A total of 510 would-be media gurus across the New Zealand marcomms industry recently tested their knowledge in our News Works survey of 20 questions based on research by Colmar Brunton.
None of the participants got a perfect score, but three respondents came close, answering 19 of the 20 questions correctly. Only nine respondents got 15 or more answers correct.
Here’s a rundown of the respondents’ perceptions alongside the correct answer for each question.
1. Which media tops the list for media usage in the last week?
Correct answer: Google
The respondents were split between TV (27 percent), Google (41 percent) and Facebook (30 percent) for this question, and for good reason. Each of these is used extensively on a weekly basis, but none more so than the search engine, which is tapped into by 94 percent of New Zealanders on a weekly basis. TV comes in a close second at 91 percent.
2. Various media channels serve different needs. Which media channel scored highest for the statement ‘the latest headline news’?
Correct answer: News Media Websites
The respondents had no difficulty in answering this question, with 68 percent correctly selecting news media websites as the channel best associated with the phrase ‘latest headline news’. Google came a distant second, with 14 percent of respondents selecting the search engine as their pick for this question. The Colmar Brunton study showed that 73 percent of respondents associated the latest headline news with news media websites.
3. Which media scored the lowest for the statement ‘it is an expert source of news and information’?
Correct answer: Facebook
The respondents were torn between Facebook (56 percent) and magazines (32 percent) with this question. The Colmar Brunton research showed that Facebook was viewed as a source of entertainment rather than as a source of news and information. While 56 percent of New Zealanders went to the site when they were looking to be entertained, only six percent regarded it as an expert source of news and entertainment.
4. Which media scored the highest for the statement ‘I find ads in this media useful/informative’?
Correct answer: Magazines
The respondents in our quiz were torn between magazines (28 percent) and newspapers (36 percent)—and they were spot on, with the research from Colmar Brunton showing that these two channels are viewed as having the most useful ads. The outright winner in the view of the New Zealand public, however, was magazine advertising.
5. Which media is least associated with ads that are annoying and invasive?
Correct answer: Newspapers
As was the case with the previous question, newspapers (34 percent) and magazines (46 percent) dominated this one, which is testament to the fact that consumers don’t find it quite as frustrating to encounter a few ads when paging through a mag or the paper. The Colmar Brunton research matched up with this perception, but consumers said they found newspaper ads the least annoying.
6. Which media is most associated with ads that are annoying and invasive?
Correct answer: YouTube
New Zealanders clearly aren’t all that fond of pre-rolls, with the research showing that advertising on YouTube is viewed as the most annoying and invasive. This likely attributable to the fact that online users aren’t fond of waiting to view the content they’ve specifically selected. The perceptions in the industry matched up with the research, with 52 percent of respondents correctly selecting the channel as hosting the most annoying advertising.
7. What percentage of people usually skip ads on TV?
Correct answer: 68 percent
Ad avoidance is a topical issue in the industry, with online users actively blocking ads through browser add-ons. But this trend isn’t only limited to digital media, with the research showing that as many as 68 percent of consumers skip ads on TV. As is to be expected with a percentage-based question, the respondents in our quiz struggled a bit with this one, resulting in an even spread across all the options.
8. What percentage of people find ads in the newspaper useful/informative?
Correct answer: 49 percent
Another tricky percentage-based question again led to an even split. However, 30 percent of respondents were correct in asserting that 49 percent of the public find ads in the newspaper useful and informative.
9. Who is most receptive to advertising in newspapers?
Correct answer: females under 40
This question provoked a bit of discussion on the website with a commenter questioning how this could possibly be the case. However, Colmar Brunton’s research, based on a sample of 600 New Zealanders aged between 25 and 74, found that of those who had engaged with each media recently, the most receptive to newspaper advertising were females under 40. As one respondent explained: “It’s not in your face – it allows you look if you want to.”
10. Who is most receptive to advertising on news media apps/websites?
Correct answer: males under 40
Whereas women under 40 responded best to print ads, younger blokes responded best to online ads on news sites and apps. This is certainly an important insight for media placement specialists, but it’s also worth pointing out that younger males also tend to be the most prolific users of ad-blocking technology. The respondents to our quiz were on the money when it came to this question, with 41 percent selecting the correct option (only nine percent of respondents answered the previous one correctly).
11. What percentage of people have avoided clicking on content because it looked untrustworthy?
Correct answer: 80 percent
There’s enormous value in the democratisation of publishing in the internet age, but we’ve also seen a few dangers emerge in the shape of dodgy content sneaking online. What’s more is that these aren’t isolated instances, with as many as 80 percent of New Zealanders saying that they’ve avoided clicking on content because it looked untrustworthy.
12. What percentage of people say they’ve been exposed to a scam while online?
Correct answer: 37 percent
Adding further reason for concern is that fact as many 37 percent of New Zealanders have been exposed to a scam online. Inheritances from unknown relatives, 419 scams, fake lottery wins and disaster relief requests are just some of the examples that have cost unsuspecting browsers thousands of dollars. (On a lighter note, writer James Veitch has had a bit of fun responding to scam artists online).
13. Of digital media channels, which is most trusted for news and information?
Correct answer: News Media Websites/Apps
A total of 91 percent of quiz respondents answered this question correctly. With trust diminishing in other digital channels due to the advent of fake news and highly partisan stories, established news brands have a greater onus than ever to protect their reputations by writing factually accurate and fair stories.
14. In which media do people most trust the advertising?
Correct answer: Newspapers
The trust in a channel flows from the content to the advertising. If consumers believe that stories are carefully chosen by an editorial team, then they will similarly believe that care is taken with the advertising that is placed within the publication.
15. In which media do people least trust the advertising?
Correct answer: Facebook
Partisan bubbles, the Russian interference scandal and fake news have all hurt the social media juggernaut’s credibility over the last 12 months. And while the organisation is taking steps to overcome these issues, it will take a while before users trust everything they see in their social feeds again.
16. In which media channel are people most open and receptive to advertising?
Correct answer: Newspapers
The Colmar Brunton study showed that newspapers and magazines led the way among both digital and non-digital channels.
17. Which media has advertising that people find most useful?
Correct answer: Newspapers
Newspapers pipped radio in terms of having the most useful ads. Notably, all the traditional channels ranked higher and their digital counterparts when it came to the usefulness of advertising in the medium. A total of 55 percent of quiz respondents answered this question correctly.
18. Which media has advertising that people find least useful?
Correct answer: YouTube
While the usefulness metric dropped off in the digital channels, the channels with a link to traditional media outperformed those that are strictly digital. The Colmar Brunton study showed that advertising in news media and apps was regarded as the most useful while YouTube had the lowest scores.
19. What percentage of people say they actually buy something as a result of a newspaper ad?
Correct answer: 71 percent
Trust plays a major role in terms of encouraging consumers to act, with the Colmar Brunton study showing that 71 percent of consumers saying that they would buy something as a result of seeing it in a newspaper ad. Once again, the traditional channels put in a stronger showing in this category. 37 percent of respondents in the quiz answered this question correctly.
20. Which media scored the highest for the statement ‘I decide where to buy something as a result of an ad’?
Correct answer: Newspapers
Newspapers also put in the strongest showing for the final question in the survey. A total of 53 percent of respondents answered this question correctly.
Thanks to everyone who participated. The winner of the $500 Westfield voucher will be informed via email.
