How Mobile Rising Star Ad Units are Propelling Brand Advertising in

How Mobile Rising Star Ad Units are Propelling Brand Advertising in Mobile

An IAB study conducted in partnership with Vibrant Media and comScore

Brand Effectiveness through Mobile: An Oreo Case Study

comScore Advertising Analytics


The challengeAccording to the IAB, mobile advertising spend is growing at an unprecedented rate, doubling in 2012 alone from the previous year to reach $3.4 billion. But research is just beginning to tap into what makes this new advertising medium tick, and there is much for marketers and the industry at large to learn about leveraging mobile channels most effectively. How do you grab and hold the attention of a mobile audience? How do you deliver rich creative ad experiences that inspire interaction? What metrics are helpful at proving the value of mobile advertising?

As is common when new advertising channels arise, marketers are eager to learn more about the ability of the channel to drive a branding impact. To help provide a greater understanding of mobile advertising effectiveness, the IAB, in partnership with Vibrant Media and comScore, conducted a research study.

The approachSpecifically, the research study examined the branding effectiveness of new mobile creative ad units, designed to drive higher interaction rates and stronger branding impact, and compared them to standard mobile banner ads. Oreo, a well-known CPG brand, was selected as the test brand for this study.

The Stats

Design/Methodology Survey-based branding effectiveness study with interaction tracking

Sample 1,551 Adults / Age 18-54 Representative of the U.S. population

Ad units studied 6 IAB Mobile Rising Star ads and 1 standard mobile banner ad (see Figure 1 for ad units studied)

Key Metrics Branding and Interaction

Confidence level Statistically significant at 90%


Adhesion Banner

Slider

Filmstrip

Push

Full Page Flex

Vibrant Brand Flex

Figure 1: Sample of Ad Units Studied

Standard Mobile Banner


Registered online panelists were invited to take a survey on their tablet or smartphone (iOS platform.) After viewing a mock webpage, participants completed a short survey on their mobile device (see Figure 2 for example of mock web page). Participants in test cells were exposed to 1 mobile ad while viewing the mock webpage, while participants in the control cell saw no ads on the page. Measurements were collected for branding lift (brand recall, message recall and opinion of ads) and interaction (sliding, swiping and tapping) to get a deeper perspective on the effectiveness of ads at both generating brand impact and immediate action. Interaction metrics were also compared to brand lift results to evaluate how interaction impacts branding.

Figure 2: Example of Mock Web Page with Test and Control Cell Scenarios

IAB Mobile Rising Star Ad(Vibrant Brand Flex)

Test (IAB Mobile Rising Star Ad) Test (Standard Mobile Banner Ad) Control (No Ad)

The approach (continued)

The resultsFor this brand, two key findings emerged that provided insight relating to the branding impact of mobile ads in smartphones vs. tablets and the impact of these ads in driving strong interaction rates.

KEY FINDING #1: Viewing ads on mobile screens delivered significant branding impact, especially tablets.

The following results are branding effectiveness comparisons between smartphone and tablet platforms for the brand, regardless of ad format or interactivity. Here we’re looking at the aggregate results of all the mobile ads measured (IAB Rising Stars and standard mobile banners), and we’ve broken out smartphone and tablet responses separately to show some interesting differences (see Figure 3). Nearly 9 out of 10 tablet users recalled the brand name and so did 4 out of 5 smartphone users, an 8% tablet advantage. Nearly three-quarters who viewed a mobile ad on a tablet and two-thirds who viewed ads on a smartphone were able to recall the brand message, a 9% tablet advantage. These findings suggest that stronger branding benefits were had from tablet platforms, a likely result of the larger screen on these devices.

Interestingly, despite the branding advantages observed for tablets, the study found mobile ads viewed on smartphones were significantly more “attention grabbing” versus tablets (51% versus 43%), a 20% smartphone advantage. Whether the ads were viewed on a smartphone or tablet, these results support the finding that mobile screens delivered a significant branding impact for the brand.

Brand Recall - Oreo

Smartphone Smartphone SmartphoneTablet Tablet Tablet

Message Recall - Cookie or Creme Opinion of Ad – Attention Grabbing

64.1%

50.9%

42.5%80.3%

70.1%87.1%

+9%+8%+20%

Figure 3: Branding Impact Comparisons between Smartphone and Tablet Platforms

KEY FINDING #2: IAB Mobile Rising Star ads inspired more user interaction, resulting in improved branding performance versus standard mobile banner ads.

The study sought to understand how interactivity with an ad impacts branding. For this brand, the study found that IAB Mobile Rising Star ads had double the interaction rates of standard mobile banner ads.


The following results are percent-lift comparisons between those who interacted with a Mobile Rising Star ad and those who simply viewed a standard mobile banner ad across smartphone and tablet platforms collectively (see Figure 4). Brand and message recall showed improved rates among those who interacted with a Mobile Rising Star ad. The interactivity also produced higher perceptions of the ad such as “attention grabbing”.

Standard Mobile Banner Ad

Viewed Standard Mobile Banner Ad



IAB Mobile Rising Star Ads

Interacted with IAB Mobile Rising Star Ads

Interacted with IAB Mobile Rising Star Ads

Interacted with Mobile Rising Star Ads

Interaction Rates**

Message Recall - Cookie or Creme?

Brand Recall - Oreo

Opinion of Ad - Attention Grabbing

5.2%

66.0%

83.0%

42.0%

9.3%

81.0%

98.1%

60.0%

+79% +18%

+23% +43%

Figure 4: IAB Mobile Rising Star Ad Increases*

*Increases shown here compare INTERACTING with an IAB Mobile Rising Star ad versus VIEWING a standard mobile banner ad.**Interaction was considered to have taken place when users slided, swiped or tapped an ad.

“Mobile has the potential to become a primary venue by which marketers can deliver visually compelling creative to consumers,” said Peter Minnium, Head of Brand Initiatives, IAB. “Bringing the Mobile Rising Stars into the IAB Standard Ad Portfolio signifies a turning point in being able to deliver on mobile’s promise – at scale. This is the next step in driving adoption, so publishers, media buyers, and creatives can work together to enhance the interactivity and performance of mobile ad campaigns to the benefit of both consumers and brands.”


[email protected] www.comscore.com © 2013 comScore, Inc.

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How Mobile Rising Star Ad Units are Propelling Brand Advertising in