Signs of the Times - December 2012 - 69

The Value of Signs The Better Homes and Gardens study: Deux it again.
By Wade Swormstedt

Earlier this year the JamesMarch 2012, page 106), Dr. (see ST, James J. Kellaris, S. Womack/Gemini Chair
of Signage and Visual Communication at the Univ. of Cincinnati’s College of Business, documented the results of a Better Homes and Gardens survey that included more than 100,000 people. The overall study, called The American Shopper Study™ (conducted by BrandSpark Intl.), examined shopping habits and added some questions last year, specifically about attitudes toward signage. Kellaris presented the findings at the 2011 National Signage Research & Education Conference (NSREC) in October 2011. On October 11, at the most recent NSREC, Kellaris provided an update and a comparison with a second survey. It asked some of the same questions and introduced some new ones. His findings not only confirm, but actually amplify, how on-premise signs influence customer behavior. Readers were asked to respond to some statements. Here are some of the highlights, with answers from both 2011 and 2012 where appropriate: • “I have been drawn into unfamiliar stores based on the quality of their signs.” 2011, 29% said “yes.” 2012, 35.8% said “yes.” • “I have made quality assumptions based on a store having clear and attractive signage.” 2011, 34.5% said “yes.” 2012, 41.5% said “yes.” • “I have driven by and failed to find a business because the signage was too small or unclear.” 2011, 49.7% said “yes.” 2012, 60.8% said “yes.” • “One of the first things I notice about a new or unfamiliar business is the signage outside its business.” 75.2% agree, 20.4% are neutral, 4.5% disagree • “In addition to identifying a business, signs can convey the personality or character of the business.” 85.7% agree, 11.9% are neutral, 2.4% disagree • “The letters on signs should be large enough for passing motorists to read at a glance.” 90.9% agree, 8.4% are neutral, 0.7% disagree • I get frustrated and annoyed when signs are too

small to read.” 81.5% agree, 13.7% are neutral, 4.8% disagree • “Smaller signs are generally more attractive than larger signs.” 13.5% agree, 52.1% are neutral, 34.3% disagree • “Variety of signage design within a business district is interesting and appealing.” 62.7% agree, 30.1% are neutral, 7.2% disagree • “Uniformity of signage within a business district looks attractive, but makes businesses harder to identify at a glance.” 58.0% agree, 31.5% are neutral, 10.5% disagree • “I prefer signage that uses symbols or icons rather than words.” 12.7% agree, 51.7% are neutral, 35.6% disagree • I prefer signs that use a combination of words and non-verbal symbols or icons.” 47.9% agree, 44.2% are neutral, 7.9% disagree. Echoing Univ. of Oklahoma Professor Dawn Jourdan and her colleagues’ underlying premise for their Evidence-Based Model Sign Code (see page 96), Kellaris included a slide at this year’s NSREC that queries: What does this all mean for planners and regulators? His first bullet point reads: “Objective research evidence to make informed decisions vs. reliance on rhetorical opinion/theory/customary practice.” But Kellaris also puts some of the onus on sign companies: “Sign regulators need to be given access to such research at neutral times, not just when a new sign code is being written, or when a permit application is being made.” The 2012 survey wasn’t part of the full survey, as occurred in 2011, but it was sent to 7,000 consumer panelists in all 50 states as a supplemental study. Kellaris wrote, “A stratified quota sample of 784 complete responses was weighted to conform to U.S. MRI data and reflects the principal shopper in terms of gender, age and census region.” One final note that the American Sign Museum will appreciate: In the study, 77.1% agree that “Vintage signs are worth preserving due to their historic and cultural value.” ■

SIGNS OF THE TIMES / DECEMBER 2012 / www.signweb.com 69
http://www.signweb.com
Signs of the Times - December 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - December 2012
