Why is my laundry taking two hours? Is this sunscreen waterproof? Will my dishes be dry when the dishwasher finishes?
In its first main advertising push in additional than 5 years, the non-profit writer Consumer Reports unveiled a $3 million, full-funnel model advertising marketing campaign on Tuesday rooted in addressing the on a regular basis questions that pepper trendy life.
The initiative, a part of a broader effort from the 90-year-old non-profit to emphasise its utility in a quickly shifting data panorama, was developed with branding company Red Antler and media company Kepler, in keeping with chief advertising officer Khalid El Khatib.
It will likely be totally stay by March 6 and run via the tip of May, spanning digital, social, linked TV, linear, and out-of-home placements throughout eight DMAs, together with Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, and Miami.
Anchored within the tagline “We Never Stop Questioning,” the artistic leans into the rigor of Consumer Reports’ testing, which has uncovered protein powder contaminated with lead, faulty youngster automobile seats, and recalled toys. The messaging additionally goals to speak a broader transformation afoot on the model, because it repositions itself from a rankings writer to an impartial shopper advocate.
While Consumer Reports enjoys excessive model consciousness, many shoppers nonetheless affiliate it primarily with a print journal.
“A lot of people know Consumer Reports, but they don’t necessarily know the Consumer Reports of today,” stated El Khatib.
The group publishes one of many prime 5 magazines within the nation by circulation and counts roughly 5 million paying members throughout digital and print tiers, in keeping with El Khatib.
Membership, which prices $39 per 12 months for digital and $64 per 12 months for print and digital, stays its major income driver, bringing in roughly 70% of its general income. Its most up-to-date monetary assertion, filed March 2025, exhibits that the group generated $266 million in income and a internet revenue of roughly $1.7 million.
In addition to its membership program, Consumer Reports generates income, in descending order, from philanthropic donations, model licensing via its CR Recommended program, and affiliate commerce. Unlike many publishers, it doesn’t settle for promoting and purchases each product it assessments, spending round $33 million yearly on impartial evaluations, in keeping with El Khatib.
A bifurcated funnel
Strategically, the marketing campaign is designed as a case examine in dual-audience concentrating on, in keeping with Consumer Reports’ director of brand name advertising Jennifer Evans.