ARF's Paul Donato on Impacting the Ad Effect and Insuring Brand Safety

Paul Donato Chief Research Officer at the ARF has conducted considerable research in these areas and spoke to MediaVillage about hisamp160insights and conclusionsCharlene Weisleramp160 What do you mean by contextPaul Donatoamp160 The context of an ad is the environment in which the advertisement is viewed from the content surrounding the ad to the platform on which it appearsamp160 There is a large body of evidence supporting the premise that the context of an ad can affect perception of the ad both positively and negativelyWeisleramp160 And brand safetyDonatoamp160 Brand safety is an issue that arises when the context of the ad usually the content that the ad appears in tandem with causes negative consumer reactions that can impact perception of the brand being advertisedamp160 Brands are afraid to appear next to unsavory content out of the fear that they may lose consumer trust and hurt brand equity if they are perceived as being supportive of that contentWeisleramp160 What are some of the highlights of the research you have seen regarding the effect ad context can have on perception and recallDonatoamp160 The research on the context effect goes back about 60 yearsamp160 Studies have shown both positive and negative effects from ad context though the focus lately has been on negative effects given recent brand safety controversiesamp160 Most studies on the context effect have involved television commercials and the general consensus was that the programs surrounding the commercials did impact the response consumers had to themamp160 Studies found that consumers were more likely to recall commercials in their favorite programsamp160and that advertising was more effective when there was alignment between the program and the product being advertisedA recent ARF review of research on the context effect found thatamp160while the evidence clearly supports the legitimacy of the context effect the studies don39t sufficiently explain why the context effect occursamp160 Additionally the ad context is difficult to isolate as it interacts with factors like brand and product characteristics and consumer attitudesWeisleramp160 How does context impact ad receptivityDonatoamp160 The context of an ad impacts consumers39 state of mind attention levelamp160and emotions which sets the stage for how an ad is perceived and processedamp160 However context is only a secondary factor to be considered because quality of ad creative reach and targeting are usually much more important in determining those responsesWeisleramp160 What are the elements of context and which ones are most pivotalDonatoamp160 The content the ad appears in and the other ads it is surrounded by the media platform or brand the device and time and place all contribute to the context of an advertisementamp160 Evidence is strongest regarding the content the advertising appears next to like the program a commercial appears in the text of an article next to a display ad or the video content that follows a preroll adamp160 How can an advertiser control for maximal context and brand safetyamp160 How can ad context be used strategically to drive increased ad recall and more positive ad perceptionamp160amp160It39s important for brands to conduct research with target consumers to uncover reactions to the content and context in which they plan to place their ads as there is no onesizefitsall approachamp160 Brands should look for their target consumers39 preferred content the content they pay the most attention to and the content that prompts the most positive emotionsamp160 By placing ads in these contexts brands stand a better chance of improved ad perception and recall from consumersThe other way to improve ad effectiveness using the context effect is to align advertising with the content it will appear with on multiple emotional dimensions which creates a sort of halo effectamp160 It39s not enough to include a footballthemed ad to play during a big game advertisers need to understand why consumers love the specific sport and how their teams make them feel to create a strong alignment with the programming and the consumers39 emotional stateCompanies that conduct the necessary research and consider context from the beginning of the ad creation process will see the biggest gains from the context effectClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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ARF's Paul Donato on Impacting the Ad Effect and Insuring Brand Safety

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Charlene Weisler

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ARF's Paul Donato on Impacting the Ad Effect and Insuring Brand Safety

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Charlene Weisler

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