Web Helps in TV Ad Recall

Rather than competing with mainstream media for ad dollars, the Web might serve as a valuable add-on to traditional media buys, according to findings from Millward Brown IntelliQuest.

In a February study sponsored by the New York-based Online Publishers Association, Millward Brown found that when used in concert with Web advertising, television spots become more memorable.

The researcher monitored consumers’ ad recall a day after being exposed to a single viewing of a television spot for the U.S. Air Force. Consumers that also saw online ads were about 30 times’ more likely to remember the TV spot than if they saw the TV spot alone. Thirty-two percent of the Web-and-TV group recalled the ad; only 23 percent of those that saw just the television spot were able to recall it.

Similarly, the study also concluded that viewers recalled the Web ad better when they had also seen the TV spot. Sixty-five percent of respondents who saw only the Air Force’s online ad said they remembered seeing it a day later, while 78 percent of the TV-and-Web viewers recalled it.

Results also indicated that the Web ad had a greater impact than the television spot. A day after seeing it online, participants demonstrated a 45 percent increase in recalling having seen an Air Force ad; viewers of the TV spot alone showed no day-after increase in recalling the ad or the advertiser.

The television ad used in testing ran during an episode of ABC Television’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” A corresponding banner and several buttons and badges ran on ESPN.com’s “NHL Plays of the Week” area in a sponsorship-type setup.

The findings continue efforts by industry groups like the Online Publishers Association and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) to field studies attesting to the efficacy of online advertising, and encouraging its greater use in cross-media buys.

“This research shows how powerful the ‘brick and click’ combination of online and TV can be for marketers,” said OPA Executive Director Michael Zimbalist. “TV advertisers who aren’t currently including online in their media plans are missing an opportunity to boost the overall effectiveness of their campaigns.”

Added Jill Otto, group media director of the Air Force’s agency GSD&M, “This research gives us confidence that including online in the media mix can help further the brand goals of our clients.”

Web ad server DoubleClick released a study done in conjunction with researchers Information Resources, Inc. and Dynamic Logic, which indicated that online advertising increased offline sales of consumer goods by a measurable amount.

Also, Microsoft’s MSN unveiled a study in conjunction with the IAB and consumer products giant Unilever, suggesting that the effectiveness of multi-media campaigns improves as the role of online media in the buy increases.

Reprinted from Internet Advertising Report.