February 25, 2008
Printing Industry Center at RIT Releases Research on Measurement of Insert Media Advertising Effectiveness

Fourth monograph in 2007-2008 research agenda is released to the public

ROCHESTER, NY (February 25, 2008) – A newly released research monograph from the Printing Industry Center at RIT (http://print.rit.edu) benchmarks the advertising measurement practices of retailers who use inserted media advertising. Titled “Benchmarking Insert Advertising Effectiveness Metrics” (PICRM-2008-04), the monograph is authored by Dr. Patricia Sorce, Administrative Chair and Fawcett Distinguished Professor of the RIT School of Print Media. The purpose of the study was to determine the metrics used to measure the impact of inserted media advertising by retailers. The study also investigates retailers’ perceptions regarding the effectiveness of inserts as an advertising medium.

Key findings include:

• Only 81% of the retailers surveyed measured the effectiveness of inserted advertising. The two most popular methods used were the assessment of a change in same-store sales and in the sales of the featured item.


• When compared to the other advertising media in use, 45% of respondents reported that inserted advertising performed better, 40% reported it performed the same, and 15% reported it performed worse than other advertising media.


• Stores that did not measure insert effectiveness were equally as likely to plan a change in their advertising budgets as the stores that did measure insert effectiveness.

The report is available for download as a PDF from http://print.rit.edu/research/index.php?page=item&id=114.

About the Printing Industry Center at RIT
The Printing Industry Center is a joint program of the RIT School of Print Media in the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences and RIT's E. Philip Saunders College of Business, and was established in 2001 by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as one of the Sloan Industry Centers. The Center is dedicated to the study of major business environment influences in the printing industry brought on by new technologies and societal changes, creating a forum for printing companies and associations worldwide to access a neutral platform for the dissemination of knowledge, to share ideas, and to build the partnerships needed to sustain growth and profitability in a rapidly changing market. For more information, please visit http://print.rit.edu.

Media Contact:
Ashley Walker
Marketing Communications Coordinator
Printing Industry Center at RIT
585-475-4231
aswppr@rit.edu