Third-party expert advice and endorsements are sometimes more important than referrals from friends and relatives and the news media in influencing consumer behavior, according to a new national study by Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.
In the study's narrow healthcare category (Rx and OTC medications), 52 percent of those surveyed cited third-party expert advice as being more important in making Rx decisions than friend/relative referrals and the news media, at 32 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
And while consumer purchase decisions on OTC medications are driven more by referrals at 43 percent, third-party advice is a key influencer at 29 percent with the news media trailing at 15 percent. This study did not look at what influences hospital/HMO decisions.
These findings underscore the importance of developing strong third-party relationships with credible physicians and leading medical experts for healthcare campaigns, says Kym White, an Ogilvy managing director.
More generally speaking, local TV news commands the most credibility among traditional media outlets.
The study, which highlights the top influencers of consumer behavior, found that 30 percent of those surveyed consider the local TV news to have a major impact on their purchase decisions. This level of influence is almost twice that of national TV news and more than seven times that of the Internet. In most cases, the power of word-of-mouth referrals is the only communication exceeding the credibility of local TV news, accounting for two to five times the level of influence of traditional media, according to the study. The survey involved 509 adults nationwide.
On the Internet front, while interest is skyrocketing, trust is not. Although 40 percent of Americans have access to the Web, only 45 percent say they trust the Web even "sometimes" for credible information. This is a far cry from the 96 percent who feel traditional news sources are reliable. And if Americans weren't surfing? Check out the chart below.
(Ogilvy, Kym White, 212/880-5235)