Transcript Document

S ix P rin c ip le s o f E ffe c tiv e
O n lin e A d v e rtis in g
L y d ia E s tra d a
V P M e d ia S e rv ic e s
Background
• The multi-billion dollar interactive entertainment industry has
been at the forefront of Internet advertising – but this fact
doesn’t get a lot of PRESS.
• The focus of advertising has traditionally been on editorially
relevant/enthusiast sites such as GameSpot.com.
• Just because it’s contextually relevant doesn’t mean your ad will
WORK.
• Ignited Minds sought answers to our online creative questions
and CNet/GameSpot responded with the first ever Online Roper
Starch report.
Objectives: Online Roper Starch* Study
• Understand the principles of online advertising – what works,
what does not, and why
• Create a online research method similar to the Starch print
advertising study that would establish benchmarks for
successful campaigns
• Create actionable principles that can be used to help
advertisers create more effective online advertising
• Examine other issues related to online advertising such as
the performance of different online advertising types, how
many units in a campaign and the effectiveness of talking ad
units
*Roper Starch Communications is a division of NOP World and has
been analyzing the effectiveness of print advertising since 1934.
Limitations of the Study
• Rich media units such as Pointroll, Eyeblaster
• Interactive units
– Roadblock units that “speak” to each other –
connected messaging
Method
• The foundation of this research is based on the
Starch readership method for print.
• For this study, GameSpot created a mock Website
containing content that visitors would normally
expect to encounter.
• GameSpot intercepted visitors to its regular Website
from 12/16/04 - 1/7/05.
Method
• Visitors were randomly exposed to 10 online ads during the
course of their visit - when finished they were directed to click
through to the survey questionnaire.
• Respondents were then shown the 10 ads they had been
exposed to on the mock Website. Each ad was presented one
at a time along with a series of questions.
• The performance of 100 online advertisements were tested. A
minimum of 300 interviews were conducted on each test ad.
• All scores are based on an index with 100 being the average.
Ad Type/Size Definitions
MPU: Messaging Plus Unit, which provides a platform for marketers to
deliver a rich message. Large rectangle (336 X 280).
Skyscraper: Dimensions are 160 X 600.
Leaderboard: Located near the top of GameSpot content pages.
Dimensions are 728 X 90.
Widescreen: Appears on the front door of GameSpot below the fold
and takes up the full width of the page. Dimensions are 620 X 190.
Big Screen: Appears on the front door of GameSpot and resolves into
editorial content. Dimensions are 458 X 160.
GameSpot Ad Units
Leaderboard
728x90
Big Screen
458x160
Messaging Plus
Unit (MPU)
300x250
GameSpot Ad Units
Skyscraper
160x600
Widescreen
620x190
Starch Definitions of Terms
Noted: The percent of readers who remember having seen the ad
on the Website. Noted is a measure of an ad’s “stopping power.”
Associated: The percent of readers who said they knew who the
advertiser was after seeing the ad. Associated is a measure of
branding.
Dislikability: The percent of readers who said they either disliked the
ad “very much” or “somewhat.”
Likability: The percent who said they either liked the ad “very much”
or liked it “somewhat.”
One of the Best: The percent who rated the ad as one of the best
that they had seen.
Indexed Performance by Ad Type
MPU format received the most favorable responses
Widescreen format received the least favorable responses
MPU
Wide
Big
Sky
Leader
Noted
106
94
96
102
94
Associated
100
99
101
99
101
Likability
106
88
96
99
100
Dislikability
88
125
109
103
100
One of the
Best
109
77
93
104
102
One of the
Worst
88
130
109
95
98
Key Finding #1
Take Full Advantage of Unique Creative Unit Strengths
– Not all ad units are created equally
– One size does not fit all
• MPUs: showcase visually rich graphics and motion
• Leaderboards: communicate vital messages such as product title, product
image, and release date
• Skyscrapers: show a full-size image such as a character or model
Key Finding #2
More integration between creative and
media teams may improve performance
– Individual ad units can play different roles in the campaign
– It’s important to understand how ad units work separately and how
they can contribute to the overall campaign
Key Finding #3
Online ads can communicate on both a rational and emotional level
– One-third of the top performing ads focused on emotional benefits
– Incorporating both emotional and rational elements in the ad may be
the best combination
Key Finding #4
Six principles of effective online advertising
– These are guidelines not absolutes
– The ads selected best exemplify (either positively or
negatively) the principles that we have determined
are most likely to affect the performance of an ad
– Definite patterns have emerged, following these
patterns will dramatically increase the probability
that your ads will attract and hold the viewer’s
attention
The Six Principles
#1 – Encourage the Visuals to
• Heighten Contrast
• Avoid Monochromatic
Images
• Be Visually Aggressive
(Don’t Pull Back)
Observations
 Ads emphasizing the contrast between foreground and background
are those that very often attract the most attention and earn high
Noted scores.
 The inverse is also true: Monochromatic ads, which by their nature
are low in contrast, tend to fare poorly both online and in print.
 Ads that present the action (either words or images) coming
toward the viewer fare better than those in which the action
recedes to the back. Ads that appear to be literally “in your face,”
are those that tend to attract attention.
75 - Alexander
Index
Noted
74
Associated
93
Likability
84
One of Best
40
60 – THUG 2
Index
Noted
96
Associated
99
Likability
81
One of Best
60
34 - GTA: San Andreas
Index
Noted
145
Associated 105
Likability
107
One of Best 120
91 – Matrix Online
Index
Noted
119
Associated
98
Likability
112
One of Best 100
68 – Everquest II
Index
Noted
85
Associated
99
Likability
115
One of Best 120
#2 – Avoid Exaggerated Cartoons and “The Monty
Python” Effect
Observations
 Ads with photographs have historically earned higher Noted
scores than ads with drawings.
 Ads with exaggerated cartoons tend NOT to attract a great deal
of attention either. In online advertising, where illustrations are
much more the norm, there seems to be a particular attraction
and appreciation for realistic presentations.
 By the “Monty Python Effect” we refer to a creative device in
which static images, often exaggerated drawings, float across a
screen in a foreign (or visually incompatible) environment.
7 - Viewtiful Joe 2
Index
Noted
98
Associated
94
Likability
76
One of Best
60
73 – Godzilla Save the Earth
Index
Noted
94
Associated
98
Likability
88
One of Best
60
41- Need for Speed Underground 2
Index
Noted
85
Associated 100
Likability
88
One of Best
60
#3 – Beat ’em Up…With Benefits: Testimonials are
Particularly Effective
Observations
 Remember that the consumer’s most pressing question is,
“What’s in it for me?”
 Many of the highest scoring ads display the benefits – very often
in the forms of testimonials from third-party sources – very clearly
and powerfully.
 Offering benefits – like price information, new features, quotations
extolling the virtues of a product will not do any harm, and for
lesser known products, may be the difference between advertising
success and failure.
77 - Riddick
Index
Noted
126
Associated 105
Likability
115
One of Best 140
21 - Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Index
Noted
117
Associated 104
Likability
113
One of Best 160
50 - Star Wars
KOTOR II
Index
Noted
126
Associated 103
Likability
122
One of Best 340
#4 – That Old Devil, Sex, Still Attracts Attention
But it’s not Always Enough
Observations
 The visitors to GameSpot are predominantly young and male. It
comes as no surprise, then, that the online ads that feature sex
or nudity perform along the same lines as those with the same
approach in print – and any other medium.
 For this study, we have found several ads that are from the
same advertiser, that earn different levels of Noted scores, and
that reveal different amounts of skin. There is a clear causal
relationship between the amount of exposure of skin and the
magnitude of the Noted scores.
12 – Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Index
Noted
143
Associated
94
Likability
116
One of Best 240
2 - Demon Stone
Index
Noted
85
Associated
97
Likability
90
One of Best
40
4 - Demon Stone
Index
Noted
115
Associated
96
Likability
110
One of Best 140
#5 – Give Them Something to Look at
Focal Points and Holistic Images are Important
Observations
 The eye wants to see and to see clearly.
 Ads that do not have a clear focal point – a single element that
stands out and holds the reader’s attention – tend to earn lower than
average Noted scores.
 Images that are severely cropped earn Noted scores that are lower
than those featuring the primary object of the camera in toto.
 Images that move too quickly or fade in and out too rapidly leave the
eye with not much to see – results are also low Noted scores.
57 - Ace Combat 5
Index
Noted
77
Associated
98
Likability
115
One of Best 120
29 - Medal of Honor:
Pacific Assault
Index
Noted
85
Associated
96
Likability
99
One of Best
80
18 – WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw
Index
Noted
83
Associated
98
Likability
53
One of Best
40
46 - World of Warcraft
Index
Noted
132
Associated 105
Likability
131
One of Best 360
#6 – Keep it Simple
Observations
 The more cluttered the ad, the lower the readership.
 There are some busy online ads in this study that earned high
scores, but it is notable that many of the top twenty ads are
remarkable for their simplicity.
 In this visual medium, it appears that an advertiser sometimes
does not need too many bells and whistles.
 An eye-filling picture is very often sufficient for the task of attracting
a viewer’s attention.
39 – Metroid Prime 2
Index
Noted
106
Associated 101
Likability
118
One of Best 160
100 - Prince of Persia Warrior Within
Index
Noted
130
Associated 105
Likability
107
One of Best
60
80 - Golden Eye: Rogue Agent
Index
Noted
106
Associated 104
Likability
115
One of Best 100
84 - Golden Eye:
Rogue Agent
Index
Noted
96
Associated 103
Likability
113
One of Best 100
The Six Principles Reiterated
1.
Encourage the visuals to POP: heighten contrast,
avoid monochromatic images, and be aggressive
(don’t pull back).
2.
Avoid exaggerated cartoons (“Monty Python effect”).
3.
Beat ‘em up with benefits: testimonials are particularly
effective.
4.
That old devil, sex, still attracts attention – but it’s not
always enough.
5.
Give them something to look at: the importance of
focal points and holistic (non-truncated) images.
6.
Keep it simple.
Looking Ahead
• CNET conducted a similar study for the computer
and consumer electronics category.
• A study that includes rich media units and interactive
(“speaking”) units is the next step.
• We should encourage online publishers and
advertisers to build upon the Online Roper Starch
library.
• Explore what works and what doesn’t for other
content/advertiser categories and test effectiveness
of types of messaging (brand or direct response).
For More Info
www.gamespot.com/2005/starch
Thank You!!