Study Confirms Broad Reach + Quality Content Drives ROI

So what happened to datadriven targeting I think what the sales data shows or at least reminds marketers of is the power of largescale quality contentOur research at ABC supports this conclusion Working with Accenture last year we analyzed 12 billion of actual media spending with actual sales data We broke out spending on different media types over three years We looked at the effectiveness of each media typeamp160and at the interaction between different media typesHere is what we foundMultiplatform TV advertising amp8211 for example Grey39s Anatomy watched live on linear television or on demand on any device amp8211 had measurable longterm impact Over a threeyear period multiplatform TV advertising drove substantially more incremental sales than any other medium we measured and its impact in Years 2 andamp1603 was larger than Year 1Multiplatform TV has a halo effect on search displayamp160and shortform video advertising Having multiplatform TV in the mix helps other media work harderThe marginal returns of an incremental dollar spent on multiplatform TV diminish at a much slower rate than a dollar spent on search displayamp160or shortform videoLongform digital video such as that Grey39s Anatomy episode on mobile desktop or connected TVs is the most effective form of digital advertising Grey39s Anatomy stars Justin Chambers and Camilla Luddington are pictured at topA whitepaper with all the detail on this study is available on ABCAllAccessPremium video gives advertisers an environment of sight sound motionamp160and emotion to deliver their message Running in a quality show or environment signals product quality to consumers It39s why the most expensive advertising of the year is on the Academy Awards or the Super Bowl amp160even though those shows both deliver a broad not targeted audienceIndeed the ABCAccenture study validates the value of broadreach and quality programming The most effective medium measure was multiplatform TV which is almost entirely transacted on a broad demographic basis not datadriven targetingIs it possible that highly targeted advertising is proving to be less effective for brands The strategy shifts at PampampG and Coke certainly suggest it is possible The researcher Byron Sharp who wrote How Brands Growamp160demonstrates empirically that a brand39s sales growth comes from quotlight buyersquot Targeted media is nearly always directed at existing buyers or lookalike models of existing buyers That39s an approach that doesn39t capture the light or future buyer who is crucial to lifting sales What John Wanamaker thought of as quotwastequot is actually an investment in attracting light buyers and building a brandAs many have noted broad advertising in quality content seeds a brand39s message in our culture It creates a cultural understanding of what kind of person you areamp160by what kind of products you purchase Are you a laidback person who likes to relax at the beach Do you want people to think of you that way Then bring Corona to the party because that brand39s beachoriented ad creative has established that connection with their brand and therefore with you amp160if you drink Coronaamp160This concept is important The advertising says something about the brand and the brand you choose says something about you Your car your beer your phone your handbag all say something about you and what they say is very much informed by advertisingThis is where targeted advertising misses For a brand39s identity to be part of our culture for people to think of Corona as the quotchilling out on the beachquot beeramp160it must be a common widely held understanding The message has to be internalized not just by the person choosing Corona but by everyone else tooamp160 For a brand to justify a premium or be selected over a generic competitor it must offer value based on its performance as well as its brand equity And the only way to create a widely understood image is through mass not targeted mediaamp160 Mass reach is the competitive advantage of multiplatform TV in generalamp160and broadcast TV in particular Mass reach is how a brand39s message becomes part of our culture And mass reach is driven by broadly appealing high quality content This is why sophisticated marketers like PampampG and Coke choose to build their brands in the most premium broadreaching environment multiplatform TVNow with all of that said not every brand is a badge and we are still doing a lot of work around datatargeted sales at ABC We see the marketplace momentum around datadriven targeting and it clearly has a place in the marketing mix None of us want be the ostrich with its head in the sand We have to embrace datatargeted advertising but with a clear understanding that there are challenges and limitationsWe think about ads in broadreach quality content and datatargeted advertising as two ends of a spectrum We don39t think it will be all or nothing in the futureamp160 A smart marketing mix will leverage both tactics which means our industry needs to invest on both frontsClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Study Confirms Broad Reach + Quality Content Drives ROI

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Pooja Midha

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Study Confirms Broad Reach + Quality Content Drives ROI

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