Tag: research
Study links long-term growth to brand characters
New research out this week from the IPA and System1 has proved the “tangible value” of creativity in brand advertising to achieve long-term growth.
Ads that use creativity in the form of brand characters or motifs are better at eliciting an emotional response and boosting brand recognition.
Yet despite this, only 10% of all TV advertising spend is currently invested on characters within ads. Despite the fact they outperform ads without them.
Furthermore, even when brands do use a character, they are not using them widely and consistently, either on TV or across other platforms. For instance, on average, only 63% of a brand’s TV ads feature their character, while only a quarter of their Facebook ads do, thus limiting their impact.
System1 conducted a tagging exercise on more than 3,250 ads airing on UK TV last year to identify ads using characters and establish the opportunities their use holds for advertisers.
The authors said that creative campaigns work better because they generate greater emotional response and establish memory structures that enable “fast and reliable” brand recognition.
The research reveals that, in the UK, 43% of all TV advertising spend is on work of an emotional quality “unlikely to contribute to long-term share growth”, with similar results in the US market.
Source: Media Tel
Our round-up of Rajar Q1 2018
Our round-up of Rajar Q1 2018
The first Rajar results of 2018 have been released, and it is a mixed news for stations across North & South Wales experiencing ups and downs.
The crucial take-away from this quarter’s figures is that commercial radio has recorded its highest ever reach; 90% of the UK population now tune in to radio every week.
Smooth Radio South Wales suffered the biggest drop in listeners with a decline of -20.34%. Capital North West and Wales wasn’t far behind with a decline of -17.09%.
Although Heart South Wales suffered a drop in reach, down –4.09% from 416,000 to 399,000 listeners, it still maintains the top spot for listeners across Wales.
Stations to see an increase in listener numbers included 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire whose reach increased 10%, from 38,000 to 42,000 and 106.3 Bridge FM who saw an increase of 12% from 33,000 to 37,000.
Across the board, generally average listening hours per person saw little change. This was an exception for Smooth Radio South Wales who saw a staggering decrease in their average listening hours by over half, falling from 10.1 hours per listener to just 4.2 hours.
UK Wide
Great news for commercial radio which saw the Heart network overtake the BBC in terms of weekly reach for the first time ever, the first commercial station to overtake the BBC. The expansion of DAB coverage has allowed digital-only stations such as BBC 6 and Kisstory to achieve record-breaking audiences in the first quarter of 2018.
The crucial take-away from this quarter’s figures is that commercial radio has recorded its highest ever reach; 90% of the UK population tune in to radio every week. The figures also show the innovation of radio into a digital platform; 63% of the UK population listen to digital radio every week via DAB, DTV, online or through an app. The digital share of the radio market is up 8% on last year.
If you want to include radio into your media mix or aren’t sure if you are using the right station(s) to deliver your campaign objectives then get in touch with us at The Media Angel. We’re here to offer impartial media guidance to ensure the best ROI on your marketing campaigns.
If you need expert advice on ensuring you’re using the right radio station(s) or want to start including radio in your marketing mix then get in touch
Ring: 02921 320200.
#LoveMarketing.
UK’s Top 20 Strongest Brands Revealed
The Top 20 strongest brands in the UK has been voted for and Lego has come out at the top!
The Centre for Brand Analysis asked 2,500 consumers to rank each brand for quality, reliability and distinction.
Previous winner British Airways fell out of the Top 20 all together as did Google and Amazon.
Rising brand names in the top 20 are Gillette in second place, and Apple in third. Marks and Spencer has overtaken John Lewis who is now in 15th place with M&S in seventh. BP, Shell, Disney and Heathrow all re entered the top 20 this year, whilst household brands, Andrex, Coca Cola and Heinz retained a position in the top 10.
Top 20
1. Lego
2. Gillette
3 Apple
4. Andrex
5. Coca-cola
6. Disney
7. M & S
8. Boots
9.Heinz
10. BMW
11. Cadbury
12. Rolex
13. BP
14. Shell
15. John Lewis
16. Heathrow
17. Jaguar
18. Kleenex
19. Visa
20. Haagen – Dazs
If you need help ensuring your own brand appears amongst the right media platforms so you STAND OUT and get results, contact our award winning team for impartial media planning and buying expertise on [email protected] or call us on 02921 320 200 #lovemarketing
Marketers report increased adspend despite falling confidence amid Brexit
According to the IPA’s Bellwether Report, UK marketers have “held their nerve” in the face of an uncertain business climate following the UK’s Brexit vote.
Advertising in newspapers could triple your ad campaign effectiveness
Advertisers who are cutting back on newspaper advertising might be missing a trick.
According to a new study conducted by effectiveness consultancy Benchmarketing for Newsworks, which claims that advertising with newspapers increases overall revenue return on investment by three times.
The study covers 500 econometric models to provide evidence of the impact newsbrands have on advertising campaigns. The results show that newspapers increase overall campaign effectiveness as well as boosting other media – newspapers make TV twice as effective and online display four times more effective. It goes on to claim that using digital newsbrands boosts print ROI by up to five times.
The research follows challenging times in the print market, which has seen print advertising revenues decline at a rapid rate this year as advertisers are investing more digitally.
The research hopes to prove the value of print advertising. It claims advertisers wanting to maximise effectiveness in their campaigns need to return to 2013 levels of expenditure, where investment in print was at 11.4%. That figure has since dropped to 7.6 % in 2015.
On a sector by sector basis, the research found that adding newspapers to a campaign increases effectiveness by 5.7 times for finance; 3 times for travel; 2.8 times for retail; 1.7 times for automotive; and 1.2 times for FMCG.
Claire Harrison-Church, VP marketing at Asda, said: “Newsbrands are a crucial part of Asda’s marketing mix because they provide us with an influential and flexible platform that we use to inform and inspire our customers. The ultimate goal of our comms is to deliver returns and this large-scale study allows us to continue to invest with confidence. Retailers know that adding newsbrands to a campaign increases the effectiveness of other media – here we have the evidence to prove it.”
If you are interested in incorporating press advertising into your media mix, call one of our team on 02921 320200 or email [email protected]
Change is good for Instagram
When brands release new icons and logos, previously loyal customers often groan with frustration.
Last month that is exactly what happened when Instagram changed its app icon. The flatter, the more abstract design was described by Adweek as possibly “one of the biggest designs fails of the year.” It’s safe to say that it was not loved at first sight for the new design.
But it turns out that the majority of us are wrong, according to new analysis from Dragonfly, a design –
analysis app by black Swan and researchers from Queen Mary University of London.
One of the biggest designs fails of the year is actually 10% more engaging to the human eye than its
predecessor, according to the Dragonfly app.
The new logo is actually 10% more engaging to the human eye than it’s predecessor, according to the app.
Dragonfly uses a computational model to process the visual characteristics of what someone is looking at
(orientation, contrast, texture, luminance) to assign a stimulus attention score to every pixel, demonstrating its attractiveness. The resulting graphics are Heat maps that display what grabs human attention in the first three seconds of interaction.
In conclusion, change isn’t always better, but in this case, it has been proven it is.
If you need help with your marketing then contact The Media Angel on 02921 320 200 or email [email protected] for award winning media planning and buying advice.
Facebook is heating up the competition against Google
Facebook is stepping up the competition as it expands its ad network to video and desktop.
The focus will be on personal rather than cookie; brands will be convinced by the help of data to spend with its ad network over rivals. Facebook is heating up the competition against Google with significant developments to its ad network this will need to become more lucid and show more insights to brands to really compete with its rivals.
Facebook is developing its ad network to desktop, taking a bigger share of the lucrative display ad market through the start of selling video ads and offering brands goals, rather than just direct response.
The Facebook developments mean brands are able to buy video ads on the network that drive brand outcomes. At first, marketers will be able to measure video views but the plan is to open up more brand measurements. In-stream and in-article video ads will be available in the development for the first time as well as on desktop sites.
Google still runs the biggest ad network online, with revenues from its ‘network members’ websites’ generating $4.14bn in the fourth quarter of 2015.
However, Facebook has one big advantage over Google and other ad networks – personal information.
This is a big deal for brands worldwide and we will keep you updated on the further developments of Facebook’s ad network.
The platforms in which we use to deliver our campaigns are continuously evolving, The Media Angel team keep updated with all current developments to get the best outcomes for our clients. Get in touch today to discuss the best channels for your marketing campaign.
Twitter turns 10 today!
10 years ago Twitter posted their first tweet; now more than 500 million are posted every day. While they remain the go-to destination for brands and users looking for real-time information, Twitter hopes to become more than a social network. In fact, the brand hopes to become the hub for people to explore their interests.
From the ‘#’ to the promoted ad product, Twitter has been a major player in the social media revolution that has turned modern marketing on its head. Now brands can target individuals, start a two-way conversation, create interactive content via polls and join in on real-time issues.
CEO Jack Dorsey has a long-term strategy in place to ensure Twitter grows both users and advertisers. And it revolves around positioning Twitter as an “interest network”.
Twitter is a pivotal tool in the conversations, cultural moments and news events that are going on around the world. Its reputation as the resource of choice when something important happens has made them an invaluable resource for personal and corporate moments alike. Its real-time nature is still its biggest strength.
Twitter’s UK managing director Dara Nasr, discusses how he plans to grow Twitter as an ‘interest network’ rather than a social one, by highlighting all the topics that people are talking about. He explains: “Twitter is the shortest distance between you and what you are passionate about. We have 500 million tweets a day so almost every subject is covered. What we want to do is capitalise on this massive source on information.”
In the US, Twitter recently launched its first TV ad campaign aiming to do just that by targeting sports fans. A similar campaign is expected in the UK after Twitter appointed Lucky Generals to come up with creative for this market.
Twitter was the first social network to come up with a promoted ad product. Launched in April 2010, the promoted tweet was a big change from the previously popular banner ad, and its success led Twitter to launch promoted trends, promoted accounts and most recently promoted moments.
Twitter users are renowned for being passionate and engaged with other people’s tweets and so Twitter wanted brands to be able to utilize that engagement. So it was important for them to develop a product that was similar and suited to the organic product.
Twitter ads average engagement rate levels remain high between 1% and 3%.
Forrester marketing analyst Erna Alfred Liousas claims the key to maintaining brands’ interest in advertising on Twitter is to continue investment in the capabilities and communications that support its direction to be an interest network.
Twitter’s MD promises brands increased innovation and sophistication of products, in particular in targeting and analytics. The ability to target by keyword or interest really helps advertisers that have a tight plan to engage with their target market. Improved insight tools also enable advertisers to view other topics that interest their target market, adding an extra layer of sophistication and insight into their campaigns.
Twitter has also had a major impact on marketing, particularly in the areas of reactive, real-time and customer service. Hannah Beesley, social director at creative agency Iris Worldwide, highlights how events such as Oreo’s blackout ad during the Super Bowl in 2013 “woke brands up to the power of joining the conversation” and the risks.
Peter Markey, CMO at the Post Office, says Twitter is a vital part of the marketing mix because of its openness and transparency. “Twitter reminds all good marketers that your brand has to be authentic.”
Social media and our use of it will continue to evolve, and Twitter must evolve too. For marketers, the desire to draw customers closer to their brands will only intensify further and Twitter has steps in place to ensure they provide marketers with a platform which enables exactly that.
Get in touch with one of our team at The Media Angel on 02921 320 200 for award winning advice on how to benefit from Twitters 10 year success! Alternatively, send an email to [email protected] and one of the team promise to be straight back in touch.
Younger viewers are now choosing VoD over Pay TV
To reach the next generation of tech-savvy viewers, advertisers who are looking to use TV need to bear in mind the preferences of the younger viewer for more flexible, content driven television.
Platforms such as Video on Demand have reshaped the way TV content is consumed, creating a generation of consumers who expect to watch what they want, when they want, on the device they choose.
Youtube is currently the most popular video app used by 60% of what’s known as the audience group ‘content connoisseurs’. These are typically young people in their 20’s or early 30’s who are wealthy, tech-savvy trendsetters, highly engaged with content.
Younger viewers are more engaged with VoD and its content, more so than traditional linear TV viewing. This demographic are preferring to choose when, where and how they consume their programming.
For advertisers this is great news. Not only does VoD present brands with a highly engaged and captivated audience, on demand services can also be extremely cost effective. Working much like digital, advertisers can be selective and targeted when buying impressions; delivering the creative to the exact target audience they wish to reach with truly minimal wastage! This also makes for happy viewers, who are presented with advertising messages that are relevant and useful to them.
As with all digital advertising, VoD campaigns return meaningful data. Click through rates are traceable and used to measure engagement. This can be monitored throughout the campaign and optimized at any point based on best performance; a beneficial opportunity unique to digital advertising that ensures return on investment.
If this sounds like something of interest to you follow this link for further insights into digital advertising.
If you’d like to know more about advertising on VoD platforms, get in touch with one of our team. We’d be happy to advise on the best service for your campaign objectives. Email us at [email protected] or alternatively call us on 02921 320 200.
RAJAR Q4 what you need to know
The first week in February saw the release of the latest radio listening figures for quarter 4.
We have put together a brief summary of the most important points to take away from RAJAR from the last quarter:
There were listeners lost across the board in South Wales
Although Heart South Wales and Capital South Wales unfortunately lost the most number of listeners this quarter they still remain at the top in terms of weekly reach, still managing to reach 522,000 and 161,000 listeners each week respectively.
Despite what you might think, this is definitely positive news….
Especially for advertisers! The good news is that losses in listeners mean losses in premiums. We will still be able to reach huge numbers of the population each week on these stations, but now for an even more affordable cost. At least for the next quarter, advertisers will be able to maximise their budgets on these stations and enjoy a huge frequency of message which will aid generating response.
Local listening proved its worth.
Local radio stations such as The Wave, Radio Pembrokeshire, Radio Carmarthenshire and Bridge FM remained at the top in terms of percentage listening share last quarter.
Radio Pembrokeshire and The Wave had the highest percentage weekly reach of all stations in South Wales (36% and 32% respectively). Bridge FM (28%), Radio Carmarthenshire (25%) and Radio Ceredigion (21%) weren’t far behind.
Radio Pembrokeshire also recorded the highest number of hours listened; 10.6 hours on average per listener.
The Wave gained 1,000 new listeners this quarter and was the only radio station in South Wales to have increased its weekly reach.
Radio in North Wales increased in popularity and reach
Capital North West and Wales attracted an extra 19,000 listeners last quarter and Heart North Wales was close behind gaining an additional 10,000 listeners per week. Smooth Radio North West and Wales was also up by 8,000 weekly listeners.
By analysing these radio listening figures, we are able to see the most up to date trends in the market and consult on the most appropriate station for you to utilise in order to reach your target audience and achieve your campaign objectives.
Why should I advertise on radio?
If you need help in choosing the right radio stations as part of your media mix, we are here to help. Just get in touch with experts from south Wales’s award winning Media Planning and Buying Agency at [email protected].
OOH: How much should you allocate to digital?
The optimal amount of an advertiser’s digital out-of-home (DOOH) budget should be 45%, according to a new effectiveness study by BrandScience.
The research analysed over 211 OOH ad campaigns between 2011-2015. It found when the costs of digital and traditional OOH are taken into account, the optimal proportion of DOOH is about 45 per cent. Above this level, returns are diminishing, the study said.
The report also makes recommendations for different types of advertisers on how to maximize ROI when combining digital and traditional OOH as part of a wider media mix with these given examples.
- Grocery retailers’ optimal OOH investment is about £7 million, which yields about 70 per cent in incremental value.
- Travel companies, the optimal OOH investment is about £2.7 million, which yields about 15 per cent in incremental value.
Sally Dickerson, the global chief executive at BrandScience, the researchers of the commissioned study said:
“We can clearly measure out-of-home effectively and we have proved that a slightly increased OOH spend – in many cases – delivers higher ROI.”
The report also said OOH improves the rate of return on investment for all other media used in an ad campaign, except for print.
Get in touch with us with a campaign brief, to see how we can incorporate traditional and digital out of home formats into your marketing mix, to help maximise and deliver the best return on investment for your budget.
Top UK Storytelling Brands 2015
The first job of any advertising creative is to engage the audience, to attract and hold their attention, and story ads do just that. Story ads typically result in greater enjoyment and engagement than non-story ads, observed as providing greater ability to attract attention and be remembered.
In 2015, it seems tech brands are embracing and delivering more effective storytelling techniques in their advertising against many food and drink brands for the first time, according to the UK top storytelling brands survey commissioned by Aesop. The report, now in its third year surveyed the views of over 2,800 people on their views about 154 major brands.
Top Storytelling Risers and Fallers:
The usual food and drink favourites have been overtaken by tech companies that have boosted their credentials in the public’s eyes through storytelling:
- Virgin Atlantic was one of the biggest risers in the top 20, from 46th to 17th.
- Cadbury falls from second place in 2014 to 27th.
- McDonald’s tumbles from 3rd to 43th.
- Walkers from 5th to 29th.
- Coca-Cola from 6th to 39th.
Although tech giant Apple has reigned as the UK’s top storytelling brand for two consecutive years, other significant sprinters in this survey are a number of charities. Since last year…
- Macmillan Cancer Support has jumped from 9th to 2nd place.
- Cancer Research UK has leaped 16th to 10th.
- British Heart Foundation from 15th to 12th.
- Oxfam from 28th to 12th.
Social media platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube have helped these charity organisations make the top rankings, offering charities an affordable platform for spreading their inspiring stories on a precious budget. Charities are better disposed than other sectors to emotional, purposeful storytelling. Case studies and personal stories like Archie’s, used in our client Tŷ Hafan’s Legacies campaign, helped to outline the work of the hospice in an emotive and meaningful way. Executed on a small budget the campaign did exceptionally well in motivating audiences to support the charity through donations.
Archie’s story –
Does your marketing tell a story? And is the storytelling meaningful? Through investment in advertising; focusing on creativity, purpose and emotional resonance brands from all sectors can strike a chord with the public. At The Media Angel we can help you bring your brand to life and put you on the right media platforms to connect with your audience.
Get in touch with us for more information.