Local Advertising Decision Makers' Perceptions of Media Effectiveness and Substitutability

Abstract

In this article, we report the results of a survey designed to answer 6 questions on perceived media effectiveness and substitutability within the context of local advertising. Results from questionnaires completed by 130 local advertising decision makers reveal that (a) daily newspapers and radio are perceived as the most effective media for local advertising; (b) media interchangeability in local advertising is limited to a particular set of media options, namely, daily newspapers and radio; and (c) patterns of media effectiveness and substitutability do not vary substantially by the type of local advertiser or the amount of money spent in daily newspaper advertising. Four implications are suggested by the results.