AdStudy Draws Kudos from Textile Services’ Readers

TRSA’s AdStudy® survey of July’s issue of Textile Services drew a robust endorsement from readers of the association’s monthly magazine.

“Love the magazine … Have been reading it for many years. Thank you for what you do,” wrote one of the survey’s 132 respondents in a verbatim area of the survey that asked readers to “Tell us how useful Textile Services is to you and how you use it in your job.”

Another respondent wrote, “I love the articles and the feature reports on plants – helpful to know about other operators in the industry. Also good to learn about new equipment ideas/offerings from known and new companies.” In a nod to vendors who advertise in Textile Services, another respondent added that, “I like to see when an existing vendor has a new offering/item. I like to see who offers services (consulting/IT/insurance) to TR (textile services operators).”

One source for the kind words about Textile Services could be the fact that the magazine reaches the right audience. While scores vary among the TRSA’s twice-yearly readership studies, the July AdStudy showed that 46% of the respondents identified themselves as “Managers.” Another 13% said they were “General Managers,” while 10% identified themselves as “Chairman/CEO/Owner/President.” Nine percent said they were a “Director,” and another 10% identified themselves as a “Vice President/COO/CFO.” Among all respondents, 86% said they took one or more actions based on seeing ads or articles in Textile Services. These included buying products (26%), recommending/specifying products (29%) or requesting more information from the company (23%). Seventy-eight percent of respondents said the ads that appear in Textile Services are educational and an important part of the publication. One-third said they read the magazine as much for the ads as the articles. Other key survey findings include:

• Eighty-four percent of respondents said they’re involved “personally or in a group” with recommending, approving or purchasing goods or services from a range of 26 categories.
• Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they were affiliated with food-and-beverage (F&B) linen. A total of 29% of respondents identified as industrial operators, while 19% said they were in healthcare laundering.
• A key survey measure is the “AdStudy Score.” This metric asks respondents to answer whether they “recall seeing and recall reading any or all of the 24 display ads in July’s issue. The top-scoring ad for July, based on this question, was from G.A. Braun Inc. Their ad drew an AdStudy score (combined recall reading/recall seeing) of 157. Positek RFID came in second at 155, followed by Workwear Outfitters (149); ARCO/Murray (148); and Tingue (146).
• For each ad, the survey asks respondents to say whether they’ve “seen a salesperson” from that company.
• Each of the issue’s 24 display advertisers receive a detailed (roughly two pages per ad) of verbatim comments from readers. These comments center on the ads themselves, as well as the companies that placed them. This query drew both positive and critical comments on both ads and companies.
• The AdStudy reports – each advertiser receives an individualized summary of the study. These include not only the verbatim comments, but also a chart showing their AdStudy scores compared to competitors in their respective categories, such as “Chemical” or “Wash Aisle and Finishing Machinery.”

If you’re an advertiser or prospect that didn’t participate in July’s AdStudy survey, you can place an ad in the next study, the AdBrand™ survey, which is slated for January 2025. This study is designed to provide advertisers with feedback on operator awareness of their brands and how operators view these companies. Both surveys are conducted by Signet Research, Ft. Lee, NJ. Signet partners with TRSA for readership studies of both Textile Services and Textile Services Weekly.

The Signet staff also assist with TRSA’s incentive programs aimed at encouraging participation in these studies. All respondents to AdStudy and AdBrand surveys are included in a blind drawing – conducted by Signet – for five $100 Amazon gift cards. The gift card winners for July’s survey included:

• Ajit Gill, Quintex Services Ltd., North Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Roger Loewen, Quintex Services Ltd., North Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Delora Martinez, Alsco Uniforms, Lubbock, TX
• Dale Pafford, Alsco Uniforms, St. Louis
• Sean Taylor, Mission Linen Supply, Eureka, CA

All respondents to both the AdStudy and AdBrand surveys also receive – courtesy of TRSA – $10 gift card links from Starbucks. TRSA would like to thank all of our advertisers for placing ads in July’s issue. We are also grateful to all of the operator members who completed the survey. Any supplier-partner company that’s interested in learning more about TRSA readership surveys, should contact their ad representative or Senior Editor Jack Morgan at jmorgan@trsa.org.