BA).
Ads24 Sunday newspapers has a notable reach of 7.7 million (AMPS2013AB/Effective Measure Aug 2014 – People Measure) readers weekly. City Press has a readership of over 1.8 million, Ilanga Lange Sonto over 700 thousand, Rapport over 1.2 million, Son op Sondag over 350 000, and Sunday Sun over 2.4million (AMPS2014BA).
Ask Afrika conducted a TGI survey for Ads24’s Sunday titles that reveals some interesting statistics about consumer behaviour. 77% of Ads24 Sunday title readers not only decide what they want before they do their weekly shopping , they are also always on the lookout for special offers. 64% of consumers agreed that it’s worth paying extra for quality goods and a majority said that advertising helped them decide what they buy (TGISA2013C).
It showed 58% readers were more aware of their personal finance than they used to be. Over half the readers trusted their main bank. Over 60% of readers believe that it is important to be well insured for everything. 71% of readers look for profitable ways to invest their money and are interested in financial services advertising (TGISA2013C).
Ads24 Sunday newspaper readers tend to be loyal and most would not change the title that they read. These readers also feel that the extra sections in the newspapers make them more interesting. They pay more attention to advertising in newspapers than in other media. The majority find newspaper supplements worthwhile (TGISA2013C).
These are just some of the indicators of the value of advertising in Sunday titles. On Sundays people have the time to contemplate if it is worthwhile moving banks or insurance companies, or to discover the value of getting insurance for the first time. It is possible to contemplate whether it is the right time for them to start investing in the stock market. Sunday leisure time allows the reader to consider if the way they have been dressing really suits who they aspire to be.
Most consumers still look in the Sunday supplements for special offers and to find out which grocery outlet will offer them the best prices for the coming week.
