The rise of digital media as an engaging channel for consumers has seen budgets, investment, and marketing efforts shifting away from traditional media such as broadcasting and print, and toward paid and online. However, while the rich diversity and engagement potential of digital media does offer an enticing proposition for marketers, the reach and impact of television advertising still offers advertisers an attractive proposition in building the crucial awareness that reassures consumers about a brand. However, airtime doesn’t come cheap, so how do advertisers ensure that their television campaigns are delivering the kind of value that ensures the channel remains a worthy investment?
When you consider that 30 seconds of airtime coverage during the Super Bowl cost advertisers $4.5 million, it’s clear that high profile (and high budget) television advertising is still regarded as a valuable channel for brands to operate. However, it remains a challenge for brands to measure the true value of their television campaigns.
With the ability to track, measure, and attribute consumer interactions on online channels becoming more accurate, it’s little wonder that three digital channels (social, mobile, and email) are set to dominate marketing budgets in the next three to five years.
Quite simply, the advent of digital media means there are other channels for brands to invest their budgets, such as paid or social media, channels which are arguably more effective at building authority and trust, and creating brand awareness among consumers.
Increasingly, advertisers who engage in television advertising are under pressure to deliver. What can advertisers do to ensure their television advertising counts?
Integrating Television Advertising: Super Bowl 2015
Insights from agency wywy, exploring brand performance over last weekend’s Super Bowl, suggest that the key to achieving value from television advertising is to integrate it with wider campaigns. wywy’s research cited that up to 78 percent of Internet users access second-screen devices when watching television, and one-third check out product information after viewing a TV ad.
A study of the Super Bowl 2015 ads that aired on national TV, wywy found that most brands used social media in conjunction with their television advertising campaigns.
These are healthy statistics, but several advertisers still fail to integrate television with wider marketing efforts, resulting in a disconnect. Wywy’s study found that of the 56 brands who aired ads during the Super Bowl:
- 18 percent didn’t connect experiences on brand websites with the messaging or tag lines of their Super Bowl adverts.
- 37 percent of websites displayed products with compromised visibility (in a slide show, a small space, or lower on the display forcing users to scroll).
On mobile devices, some brands failed to connect up the advertorial push of their campaign:
- 20 percent didn’t connect their mobile website experience to the Super Bowl ad message.
- 42 percent displayed products with compromised visibility.
The figures above represent a large proportion of brands that are perhaps focusing too heavily on the impact of expensive television campaigns, and neglecting the golden rule in marketing: to integrate efforts in a way where channels can complement each other and connect seamless user experiences.
“The Super Bowl is a one-of-a-kind TV advertising opportunity for brands and the receptivity is highly positive, but sales are being sent to the sidelines when the campaign isn’t carried through across screens,” said Andreas Schroeter, co-founder and COO of wywy. “Consumers now expect brands to tell the same message regardless of the screen and way they interact.”
Cross-Screen Integration: Budweiser And Minibar
One example of a brand that managed to put cross-platform integration into practice was perennial Super Bowl advertiser Budweiser. The beer manufacturer partnered with Minibar, an on-demand alcohol delivery platform. The case shows how television advertising can be connected with cross-screen experiences to help drive sales.
When Budweiser screened their “Lost Dog” puppy commercial, Minibar sent a synchronized push notification to their entire network, allowing brand buzz and excellent provision of user experience to work together to generate healthy sales.
The move resulted in the highest single day of Budweiser sales on Minibar, ever. In addition:
- Budweiser orders up 500 percent vs. prior week
- Budweiser dollar sales up 650 percent vs. prior week
- In-app mobile engagement jumped 400 percent during the 10 minutes surrounding the push notification
- 80 percent increase in single day new app users
Advertisers Must Ensure TV Campaigns Deliver Value
All too often, brands neglect wider marketing goals in their attempts to deliver impactful advertising. To really deliver value, brands need to integrate efforts and tie together omnichannel experiences to fit the way people are consuming digital media.
“Television advertising fits in only if, for the most part, it complements your other forms of media in a way that can be sustained over the medium and long term,” said PR expert Jason Vines, communications consultant and author of new book “What Did Jesus Drive?: Crisis PR in Cars, Computers and Christianity”, and former head of communications at Nissan, Ford, and Chrysler. “One-off hits are nothing more than a massaging of corporate ego. Television advertising, no matter how clever, must relate a message that is memorable and can be regurgitated by the target audience.
“A Super Bowl ad is no use to a brand if a week later, people are saying: ‘Hey, you see that cool ad with the cats?’ ‘Yeah, what company was that for?’ Ouch,” he added. “Brands need to ensure they don’t let the cleverness overwhelm the necessary product message they need to communicate.”
Essentially, brands should approach television advertising as many in the industry have learned to approach digital media: by putting consumers first, and encouraging engagement across screens and channels, rather than promoting siloed promotional content.
“Advertising on television needs to be regarded as just one part of a complete connected storytelling campaign, and ideally as the starting point.” Schroeter said, “Brands should aim to ignite the conversation with TV advertising and encourage further consumer engagement and action via online channels and search.”
One in three TV viewers look up product related information after watching a TV ad, and 80 percent of TV inspired site visits take place within 90 seconds of an ad being aired, according to Schroeter. By synchronizing TV ads with search engine advertising campaigns, displaying the advertised product on the brand’s homepage, and measuring the resulting traffic uplift via TV analytics, ROI and conversion rates can be significantly boosted for advertisers.
“Advertising on television is now regarded as a ‘traditional’ advertising method, but it still serves a vital role for modern advertising campaigns and has two main USPs. Firstly, the sheer audience reach and secondly, the greater emotional engagement achieved via audio and visual brand storytelling,” Schroeter said. “Although the benefits of television advertising are highly desirable to marketers, TV needs to be regarded as just one part of a complete connected storytelling campaign, and ideally as the starting point.”
How can television advertisers engage in better cross-screen and integrated practices?