A recent ad campaign run by Comcast Media 360 demonstrates that ads on TV and ads delivered via broadband-connected platforms affect significantly different consumer groups.
Television tends to bring in new customers, while digital secures more sales from existing customers. Comcast Media 360’s conclusion is that television and digital are complementary in terms of both media and sales impact.
The implication is that multi-screen delivery, which service providers are still struggling to monetize, can be highly valuable in ad campaigns by reaching different consumer constituencies. Further, interactive advertising can be a valuable complement in an ad campaign.
Comcast Media 360 worked with TiVo Research and Analytics (TRA) on the study designed to investigate the purchasing habits of consumers exposed to a cross media television and digital advertising campaign.
In the fall of 2012, Comcast Media 360 conducted a targeted cross media campaign for a Starcom MediaVest Group CPG client using television, online display, and online video advertising. The household advertising impressions were then matched to TRA purchase data.
Purchase habits from the households exposed to the campaign along with purchase habits of a control group not exposed, were tracked for up to 20 weeks after the campaign ended.
Key observations from the study include:
- TV brings in new customers. Approximately 67% of the purchasing household uplift came from new customers that were new to the brand and new to the category.
- Digital secures more sales from existing brand customers.
- Sales lift is highest among households exposed to both TV and digital ads.
- Digital supplements television media impact. Nearly two thirds of those exposed by the digital ads had little or no exposure to the TV campaign.
- Higher TV ad frequency drives sales lift. The sweet spot of sales lift was 7-10 exposures to the television ad.
- The targeted cross media campaign produced a 10 percent sales lift while a national campaign was occurring.
- Brand advertising creates sales lift long after a campaign is over. Only 45 percent of the 20 week sales lift occurred in the first four weeks after the campaign.
- Even after 20 weeks sales from the exposed households continues to surpass sales from the unexposed households.
- Targeting driven by purchaser characteristics was the key aspect to sales lift.
Tracey Scheppach, EVP of innovations at Starcom MediaVest Group. “The study shows that cross-platform campaigns and measurement can be implemented at scale, and allow us unprecedented understanding of how multiple screens are working together.”
“Technology is putting consumers in control of what, where, when and how they consume content, so it’s incumbent upon marketers to go find their audience and aggregate meaningful impressions across multiple video screens,” said Andrew Ward, group vice president, national advertising sales, Comcast Media 360. “This study shows the value of extending campaign measurement beyond traditional metrics by linking targeted impressions with sales data. It demonstrates that advanced targeting generates sales increases and an unmatched marketing solution for brand clients.”
