Abstract

This study explores several factors in order to establish which are the most important in driving local newspaper readers to buy, visit shops and look for additional information about products or services promoted by ads. The behavior in the process of buying is a consequence of a complex interplay among cultural, social, personal and psychological dimensions. This process -which occurs prior to the action- has relevant implications and marketing departments should pay attention to it. A series of hypotheses based on how advertising appeals to consumers and how it affects decision making at the time of buying are tested using a survey administered to a sample of 1,333 respondents in Chile. A discriminant analysis is also performed to find out why some newspapers readers are driven to buy goods or services, visit a shop or search for more information. The results show that the appeal of the deal advertised is the single most important factor in explaining subsequent consumer behavior.