Social Media Links on Magazine Advertisements: An Exploration of Consumers’ Viewpoint

Abstract

The use of social media is ubiquitous in American culture. Seventy-four percent of American adults report using social networking sites; among consumers 18–29 years of age, the penetration rate is 90 % (http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/, 2014). As social media has increased in importance as a marketing medium, placement of links to social media in various outlets has become widespread. The expected advertising spend in this area is $14 billion by 2018 (http://www.businessinsider.com/social-media-advertising-spending-growth-2014-9, 2014). Moreover, the use of multiple media to reach a target audience is more prevalent than ever before. Conventional advertising on high-reach media such as television and magazines is supplanted with a mix of touch points, espousing a huge number of media alternatives (Journal of Advertising Research 53:221–230, 2013). Magazine advertisements frequently carry colorful social media icons. This qualitative study explores the attitudes of social media adopters toward these magazine links. Findings suggest that the most salient features of compelling social media links are promotional offers (such as coupons, discounts, free shipping, games, contests, or any other thing that is interesting about the company) and a clever link or hashtag keyword that facilitates easy information access about a particular product in an advertisement.