Research into online and TV advertising mix is vital

Getting a clearer picture of how people are using different platforms – such as TV and online – is vital, especially for campaigns across a variety of media. 

Mindi Chahal

Last week I wrote about looking at behaviour as well as statistics – but new research and tools released in the past week combines the two by looking at audiences’ use across various platforms. This is gives a wider picture of what customers are doing and what will and won’t work when targeting certain segments.

Today (16 October) Nielsen launches its Cross-Platform Campaign Ratings, for multi-platform advertising measurement in the UK, which is a mouthful but will hopefully provide data for advertisers to create the best mix in TV-plus-online campaigns and therefore better targeting across platforms. 

Nielsen’s early results from test campaigns with 10 different brands show that there is a variance in incremental reach – the additional people who see a campaign online who would not have seen it on TV – of between 0.4 per cent and 14.1 per cent when looking at an advertiser’s specified audience for its campaign, with the average being 4.1 per cent.

The beta tests also show that incremental reach is affected by the age and gender of the desired audience for the campaign. For example, in campaigns aimed at young men, adding online placements to a TV schedule tends to generate significantly higher incremental reach than for campaigns aimed at young women. 

Blanket coverage is never a good idea so Nielsen’s measurement tool is a bonus for those who wish to spend wisely and effectively when combining TV advertising and online. 

Another piece of research also throws up some interesting findings around the importance behavioural targeting of campaigns and behavioural market research. 

The study by Microsoft Advertising looks at over 1,500 families and their use of connected devices in the home. It reveals that the average family home contains 10 different devices, with almost six (57 per cent) of these connected to the internet. 

These devices are encouraging family members to ‘second screen’, with three quarters of those surveyed saying they use a separate smartphone, tablet or laptop while watching TV.

What is also interesting is the use of devices to communicate with family members inside the home, as almost one in three (30 per cent) say they use devices such as tablets and smartphones to let each other know when dinner is ready, or ask for help with homework and nearly a third use social networks to communicate with family members, while 16 per cent make video calls to each other.

Being able to clearly see the uses of devices in the home will present opportunities here for future ad campaigns targeting families and with Nielsen’s research advertisers will know what mix of online and TV works, all of which is a positive for better targeting.    

It’s not too late to enter the Marketing Week Data Strategy Awards 2014 as the deadline is now extended to 29 October. Click here for more details. 


Recommended

Yahoo logo

Yahoo’s ad numbers up, but prices down

Ronan Shields

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s stewardship has led to a modest increase the number of ads it sells, but the price of this inventory continues to decline, after the internet giant posted a 5 per cent year-on-year decrease in revenues.