Background The multi-billion dollar interactive entertainment industry has been at the forefront of...

Six Principles of Effective Six Principles of Effective Online AdvertisingOnline Advertising

Lydia EstradaLydia EstradaVP Media ServicesVP Media Services

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 hasbeen 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.

• 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.

Method

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 UnitsLeaderboard

728x90

Big Screen 458x160

Messaging Plus Unit (MPU)

300x250

Skyscraper 160x600

Widescreen 620x190

GameSpot Ad Units

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 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

MPU format received the most favorable responses

Widescreen format received the least favorable responses

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 andmedia 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

• Avoid Monochromatic Images

• Be Visually Aggressive(Don’t Pull Back)

• Heighten Contrast

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.

IndexNoted 74Associated 93Likability 84One of Best 40

75 - Alexander

IndexNoted 96Associated 99Likability 81One of Best 60

60 – THUG 2

IndexNoted 145Associated 105Likability 107One of Best 120

34 - GTA: San Andreas

IndexNoted 119Associated 98Likability 112One of Best 100

91 – Matrix Online

IndexNoted 85Associated 99Likability 115One of Best 120

68 – Everquest II

#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.

IndexNoted 98Associated 94Likability 76One of Best 60

7 - Viewtiful Joe 2

IndexNoted 94Associated 98Likability 88One of Best 60

73 – Godzilla Save the Earth

IndexNoted 85Associated 100Likability 88One of Best 60

41- Need for Speed Underground 2

#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.

IndexNoted 126Associated 105Likability 115One of Best 140

77 - Riddick

IndexNoted 117Associated 104Likability 113One of Best 160

21 - Call of Duty: Finest Hour

IndexNoted 126Associated 103Likability 122One of Best 340

50 - Star WarsKOTOR II

#4 – That Old Devil, Sex, Still Attracts AttentionBut 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.

IndexNoted 143Associated 94Likability 116One of Best 240

12 – Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines

IndexNoted 85Associated 97Likability 90One of Best 40

2 - Demon Stone

IndexNoted 115Associated 96Likability 110One of Best 140

4 - Demon Stone

#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.

IndexNoted 77Associated 98Likability 115One of Best 120

57 - Ace Combat 5

IndexNoted 85Associated 96Likability 99One of Best 80

29 - Medal of Honor:Pacific Assault

IndexNoted 83Associated 98Likability 53One of Best 40

18 – WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw

IndexNoted 132Associated 105Likability 131One of Best 360

46 - World of Warcraft

#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.

IndexNoted 106Associated 101Likability 118One of Best 160

39 – Metroid Prime 2

IndexNoted 130Associated 105Likability 107One of Best 60

100 - Prince of Persia Warrior Within

IndexNoted 106Associated 104Likability 115One of Best 100

80 - Golden Eye: Rogue Agent

IndexNoted 96Associated 103Likability 113One of Best 100

84 - Golden Eye:Rogue Agent

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!!