Research recently undertaken by Mention Me in conjunction with OnePoll discovered that consumers have a clear preference for certain types of marketing when it comes to discovering new brands.
By a significant margin, consumers prefer "pull" types of marketing over "push" methods - in fact, 71% expressed this preference. In simple terms, "pull" marketing are those methods which enable a consumer to discover the brand for themselves, such as search engines or recommendations, while "push" techniques seek to create consumer demand by advertising directly to the individuals through methods like email and direct mail.
In addition, the research highlights a mismatch in terms of the newly emerging marketing channels, such as Influencer marketing, and consumer trust. While many retailers are spending considerable time and effort building influencer strategies, it appears that those efforts could be better placed focusing on other forms of endorsements - namely, reviews and referrals.
According to respondents, these options are trusted 3x more than endorsements by bloggers and YouTubers.
The media preference varied by sector, but showed similar patterns, as shown in this infographic - Push vs Pull Marketing.