Print newspaper ads reach people at all stages of the buying cycle, inspiring web research at the beginning, and prompting in-store/web purchases at the end, said the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), citing a Google study (via MarketingCharts).

Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo conducted the study for Google.

"Newspaper advertisements drive readers to the web, where they search, find and obtain products," said Spencer Spinnell, head of the Google Print Ads program.

Among the findings:

• Over half (56 percent) of internet-using newspaper readers researched or purchased at least one product they saw advertised in the newspaper in the last month, with a 30 percent overlap between the two groups:

• 44 percent of respondents researched at least one product. Of this group:
  • 67 percent researched online, and 70 percent of this group made a subsequent purchase.
  • 48 percent visited, and 23 percent called, a store.
  • 23 percent asked a friend.
• 42 percent of respondents purchased at least one product.

Of those who responded to a newspaper ad by going online…

• 47 percent went directly to a URL they saw in the advertisement.
• 31 percent chose to use a search engine (mostly Google).
• The purchase probability of those who responded to a newspaper ad by searching Google is about the same as those who respond by visiting a store (72 percent and 71 percent, respectively).

Consumer confidence is boosted by newspaper ads, the study found:

• Some 48 percent of respondents said they would trust the product more if they saw it in the newspaper after seeing it online.
• Over half (52 percent) said they would be more likely to purchase that product.

The majority of respondents noted that newspapers are more useful than the internet for…

• Learning about promotions - 68 percent rated it very useful (42 percent said so for the internet).
• Deciding where to buy (54 percent vs. 45 percent) and when to buy (43 percent vs. 30 percent).

"New advertising mediums have not evolved in a vacuum. Rather, they exist in a highly connected ecosystem and impact consumers' daily experiences," Spinnell said. "Marketers deploying truly holistic and integrated advertising campaigns […] are leveraging the branding and direct response nature of newsprint to effectively take advantage of that dynamic."

See more data from the study (pdf) or listen to the NAA's podcast.