The CASE study (Cross-platform Advertising Study on Effectiveness and Engagement) consisted of a rigorous two-stage approach. Stage one involved a multinational online questionnaire exposing consumers to diverse media experiences to measure cross-platform effectiveness. Stage two measured attention and engagement through a variety of techniques, including biometrics, eye tracking and in-depth interviews.
"We wanted to show that by complementing advertising on CNN TV with ads on CNN.com and CNN mobile, an advertiser can markedly increase campaign recall, leading to positive shifts in brand attitudes,” commented Didier Mormesse, SVP Research, CNN International. "The fact that these respondents were not primed for an advertising study makes these results even more poignant."
Body responses, such as heart rate, motion, respiratory rate and galvanic skin response (sweating) were translated into measures of "attention" and "engagement" - the Holy Grail for advertisers. These were collected by using a lightweight “smart vest”, which respondents wore while watching CNN programming and advertising.
The biometric research proved that CNN television and online content prompted an emotional response from the audience. Perhaps contrary to popular belief that viewers disengage once scheduled programming ends, the results also showed that engagement actually can increase by as much as 10% during advertising breaks.
Jonathan Davies, EVP, CNN advertising sales added: "In the current economic climate, CNN is committed to demonstrating ROI for every advertising dollar spent. This study shows it is content that provides the springboard for advertisers to secure meaningful connections with audiences. In conjunction with our recent PWC study, it provides valuable industry insight to help brands market smarter."
The level of attention an advertisement receives impacts the ability of respondents to remember the brand. When respondents viewed advertising online and on mobile, they were more attentive, increasing the likelihood of advertising being noticed and adding to the recall of the overall campaign.
For example, using the eye-tracking technology, which measures the time viewers spend gazing at points on a web or mobile page, users' eyes were on the video window on the CNN website for 66 to 80% of the time that the video story was playing. Video attention is higher still during the pre-roll advert. In fact, on average, the users' eyes are on the pre-roll advert for 77 to 87% of its duration.
The research showed that despite the high cross-over between the audiences of all the CNN properties, the audience is in a different state of mind when online, or using a mobile phone, versus watching television. Generally, audiences were more attentive (though not necessarily more engaged) when online or mobile than when watching television.
For example, one in five consumers who were exposed to TV advertising for a well-known bank were spontaneously able to recall the brand advertised; however when online and mobile advertising were added, this figure rose to one in three.
With video viewing online and television viewing both prompting a strong emotional response from respondents, by combining TV advertising with online advertising, brands could be on to a winning formula.
Click here for more information:http://cnnmediainfo.com/research/effectiveness_engagement_study.
