Video-On-Demand Campaigns Seen Complementing TV Advertising

A research study [pdf] conducted in the UK between October 2011 and November 2012 by Tremor Video and the IAB UK has found that video-on-demand (VOD) campaigns can serve as an effective complement to TV advertising, increasing both brand awareness and message association, particularly among light TV viewers. In one campaign, 29% of survey respondents in the UK who watched TV and VOD ads correctly associated the brand with its messages prior to the brand’s campaign, with that figure rising to 48% after the brand’s 2-month TV and VOD campaign, higher than the 43.6% among those only exposed to the TV ads.

After the 2-month TV and VOD campaign, the brand’s advertising continued on VOD alone for a month. The study reveals that among those exposed to the VOD ads during that month, 32% associated the brand with its messages, higher than the pre-campaign level of 29%. What’s more, among those who not exposed to the VOD ads, advertising “decay” was apparent, with only 26% making the correct association.
A separate campaign found a similar gap when looking at post-campaign VOD advertising. In that campaign, 33% of respondents who watched TV and VOD content named the brand in an unaided manner (naming the brand when asked what companies came to mind when thinking about a specific industry) prior to the TV and VOD campaign. In this case, those exposed to the 2-month TV and VOD campaign didn’t show much of a lift in brand awareness as those exposed to TV only. But, after a single month of post-TV campaign VOD advertising, unaided awareness grew to 41.4% of viewers exposed to those ads, as opposed to 35.9% not exposed.
The researchers also note that when VOD is added to a TV campaign, unaided awareness and message association improve to a “higher degree when targeting affluent consumers who are light TV viewers watching less than 2 hours of TV per day.” They posit that this is the case because light viewers might be exposed to a TV ad only a single time, whereas they can be reached fairly effectively via VOD to enhance brand awareness and message association.
Medium and heavy TV viewers (watching more than 2 hours a day) are exposed to more TV advertising, so are not as susceptible to a lift from a VOD campaign.
The study also concludes that VOD on its own is an effective way to raise brand awareness after a TV campaign ends, noting also that among light TV viewers, it’s less expensive to raise brand awareness and message association per percentage point, per person, via TV and VOD than via TV alone.
About the Data: The study provides a fairly exhaustive description of its methodology, which can be found at the end of the document linked to above.
Topics: Branding, Case Studies, Europe, Television, Traditional, Wealth