Developing an Instrument to Measure Consumers' Multimedia Usage in the Purchase Process

Abstract

This article presents a new tool that measures consumers' multimedia behavior in the purchase process. Two variants of the tool were developed that differ in their starting point; one originates with media usage and the other with product purchase. The first variant starts with questions about specific media usage moments in the recent past and measures how advertising and other brand information influenced different stages of the purchase process. The second variant starts at a recent purchase and then asks about the role of media in various stages of the purchase process for that specific purchase. Both variants were tested on a representative sample of 347 consumers. Based on several criteria, the second variant with product purchase as a starting point proved more useful. The article not only describes a test of the new tool, but also presents the results of an application of the tool. It gives insight in the importance of various media in different stages of the purchase process. It also discusses how the new tool can be used by media managers and media planners and adds to the current set of instruments.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This research was supported by a grant from the Marketing Science Institute. The Marketing Science Institute is a learning organization dedicated to bridging the gap between marketing science theory and business practice.