Sponsored Content WEBINAR: ELECTION 2008: E-mail Tips from a Political Insider   WEBINAR: Becoming the Illusionist: The Magic of Using "Brand" to Drive Response without Results Disappearing in the Process   WEBINAR: Score and Win Through Cooperation   TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Holiday's are prime-time for email marketing - maximize your ROI by getting to the inbox   ON DEMAND WEBINAR--MASTER CLASS: High Performance Online and Off-line Strategies for Large Scale Customer Acquisition   FREE WHITE PAPER - Direct Mail and the Internet Find any supplier you need - agencies, CRM, fulfillment, lists, e-commerce, paper, printers, telemarketing, and more. Featured Categories Lists and Data Telemarketing Database Marketing E-commerce Web Marketing Agency & Creative Services Print, Production & Paper Lists and Data Processing :: view all categories Get free access to more than 50,000 list data cards - one of the most comprehensive databases in the industry. >> Search Now DIRECT Buzz Blog Webinars Buyer's Guide Calculators JobZone ListFinder Promo Calendar Research Store E-Newsletters Print Magazine This Month in Direct Magazine Bare Bones Postal reform works. The rate hike that takes effect May 12 is the lowest in memory: an average of 2.88%. And some mail classes are getting even less than that... See Full April Issue

More than two-thirds of Internet users say they have gone to a search engine to look for a company, product or service as a result of an offline ad, according to a study released earlier this week.

Thirty seven percent of the 2,322 people surveyed said they have conducted an online search as the result of a television as, and 30% said they have done so as the result of a magazine or newspaper ad, according to the study conducted by JupiterResearch on behalf of search engine marketing firm iProspect.

Not surprisingly, word-of-mouth also plays a strong role in driving search queries as 36% of those surveyed said recommendations from friends and acquaintances have driven them to search online for companies, products and services, according to iProspect.

Offline ads are apparently also effective at driving qualified prospects to search engines.

Magazine and newspaper ads led the way in terms of driving qualified traffic with 30% of respondents saying they've made a purchase after conducting the resulting search.

Twenty three percent of respondents said they have made a purchase after being driven to conduct a search by a television ad, while 22% said this was the case with a radio ad, and 19% said they have made purchases after being driven to conduct a search by outdoor advertising.

As for search terms, the company name -- cited by 44% of respondents -- is the most popular one people looking for products and services online use, according to the survey.

"For example, if a viewer sees a Circuit City television ad, or a listener hears one of their radio ads as a source for consumer electronics, the Circuit City company name is a very easy and intuitive starting place for a search," the study said.