Newspaper Advertising Influences on Consumers' Behavior by Socioeconomic Status of Customers

Universi;y of lllinob Summary.-This study was done to determine the influence of newspaper advertising on 71 middle-class and 71 lower-class consumers' buying of particular food items. Advertising tended to affect lower-class consumers' buying more. Reading the newspaper advertising seemed to increase purchase of advertised items more than not reading the paper. Intraclass comparisons also indicated that reading the newspaper advertising led to consumers' increased purchasing of the advertised items. Friedson (1953) suggested different social groups in sociery were differentially influenced by means of mass communication. Undell (1966), Beckman (1967), and Slocum and Mathews (1970) indicated advertising played an important part in consumers' shopping behaviors, moreover, prepurchasing and marketing behaviors tended to be closely associated with the socioeconomic status of the purchasers. The purpose of the present study was to determine the influence of newspaper advertising on consumer behavior of customers, determined by the Index of Status Characteristics (I.S.C.) technique of Warner, Meeker, and Eells (1971). This technique uses occupation, source of income, dwelling area, and house type ao determine socioeconomic status. Rating are made on each of these criteria and the summated score indicated the status. Ss included 142 female customers, 71 from the lower status and 71 from the middle status, from a small town in Northern Illinois of approximately 3,000 people. Ss were regular customers in the store. The socioeconomic ratings were made by the clerks, who had been employed by the store for several years and were well-aware of the criteria necessary for utilization of the I.S.C. Advertising materials included a list of 28 items advertised in a local newspaper for a period of four days prior to the study. All advertised products had reduced prices. As Ss came through the check-out counters, the clerks looked to see if they had purchased sale items advertised. If they had purchased advertised items, the clerks would ask the consumers if they had read about these items in the newspaper or not. Through this procedure, it could be determined if the items were purchased due to the influence of newspaper advertising. Responses were tallied for each customer for one full day. Eighteen of the Ss came back to the store at least one other time, and multiple responses were not counted. Data were gathered from the first time customers came through the check-out cater. Results indicated a significant difference between the newspaper advertising influence on the consumers' behavior, as operationalized on the basis of Ss having read the ads and purchased the items, and socioeconomic class (x' = 7.90, df = 1, fi = .01). Advertising had a greater influence on lower-class Ss than middle-class Ss (57 Ss of the lower class and 42 Ss of the middle class, purchased sale items and read about them in the newspaper). Middle-class Ss bought more advertised items than lower-class Ss (29 versus 14) when these were not advertised. The most marked influence of advertising was found between middle-class Ss having read the paper and lower-class Ss having not read it, with three times the number of former Ss purchasing items as compared to the latter (42 versus 14, respectively). Comparing lower-class Ss having read the paper with middle-class Ss having not read it (57 responses for the former; 29 responses for the latter), the difference in purckrs of sale items was about double.