BRANDSTATS: Word-of-mouth influences choice

Marketers scrambling to get their latest campaigns on the small screen will be dismayed to hear that word-of-mouth recommendations are the dominant influencer in brand selection among Chinese consumers. Research agency NFO found that recommendations from friends and family was key to convincing Chinese consumers to switch and buy a certain brand. In ranking the importance of the seven key influencers in brand selection, NFO gave a score of 10 for most influential and one for least influential. Word-of-mouth recommendation achieved scores of more than seven per cent across China's three commercial hubs. Next on the score chart is the history of the brand, which emerged as the most important criteria in Guangzhou. Respondents in the city gave this criteria a score of close to eight per cent, putting it ahead of word-of-mouth recommendations. Television's role as the key media influencer is not unexpected although the format of commercial breaks - 20-minute slots between programmes - and the serious issue of clutter may impact its effect in the future. Television advertising has the biggest impact in influencing brand decisions in Shanghai. Respondents gave TV advertising the highest score achieved in the research, putting this influencer ahead of word-of-mouth recommendations and a brand's history. Even newspaper advertising exerted more influence on Shanghai consumers than the history of the brand. Newspaper advertising scored a 6.4 per cent rating in Shanghai against the overall average of close to six per cent. Consumers in Guangzhou are more in likely to be influenced by web-based advertising. Web advertising rated a score of 4.5 per cent in Guangzhou compared with just 2.5 per cent in Shanghai and an overall average of 3.6 per cent. Among the various media, radio predictably received the lowest scores - it managed an average score of 4.3 per cent, with Guangzhou consumers being least susceptible to radio advertising. THE INFLUENCE ON CHINESE CONSUMER BRAND CHOICE Total Guangzhou Shanghai Beijing Average Score Word of mouth recommendation 7.3 7.2 7.3 7.3 History of the brand 7.0 7.8 5.8 7.3 Adverts on tv 7.0 6.3 8.1 6.6 Adverts in newspapers 5.8 5.1 6.4 5.8 Adverts in magazines 5.1 5.1 4.9 5.2 Adverts on radio 4.3 3.7 4.5 4.8 Adverts on the internet 3.6 4.5 2.5 3.8

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