September 2000   

 

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 N E W S  Y O U  C A N  U S E

Online Banner Advertising Lifts Message Association by 12% On Average

Dynamic Logic has found that online advertising raises Message Association by 12% on average. The research was gathered using AdIndex, Dynamic Logic's proprietary research tool and based on over 33,000 interviews.

Message Association refers to the proportion of people who can match a given message with an advertiser (for example - can they match "Just do it" with Nike). To measure this, Dynamic Logic compared message association rates between two groups: Exposed (those who had seen the ads prior to the survey) and Control (those not exposed but were visiting the same sites during the same time frame). The data demonstrates that those who were exposed were able to match the right message to the right brand at statistically higher rates (12% higher).

Advertisers very often want consumers to connect their brand or products with a tagline or value proposition as a way to enhance perceptions of the brand. Dynamic Logic's data provides empirical evidence that online banner ads can communicate beyond the click.

Tips for Online Advertisers:

  • Employ a simple and consistent message
  • Make the words easy to read (avoid small fonts)
  • Include logo in every frame, especially when message appears

* Sample for this report based on 33,433 respondents. The Control and Exposed groups are recruited simultaneously to remove any potential impact of alternate channel marketing efforts. Exposure data was recorded when the banners appeared on the web sites used in the actual campaign. Types of banners tested included airlines, packaged goods, financial services, travel service, health & beauty, entertainment, jewelry/gifts and retail.

 M I K E  A N D  M O L L Y

Advertising Works, I'm Living Proof.

by Mike Carlon

In his book Consumer Behavior and Marketing Action, Henry Assael underscores that a primary objective in advertising strategy is to ensure that consumers will retain the message in memory. In light of our findings on message association, I got to thinking about the role of slogans in advertising. Sadly enough, I realized that I can outline my whole daily routine with taglines. My day typically starts with a glass of OJ ("It's not just for breakfast anymore") and some cereal ("It's a honey of an Oh!") after which, I hop on the train and head into New York ("I Love New York").

Around lunchtime, there are many alternatives to choose from in the city. Some days, I may opt for fast food ("Have you had your break today?") After lunch but before dinner, my trainer suggests I have some type of snack ("An apple a day...").

Around 6:30, I typically call my wife from the road ("The clear alternative to cellular") and let her know what time she can expect me home. Being the consummate red-blooded American male, dinner typically consists of some type of meat ("Beef, its what's for dinner") and a glass of Coke ("Always Coca-Cola").

But why would Internet advertisers be concerned if people like me remember slogans? Surely they seem to crave behavior-oriented responses to measure success. Consider that I remember all of the messages cited in the above paragraphs because they are relevant to me; certainly there are thousands more I cannot recall since they do not apply to my lifestyle. This finding combined with the fact that the Internet is a medium through which advertisers can target messages only to people who will find them relevant highlights why message association is so important.

For four years, Mike has been conducting marketing research for advertisers including, Citibank, Delta Airlines and Unilever. You can write to Mike at mike@dynamiclogic.com


It's All In The Wording



by Molly Hislop

The research we have compiled on Message Association made me realize a critical flaw in many of the ads I see on the web. If you, as the advertiser, have only a few seconds to interact with a consumer, you need to take advantage of that time - and see it as possibly the ONLY time you have with them. While teaser messages may entice people to click on the ads to learn more, experience has shown us all that most people are not going to do so.

Messages - also known as taglines or value propositions - should be seen as "brand enhancers." Since most people are likely to have formed opinions about advertisers who have been around for a while, the opportunity inherent in the message is to build, or change, that perception. Example - Oldsmobile advertising over the past few years has told me that their car "is not my father's Oldsmobile," which has enhanced my perception of their brand and made me realize they might have a product for me.

No less important is the role that message plays for new companies. How many dot-coms have you heard of - yet you have no idea what they do? I can think of many, and had they used a clearer message that explained their business, I may have become a customer.

The key takeaway is that "Click Here" does not do anything to build a brand. Most people are aware of the fact that 468x60 sized images can be clicked on. Instead of stating the obvious, use that space to tell consumers why your products or services are valuable.

Molly Hislop has conducted online and traditional data analysis for such clients as AT&T and American Express. You can write to Molly at molly@dynamiclogic.com




 A B O U T   A D I N D E X

Dynamic Logic's AdIndex® is a research tool used by online advertisers to measure the effectiveness of their campaign beyond click-through. By providing real-time metrics on brand awareness, purchase intent, message association, and creative evaluation; AdIndex empowers online marketers to optimize their campaigns and get a true measure of the campaign's impact.

AdIndex was developed by Dynamic Logic and has multiple patents pending.
www.adindex.com

 A B O U T  C R O S S M E D I A   R E S E A R C H

Dynamic Logic's CrossMedia Research™ measures the value of integrated media packages and quantifies the success of a cross-media campaign that combines online with print, television or radio. CrossMedia Research allows advertisers, agencies and publishers to understand cost effectiveness of different media in the mix.

 A B O U T   M A R K E T N O R M S

Dynamic Logic's MarketNorms® is a leading source of normative data for online marketing effectiveness, with a database of over 1,000,000 completed surveys and more than 10,000 tested creatives. MarketNorms is a powerful, analytical tool that allows advertisers, agencies and publishers to compare effectiveness by vertical (automotive, CPG, pharmaceutical), ad format type (rich media, interstitials, email) and audience (gender, B2B, consumer).
www.marketnorms.com

 C O N T A C T   U S

www.dynamiclogic.com

909 Third Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10022

+1-800-245-2455
+1-212-844-3700
marketing@dynamiclogic.com


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