September 19, 2012
The three C’s – clutter, creative and context – bolster video ad effectiveness, especially when viewed on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, according to new research from YuMe and IPG.
Since smartphones and tablets offer greater engagement and context without the clutter of television, most consumers have a greater ad recall when they are viewed on these devices. Interestingly, the research did not find that this cannibalized TV advertising.
“People have become very accustomed to TV advertising with all the distractions,” said Travis Hockersmith, senior director of client strategy for YuMe, Redwood City, CA.
“There is quite a bit more attention on online video ads because we found that most people sit through the video to get to what they are looking for,” he said. “However, there is not nearly the correlation between excitement, excitement and recall.
“The three C’s are helping move the needle in terms of ad effectiveness.”
The three C's
The three C’s include clutter, creative and context.
TV is the most effective to garner attention and elicit emotion, but fell short because of the overall clutter on the space.
Also, it is difficult for luxury brands to effectively target audiences via TV because of the mass-marketing nature of the channel.
Missoni for Target ad found on online video service Hulu
The second C is creative. Ad effectiveness is varied greatly by ad context.
Creative quality is a strong driver in ad recall. Also, ad effectiveness aligns with ad likability.
Auto brands have the second-highest likability at 58 percent and the highest recall rate of 36 percent.
Meanwhile, retail brands have 52 percent likability and 13 percent recall.
BMW ad on Hulu
The third C is context, which is two-fold. The first component involves content, where the research found that the most engaging content attracted the most attention.
The second part is the physical environment. Lean-back environments such as at-home viewing enhance attentiveness.
Therefore, brands should send engaging, provoking ads out at times when they know their consumers will be at home and less distracted.
Targeting your audience
The medium on which consumers view these ads is also relevant.
Obviously, consumers are less likely to pay attention to TV ads than they are to those viewed on tablets and mobile devices.
Some brands are already taking advantage of online video advertising.
For example, German automaker BMW upped its mobile marketing through a variety of video ads on Hulu Plus’ mobile application for the iPhone.
BMW pushed the new 3 Series and its DESIR3 campaign with various short clips in between commercial breaks while consumers watched television shows and movies on their mobile devices. The ads connected to a mobile-optimized site where users could learn about the 3 Series and scope out a BMW dealership (see story).
Also, the Missoni for Target collection tapped Hulu to showcase its commercial before the line dropped in stores (see story).
More than anything, consumers are more attached to the content than they are to the device, Mr. Hockersmith said.
Consumers want content to be available on all of the screens, but are reaching for the best screen possible based on their current environment.
“Viewers want the biggest screen possible, but one that fits with their current environment,” Mr. Hockersmith said. “Consumers have a relationship with the content, and they will get to it no matter what screen they are on.
“But for luxury brands especially, affluent individuals are more likely to have smartphones and devices,” he said. “Therefore, they are much better able to market to consumers on devices with lower clutter.”
Final Take
Rachel Lamb, associate reporter on Luxury Daily, New York
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