“There are lots of consumer emotions that brands would love to own, but one of the first challenges for most advertisers is to ‘grab attention’ in a cluttered world, and they often have a few seconds to do this. The Format Effect showed that mobile ad formats that encourage interactivity and participation can trigger certain short-term emotions like ‘excited’, ‘surprised’ and ‘intrigued’. If marketers can deliver some of these emotions through their advertising, these can have a positive impact on the brand” Said Mike Jeanes, Global Head of Insight, Publicitas
In an interaction with MediAvataar MENA Mike talked about key information for the new age marketers which will make you go all emotional.
Here is the complete Q&A….
MediAvataar: Is the role of interactive formats dying?
Mike: The role of interactive mobile formats certainly isn’t dying – it’s simply evolving with ad tech. These formats are interesting to marketers because consumers are not only interacting more with content, but they are also becoming more selective about the formats they choose to engage with – and it’s the ad formats that encourage participation and involvement that have most influence on brand perception, consideration and purchase.
MediAvataar: What are interstitial ads? How have they evolved or not with time?
Mike: The standard definition of an interstitial is a unit that takes over the entire screen and is inserted in the normal flow of edit – they tend to be quite imposing and can disrupt the content consumption experience. They have evolved to some degree, but it’s rich media and more immersive formats that are now taking center stage.
MediAvataar: Why do you think marketers need to move beyond the traditional CTRs and SARs which are relevant only to their clients?
Mike: I think these base measures are still important, but there seems to be increased interest among marketers to re-connect with consumers and understand how they interact with digital advertising, and what they actually want from evolving technology. What I’d like to see in the coming years is a much closer relationship between ad tech and insights before we lose sight of who we’re trying to serve, and what the consumer actually wants.
MediAvataar: Do marketers really strive to evoke a certain emotion, when it comes to ads?
Mike: They should if they don’t. Our recent research, The Format Effect, identified some key emotions where interactive mobile ad formats over-delivered compared to interstitials, and if marketers can trigger some of these emotions, there could be a ‘doubling effect’ for some brand metrics including brand appeal and consideration.
MediAvataar: How to cut through the advertising noise and emotionally connect with consumers?
Mike: There are lots of consumer emotions that brands would love to own, but one of the first challenges for most advertisers is to ‘grab attention’ in a cluttered world, and they often have a few seconds to do this. The Format Effect showed that mobile ad formats that encourage interactivity and participation can trigger certain short-term emotions like ‘excited’, ‘surprised’ and ‘intrigued’. If marketers can deliver some of these emotions through their advertising, these can have a positive impact on the brand
MediAvataar: Consideration, focusing on the customers – what do you think are the key terms?
Mike: Brand consideration and ultimately purchase are obvious end goals for most advertisers, but there are lots of other elements to consider – a few key pointers are highlighted in The Format Effect research:
1. Achieving stand out. If advertising can be seen to be ‘different from other ads’ by the formats within which they appear, they are more likely get noticed quickly
2. Create enjoyment. Consumers that enjoy an advertising format are more likely to be receptive to the messages it conveys and respond to it positively
3. Deliver attractive formats. If a format delivers attractive ‘image attributes’ it is more likely to connect with the consumer in a positive way, hold their attention, and have a positive brand impact
4. Consider format appeal. There is a close relationship between format appeal and the perception of the brands. A positive perception of an ad format, can instil a positive brand opinion
5. Remember empathy when developing creative. If the right emotions can be triggered, it has a potential ‘doubling effect’ on key brand measures including consideration to buy
MediAvataar: What is the global feeling when it comes to your findings of emotions and consideration?
Mike: I think there’s a general consensus among global marketers that connecting with consumers on an ‘emotional level’ can benefit brands. Our research confirmed this and offers specific emotional descriptors that brands should look to deliver when considering their advertising format choices.
MediAvataar: Please share some interesting facts from your “The Format Effect” report.
Mike: The mobile results (Part I) show that interactive formats are far more appealing and engaging than interstitials, and more likely to influence brand effect – the highlight being brand consideration is +32% higher for consumers exposed to interactive mobile ad formats vs. interstitials. The video research (Part II) shows that outstream formats are more likely to retain consumers ‘within the content environment’. Outstream viewers are also +27% more likely to remember the brand advertised vs. those exposed to preroll and +65% more likely to consider a purchase.
MediAvataar: What according to you is an ideal content/ad communication scenario?
Mike: There’s so many to choose from, but it would have to be a campaign that is designed to immerse viewers into amazing environments. I liked Samsung’s recent 360 campaign on reuters.com and also Hilton’s 360-degree mobile video campaign that offers viewers a virtual holiday in Barbados, bring the campaign to life, by taking them from the hotel balcony, to the swimming pool and diving among the coral reef.
MediAvataar: What according to you our region’s (MENA) marketers must do and not do? Middle East research availability?
Mike: From what I see, MENA appears to be at that ‘developing stage’ for digital advertising – its share of total ad spend and mobile share are still small compared to other regions, whilst mobile user penetrations continue to build steadily. As long as the technologies and infrastructures are in place, we are likely to see rapid growth in mobile ad spend in MENA in the coming years (several forecast reports support this) – so I think the challenge is more about encouraging advertising planners and brands to build digital into their plans, and fully exploit these new opportunities.