Millions of people interact with i media’s advertising solutions every week at busy Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) across the country – be it A3 Washroom Panels, 6 Sheet Posters or a state-of-the art Nexus D48 Screen.
Thus it is vital that we truly understand MSA audiences in order to better tailor advertising to them, and optimise the return on investment for our clients.
We do so using various methods, from standard industry tools to bespoke projects. Such projects included the Family Research, through which we found a captive audience that earns more than the average family, allowing them to regularly travel in the UK and abroad, download and stream entertainment more frequently, and do so much more mileage than the average family (78% in fact!) that they replace cars more often and spend more on them when they do. From this research we were also able to understand how long families spent driving to particular destinations, plus how often they stopped on the way – illustrating how crucial the MSA network truly is.
Our SME Research unveiled another core MSA audience. SMEs make up 99% of all businesses, and with 82% of them based outside London they rely heavily on the motorway network to get around on a daily basis. Therefore MSAs are vital hubs, offering them a space to take a break, catch up on work and conduct meetings. Our research found that we connect with decision makers during this time when they can relax, whilst remaining in a business mindset.
We’ve also been delving into the fascinating topic of Electric Cars as their adoption continues to grow. Our Electrified Vehicle research was conducted using our bespoke Drive Panel allied to YouGov Omnibus data, in conjunction with leading manufacturers such as VW, BMW and the PSA Group.
From this research we uncovered crucial barriers and motivators for consumer and business car buyers when looking to purchase electrified vehicles, and our insight has been valuable to manufacturers looking to fast track uptake of alternatively-fuelled vehicles (AFVs)
Much of our insight, especially the Electrified Vehicle project, has drawn upon our bespoke monthly consumer panels – The Drive Panel and Electric Drive Panel – boasting a combined database of over 1,500 people.
The Drive Panel has been running since 2017, and helps us to discover more about MSA visitors and their opinions on topics such as insurance, Christmas driving habits and snack buying, while the Electric Drive Panel arrived in 2019 to bolster our Electrified Research projects as well as explore new areas such as electric car insurance and charging behaviour.
Finally, we have carried out many research projects on behalf of advertisers keen to know how their campaigns have performed. As a result, we have a great understanding of the effectiveness of our advertising across a multitude of product fields, from discreet to motoring. Our Case Studies page bears testament to this work, showing great levels of recall and awareness from consumers who have come into contact with advertising hosted in i-media environments.