December 14, 2007
Ads on Riveting Shows Drive Brand Recognition
By Tom Ryan
Products placed by advertisers in “emotionally engaging” TV programs enjoy a recognition rate by 43 percent more viewers than similar placement on low-engagement shows, according to a survey from The Nielsen Co. The research, contained in the new issue of Nielsen’s Consumer Insight, was designed to help marketers understand the linkage between brand performance and TV program content.
Among the findings:
- Brand recognition increased 29 percent for product placements during highly enjoyable
programs compared to low-enjoyment shows, 21 percent for commercial spots,
and 5 percent for the combination of a product placement and commercial spot
for that brand; - Positive brand feelings increased by 85 percent for product placements,
75 percent for commercial spots and 68 percent for combined campaigns when
the program was highly enjoyable over low-enjoyment shows; - Purchase interest increased 145 percent for product placements, 120 percent
for commercial spots and 97 percent when the exposure consisted of both a
placement and commercial for highly enjoyable programs.
Nielsen says the research shows that the consumer purchase cycle is very much influenced by emotional factors, and to leverage the annual promotional spend, advertisers would be well-served to understand their consumers’ viewing habits, their preferences and their level of emotional connection with the programs they’re watching.
“When you link your advertising with a program that resonates with consumers, viewers will remember your ads,” Kathy Mancini, editor of Nielsen Consumer Insight, told Brandweek. “There are so many choices out there, with people passing by commercials, that if the spot keeps a viewer interested, that’s huge for advertisers right then and there.”
The Nielsen findings were based on a survey of approximately 10,000 individuals, 200 consumer brands and 50 TV programs. Participants were asked a variety of questions in terms of their engagement with specific programming, including their overall program enjoyment. Additional engagement questions included entertainment value, believability, information value, emotional resonance and more.
Discussion Question: Do you think advertisements around highly engaging shows are more important these days than in the past?
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There’s a lot to be said for subconscious sales techniques. Positive emotional ties that include brand placement should have long lasting positive effects on the brand image.
We should all re-visit our university psychology classes where we learned about getting inside peoples’ heads with our idea and learned to make it their idea. This is a similar trick to playing the right music in a store at the right time of the day. Italian music in the pasta aisle can help fill the basket.
This has always been the case. There is a reason why advertising is more expensive in some programs while a bargain in others–this is “Advertising 101.”
Advertisers need to look beyond the obvious on this issue and recognize the implications: The media vehicle is just as important as the message.
It’s akin to the old adage “if a tree falls in the forest…”
There are so many new engaging media vehicles such as online social networks, texting, gaming, and so forth, and the smart use of them by advertisers will yield dividends in the form of increased traffic, repeat business, and brand building, not seen since the golden age of TV.
Television still has a role in advertising, but it’s no longer the only route.
I’m fuzzy on this “emotionally engaging” concept. Is the insinuation that we used to watch shows we did not like (an emotion, I think) and buy the advertisers’ products anyway? Now, THAT would be interesting research.
Retail stores in heavily filmed areas (the New York, Los Angeles, and Miami areas, for example) can make it easier for their locations to be used by film and TV shows. Retailers with deeper pockets can subsidize tie-ins for themselves by paying entertainment companies to use sets that reproduce their stores and include their names in characters’ dialog. There is a magic feeling about show business that can be used to glamorize retailing.
A two-location retailer (who will remain nameless to protect the guilty) didn’t want to allow Ben Affleck to film a scene in a store at night, after the store is normally closed. The boss’ rationale: he didn’t want to pay his employees a few hours of overtime to watch the store, even though the movie company was willing to pay that expense and a nice profit.
No surprise that if viewers are paying closer attention to the programming (because it’s “emotionally engaging”) they will likely pay closer attention to the commercials, too…or at least be less likely to channel-surf or fast-forward. It would be interesting to see a correlation between “emotionally engaging” and overall viewership, to see how it affects the response rate to commercials. Is a high-rated show that is also perceived as less engaging a weaker platform for TV commercials compared to a more engaging show with lower viewership? This sort of study could turn some heads and affect ad spending.
This could have a major effect on branding and placement. This is something that many of would say makes sense but to have this kind of data can have a tremendous effect. Companies will look at this and ask where they can place their product or brand where people will be having a positive experience.
This as been happening for years but most of us may not have recognized what was going on. Think about the advertising at the ballpark, NASCAR, or other sporting events.
Let’s face it, emotion does trigger attention, memory and behavior. Emotional creative works, especially when it’s placed with a keen eye toward relevancy to its target audience.
It can work in the store, online, and in an event environment, and on TV. Measuring engagement is the holy grail; our industry should take steps in every medium to understand the impact of engagement. Relevancy drives engagement, emotion drives desire. These things can trump convenience and, oftentimes, even price.
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There’s a lot to be said for subconscious sales techniques. Positive emotional ties that include brand placement should have long lasting positive effects on the brand image.
We should all re-visit our university psychology classes where we learned about getting inside peoples’ heads with our idea and learned to make it their idea. This is a similar trick to playing the right music in a store at the right time of the day. Italian music in the pasta aisle can help fill the basket.
This has always been the case. There is a reason why advertising is more expensive in some programs while a bargain in others–this is “Advertising 101.”
Advertisers need to look beyond the obvious on this issue and recognize the implications: The media vehicle is just as important as the message.
It’s akin to the old adage “if a tree falls in the forest…”
There are so many new engaging media vehicles such as online social networks, texting, gaming, and so forth, and the smart use of them by advertisers will yield dividends in the form of increased traffic, repeat business, and brand building, not seen since the golden age of TV.
Television still has a role in advertising, but it’s no longer the only route.
I’m fuzzy on this “emotionally engaging” concept. Is the insinuation that we used to watch shows we did not like (an emotion, I think) and buy the advertisers’ products anyway? Now, THAT would be interesting research.
Retail stores in heavily filmed areas (the New York, Los Angeles, and Miami areas, for example) can make it easier for their locations to be used by film and TV shows. Retailers with deeper pockets can subsidize tie-ins for themselves by paying entertainment companies to use sets that reproduce their stores and include their names in characters’ dialog. There is a magic feeling about show business that can be used to glamorize retailing.
A two-location retailer (who will remain nameless to protect the guilty) didn’t want to allow Ben Affleck to film a scene in a store at night, after the store is normally closed. The boss’ rationale: he didn’t want to pay his employees a few hours of overtime to watch the store, even though the movie company was willing to pay that expense and a nice profit.
No surprise that if viewers are paying closer attention to the programming (because it’s “emotionally engaging”) they will likely pay closer attention to the commercials, too…or at least be less likely to channel-surf or fast-forward. It would be interesting to see a correlation between “emotionally engaging” and overall viewership, to see how it affects the response rate to commercials. Is a high-rated show that is also perceived as less engaging a weaker platform for TV commercials compared to a more engaging show with lower viewership? This sort of study could turn some heads and affect ad spending.
This could have a major effect on branding and placement. This is something that many of would say makes sense but to have this kind of data can have a tremendous effect. Companies will look at this and ask where they can place their product or brand where people will be having a positive experience.
This as been happening for years but most of us may not have recognized what was going on. Think about the advertising at the ballpark, NASCAR, or other sporting events.
Let’s face it, emotion does trigger attention, memory and behavior. Emotional creative works, especially when it’s placed with a keen eye toward relevancy to its target audience.
It can work in the store, online, and in an event environment, and on TV. Measuring engagement is the holy grail; our industry should take steps in every medium to understand the impact of engagement. Relevancy drives engagement, emotion drives desire. These things can trump convenience and, oftentimes, even price.