The Preference-Engagement Matrix

Executive Summary (The complete white paper is available through the link at the bottom of this article.)

Whether advertising is online or offline says nothing about its contribution to connecting the shopper with the store. Contact is a result of preference, for the vehicle and the dealership. Until the shopper has some level of preference for a vehicle at the store or preference for the store itself as the solution for finding a vehicle, most shoppers will avoid contact. For the shopper, searching online or across a variety of print ads until a preference is established makes a great deal more sense than hopping from store to store on an exploratory basis.

How each form of advertising builds preference is a function of the medium itself, the creative content employed, and the level of preference that exists at the time the shopper engages the medium. Mapping out each form of media across preference and engagement provides a platform for building strategic campaigns and designing creative content to meet the overall objectives of those campaigns.

No advertising medium can be said to be better than another without understanding the target market and knowing what the objective is. Understanding the preferences that exist at the point of advertising engagement and the medium’s ability to alter those preferences is a huge step toward maximizing marketing efficiency and effectiveness.

Related files: 

Preference-Engagement Matrix.pdf